Hyundai cemented its position as title contenders for the 2023 TCR Championship with a 1-2 finish in the third round of the series at Winton Motor Raceway.
Bailey Sweeny extended his championship lead with two podiums from three races, including a lights-to-flag victory in the final sprint, while teammate Josh Buchan climbed to second position on the drivers’ standings with third and second-place finishes.
HMO Customer Racing has now won five of the nine races held so far in the 2023 TCR Australia Championship.
Both HMO Customer Racing drivers hit the track with immediate pace, as Buchan and Sweeny finished second and third in the opening practice session. Sweeny again set the third-fastest time in the second practice session while Buchan spent the majority of the session in the garage fine-tuning his i30 Sedan N TCR and finished in 10th position.
In qualifying, Sweeny was on course for a last-lap dash that would have landed him on pole position, only to be baulked by a slower rival in the tightest section of the circuit forcing him to settle for a front-row start in second position with Buchan just behind in third place.
Buchan made a fast start to the opening 18-lap race, blasting into second position as the field stormed towards the first corner and then maintained position for the first two laps. However, he was caught out by slippery conditions while exiting a corner and veered off the circuit, losing two places to teammate Sweeny and Zac Soutar to come home fourth.
Sweeny, having never officially raced at Winton before, was consistently the fastest driver on track as he chased down race leader Michael Clemente, closing to within 1.2 seconds when the chequered flag dropped.
With the top-10 positions reversed for the second race, Buchan and Sweeny charged through the field to make-up positions, with Buchan taking third and Sweeny improving from ninth to fifth.
This ensured that both HMO Customer Racing cars occupied the front row of the grid for the final race. When the lights went out, Sweeny bolted away from the start and was never challenged, eventually crossing the finish line 20 seconds clear of teammate Buchan, who had to fend off numerous attacks during the race.
The fourth round of the 2023 TCR Australia Championship will be held at Queensland Raceway on August 11-13.
What the Driver’s said
Car 30: i30 Sedan N TCR – Josh Buchan
“Wow, we’ve certainly exceeded our expectations this weekend with two surprising – and fantastic – podiums and a great haul of points that has put us right up there in the championship standings. We were carrying the maximum weight penalty for our success at Phillip Island, and we really thought it would have a massive impact on our performance with the tight layout of Winton.
“It’s a credit to the team to get both cars up the front, and a tremendous result for Bailey. To be next to him on the podium was a great feeling.”
Car 130: i30 N TCR – Bailey Sweeny
“We had mega potential right from the outset, which we didn’t really get to show until the final race. That was my biggest win – by 20 seconds – which I rapt about, and adding to the race win tally.
“It’s been a solid weekend for us in terms of the championship too, and the gap just seems to be getting bigger and bigger, which is something I like to see.”
2023 TCR Australia Championship Standings
| 1 | Bailey Sweeny | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 387 |
| 2 | Josh Buchan | Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR | 351 |
| 3 | Jordan Cox | Peugeot 308 TCR | 326 |
| 4 | Aaron Cameron | Peugeot 308 TCR | 307 |
| 5 | Lachlan Mineef | Audi RS3 LMS | 302 |
| 6 | Ben Bargwanna | Peugeot 308 TCR | 288 |
| 7 | Tony D’Alberto | Honda Civic Type R | 280 |
| 8 | Michael Clemente | Cupra Leon TCR | 274 |
| 9 | Tom Oliphant | Alfa Romeo Giulietta | 268 |
| 10 | Kody Garland | Peugeot 308 TCR | 264 |
