Hyundai’s Josh Buchan and HMO Customer Racing are set to begin defending their sensational double TCR Australia Championship victories in the opening round of the 2024 season at the historic Sandown International Raceway in Melbourne this weekend.
Buchan scored his maiden TCR Australia title in dramatic fashion during the final round of the 2023 season at Mount Panorama, at the same time helping HMO Customer Racing seal its third teams’ championship in four years.
The 29-year-old Sydneysider heads into the 2024 championship as a pre-season favourite with a new teammate in Tom Oliphant, who joins HMO Customer Racing with a wealth of international racing experience.
Oliphant, 33, won the Rookie of the Year award in his debut TCR Australia season last year after finishing eighth on championship standings which included a breakthrough race victory at Winton.
The British expat has previously competed in top-level European touring cars, including the British Porsche Carrera Cup and international Porsche Supercar series, and was a front-runner in the British Touring Car Championship.
Both drivers will commence the 2024 TCR Australia Championship behind the wheel of proven race-winning machinery with the i30 N TCR hatchback.
Buchan was scheduled to continue in his championship-winning i30 Sedan N TCR, but the team discovered a minor technical issue during pre-season testing.
A new addition to the TCR series in 2024 is the return of the Australian Manufacturers’ Championship in which HMO Customer Racing’s Hyundai drivers will score points for the brand against competitors in rival machinery.
HMO Customer Racing will have two 30-minute practice sessions at Sandown International Raceway on Friday afternoon to fine tune the cars ahead of qualifying on Saturday at 10:30am and the opening race, which starts at 1:15pm. The team will return to the track on Sunday for the two remaining races (2:05pm & 3:20pm), with the top-10 finishers from Saturday’s first race reversed for the second sprint.
Fans can catch all the action from Sandown International Raceway and the Motorsport Australia Shannons Speed Series live and free via 7Plus.
What the drivers said:
Car 1: i30 N TCR – Josh Buchan
“It’s been a long time since winning the championship at Bathurst last year and I cannot wait to go racing again. It’s always exciting to start a new season. I am not treating this year any differently, and don’t consider the upcoming season as a defence of my title but rather an attack for another one. The points score is re-set back to zero at Sandown and the competition will be intense.
“I feel confident we have all the right ingredients to win again with the best team in pitlane and the best cars on the grid, but we have a long year ahead of us and I cannot take the number one for granted.
“It’s unfortunate not to be starting the series in my championship-winning i30 Sedan N TCR, but the hatch is a proven race winner and will be well-suited to the unique demands of Sandown with its long straights.”
Car 15: i30 N TCR – Tom Oliphant
“I’m really excited to get started with my new team at HMO Customer Racing and looking forward to racing at Sandown in the Hyundai i30 N TCR, which was the fastest car on that track last year. My aim is to get three very solid finishes, with a podium or if not better, and put some strong points on the table to establish my position in the championship.
“The team has been very welcoming and I feel very comfortable with everyone and the car after our pre-season testing. The car feels fantastic, but you’re never really sure until you get on the track against all the other competitors. But I am optimistic we will have the pace to be up the front.
“I like Sandown: it’s a track that rewards horsepower along the straights and you have to be aggressive over the kerbs through the corners, which is good fun. It’s got a great flow to it, and I think it’s a great track to start the championship at with the Hyundai i30 N.”
2024 TCR Australia Championship, Round 1: Sandown Raceway
| Track Facts | |
| Location | Melbourne, Victoria |
| Length | 3.10 km |
| TCR Pole Record | 1:12.229, Jay Hanson (Audi RS3 LMS) – 2022 |
TCR Schedule – Round 1: Sandown Raceway
| Friday February 9 | Saturday February 10 | Sunday February 11 |
| Practice 1: 11:40am | Qualifying: 10:30am | Race 2: 2:05pm |
| Practice 2: 2:00pm | Race 1: 1:15pm | Race 3: 3:20pm |