QUEENSLAND RACEWAY, IPSWICH: HMO Customer Racing is aiming to continue its winning ways in the fifth round of the 2022 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Championship at Queensland Raceway this weekend.
The Hyundai team dominated the previous round at Sydney Motorsport Park, scoring pole position and winning two of the three 17-lap races that resulted in a 1-2 finish in the overall round results for Nathan Morcom and Josh Buchan.
The front-running form elevated Buchan to third place in the championship standings, just 32 points from the series leader, while Morcom jumped six positions to seventh.
The team is hoping it can keep marching to the top of the table this weekend at Queensland Raceway, which returns to the TCR Australia Championship for the first time since 2019.
With a mixture of long, fast straights and tight hairpins, the 3.21km circuit will almost certainly produce a tightly packed field in qualifying and then plenty of door-to-door racing throughout the three 21-lap races.
Morcom is the only driver at HMO Customer Racing to have previous TCR experience at Queensland Raceway, finishing fourth in all three races in 2019. While Buchan has raced there in Formula 3, teammate Bailey Sweeny will make his debut at the circuit.
What the drivers said:
Car 11 – Nathan Morcom
“It’s been nice to have a break but I’m really looking forward to getting back to racing this weekend in Queensland. We have found some good pace in the Hyundai i30 N TCR and I’m aiming to build on the momentum from winning the last race at Sydney Motorsport Park. We have had time to give the cars a freshen-up since the last round, and the team is fully prepared. The racing will be intense, with eight of us in contention for the championship. And no-one is going to give an inch.”
Car 30 – Josh Buchan
“We had great form in Sydney and I’m hoping we can keep that going at Queensland Raceway. But our success means my Hyundai i30 N TCR is carrying the maximum weight penalty, which could impact our performance on the long straights. In saying that, our car is traditionally good under brakes and out of the corners so I’m optimistic we will be in the thick of the action still. I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
Car 130 – Bailey Sweeny
“I’ve only ever been to Queensland Raceway as a spectactor – about 10 years ago – and I’m excited to finally race there. Even though the layout looks pretty simple, I know that small tracks make for small margins which means that qualifying up the front will be critical. Thankfully, my car doesn’t carry any success ballast this weekend which will not only help in terms of outright performance but also putting less strain on the brakes and tyres during the race. I reckon if it’s anything like it was at Symmons Plains in Tasmania, it’s going to be a race of survival.”
Queensland Raceway: Track Facts
Location: Willowbank, Queensland
Length: 3.126km
TCR Pole Record: 1:12.948, Jean-Karl Vernay – 2019
TCR Lap Record: 1:14.4277, John Martin – 2019
