HMO Customer Racing has taken first blood with Bailey Sweeny scoring a dominant lights-to-flag victory in the opening race of the first round of the 2023 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia at Symmons Plains in Tasmania.
The 20-year-old qualified third, but ending up starting alone on the front row after pole sitter Will Brown damaged the transmission in his Audi RS3 LMS that could not be repaired, while team mate Josh Buchan was stripped of his second place when he was penalised for an engine irregularity that was discovered in post-qualifying checks.
Sweeny made a lightning getaway off the start line and was never challenged throughout the 30-lap race, building a comfortable 7.5 second margin by mid-distance and then controlling the pace to take the chequered flag ahead of reigning series champion, Tony D’Alberto, and Kody Garland.
Buchan, meanwhile, made a stunning comeback to show the true pace of the latest-generation Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR after the team were hampered by a turbo charger issue during Friday’s initial practice sessions. The 28-year-old charged from the back of the grid to scythe through the back markers in the opening laps, and soon became embroiled in a nose-to-tail battle with Jordan Cox that saw the two drivers swapping positions throughout the remainder of the race. Buchan crossed the finish line in seventh, handing him a second-row starting position for the second race which reverses the Top 10.
What the drivers said
Bailey Sweeny – Hyundai i30 N TCR #130
Qualifying: P3 (56.3137sec)
Race 1: P1 (56.9386sec – Fastest Lap)
“It is awesome to take the first win of the season. After Josh’s little mishap in qualifying we had a clear run from the front row of the grid into the turn one. I then put the blinkers on and focused on myself, managing to pull away and build a comfortable lead. The Hyundai i30 N TCR is a rocketship this weekend and I can’t wait to see what we can do starting from 10th in the reverse grid race.”
Josh Buchan – Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR #30
Qualifying: P2 (56.2112sec)
Race 1: P7 (57.0187sec)
“The first race of the year is one that got away from us. As an overall result it’s not too bad, considering the trouble we had to overcome yesterday. We made up six spots pretty quickly in the race and start on the second row of the grid tomorrow, which gives us a great opportunity to salvage some points and catch up on some silverware. More importantly, there’s a silver lining to our day in that we won’t carry any success ballast into the next round at Phillip Island.”