September 12, 2022
SANDOWN RACEWAY, MELBOURNE: HMO Customer Racing will engage full attack mode for the penultimate round of the 2022 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Championship at Sandown Raceway this weekend.
Following a roller coaster run in the previous event at Queensland Raceway, the team is confident it can reclaim its race-winning form at the historic Victorian circuit, which returns to the TCR Championship for the first time since 2019.
With all three drivers – Josh Buchan (5th), Bailey Sweeny (9th) and Nathan Morcom (10th) – in the top 10 on the championship ladder for the first time this season, the team is planning for a ‘semi-final’ performance at Sandown that will cement its title aspirations ahead of the Bathurst International finale at Mount Panorama in November.
With a mixture of long, fast straights and heavy braking zones, the HMO Customer Racing Hyundai i30 N TCRs are well prepared to overcome the challenges of the 3.1km circuit, which will almost certainly produce a tightly packed field in qualifying and plenty of door-to-door racing during the three 22-lap races.
Morcom is the only driver at HMO Customer Racing to have previous TCR experience at Sandown Raceway, finishing inside the top 10 in 2019. Sweeny recently raced at the Victorian circuit in a Toyota 86, while Buchan will make his racing debut at Sandown this weekend.
What the drivers said:
Car 11 – Nathan Morcom
“I’m pumped to get back in the car this weekend and return to Sandown Raceway for the first time in a couple of years. It’s such a historic track which presents plenty of unique challenges, especially if it is wet which is forecast for this weekend. That could actually be a blessing for us in a way as we’re still carrying 30kg of success penalties from qualifying in the top 10 at Queensland Raceway. We had good speed in the last round, and it was a shame we couldn’t capitalise on it when I was taken out in the opening race. The team has done an amazing job preparing the car for this weekend, and I’m aiming to repay them with a clean weekend at the pointy end and move back up the championship ladder before the final round at Bathurst.”
Car 30 – Josh Buchan
“Surprisingly, I have never actually raced at Sandown before. I have done plenty of laps around there with driver training events in road cars, but that isn’t an indication of how the weekend is going to go for me. Looking at the weather report though, I think all bets are off and the form guide is going to be very hard to read. Hopefully the fact we’re not carrying any weight penalties this weekend means we have an advantage compared to others, and it is important for me to have a clean weekend and carry the championship challenge into the final round at Bathurst. ”
Car 130 – Bailey Sweeny
“I’m looking forward to heading back to Sandown Raceway, having raced there only a few weeks ago in the Toyota series. But the Hyundai i30 N TCR is a completely different machine and I’m excited by the challenge. We had a pretty successful run in the previous round at Queensland Raceway that put us in the top 10 on the championship ladder for the first time this season. I’m aiming to continue that momentum at Sandown even though we’re carrying a fair chunk of success penalties. The possibility of rain could counteract though and be a bit of an equaliser.”
Sandown Raceway: Track Facts
Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Length: 3.104km
TCR Pole Record: 1:14.6863, Will Brown – 2019
TCR Lap Record: 1:13.9637, Nestor Girolami – 2019
TCR Schedule – Sandown Raceway
| Friday September 16 | Saturday September 17 | Sunday September 18 |
| Practice 1: 11:30am | Qualifying: 11:35am | Race 2: 12:55pm |
| Practice 2: 2:40pm | Race 1: 4:20pm | Race 3: 4:10pm |
2022 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Championship Standings
1. Tony D’Alberto Honda Civic Type R 544
2. Jordan Cox Peugeot 308 TCR 486
3. Jay Hanson Audi RS3 LMS TCR 484
4. Zac Soutar Honda Civic Type R 469
5. Josh Buchan Hyundai i30 N TCR 459
6. Will Brown Audi RS3 LMS TCR 455
7. Dylan O’Keefe Peugeot 308 TCR 444
8. Aaron Cameron Peugeot 308 TCR 415
9. Bailey Sweeny Hyundai i30 N TCR 407
10. Nathan Morcom Hyundai i30 N TCR 399
* after Round 5, Queensland Raceway
