SWEENY SHINES - BAILEY GOES FASTEST OVERALL IN PRACTICE AT TASMANIA
A recent test day held by Blanchard Racing Team at Symmons Plains in the lead-up to Round 2 of the Dunlop Super 2 Series has worked wonders for Bailey Sweeny, who has finished the day fastest overall after Practice of Day 1.
A recent test day held by Blanchard Racing Team at Symmons Plains in the lead-up to Round 2 of the Dunlop Super2 Series has worked wonders for Bailey Sweeny, who has finished the day fastest overall after Practice of Day 1.
Sporting new backing from Super Spill & Safety Solutions, rookie Sweeny was at the top of the timesheets for the majority of the session, at one stage putting more than half a second on the field.
The ultimate benchmark set by the #33 Mustang was a 52.4830s, which is half a second down on the practice and qualifying lap record set by Garry Jacobson in 2018.
Sweeny's buffer was slashed by Walkinshaw Andretti United rookie Matt Hillyer as the final runs of the session began, with the #25 Commodore setting a 52.7289s to finish second for the session.
The only other driver to dip under the 53 second barrier was fellow rookie Reuben Goodall, who set a 52.9777s on his final lap to finish third ahead of Tickford teammate and Launceston local Lochie Dalton on a 53.0261s.
Any final runs were scuppered by a red flag in the final six minutes of the session, as Mason Kelly ran long at the Turn 4 hairpin and couldn't get out of the run-off area.
The session ultimately would not resume, with many teams about to start their final burst for the session, with some heavy hitters finding themselves further down the pecking order.
Bailey Sweeny’s new livery
In the second of the day’s 2 Practice sessions, Zach Bates topped the timesheets beating out Practice 1 pacesetter Bailey Sweeny.
The Canberran set a 52.4847s in the #1 Commodore, just 0.0235s quicker than Sweeny's 52.5082s, though it is still an extremely promising start for Sweeny.
The top three was rounded out by series leader Jordyn Sinni, who set a 52.5709s in the #54 Eggleston entry to also finish within a tenth of Bates' benchmark.
Cameron McLeod, the winner of the opening race in Sydney and second in points, finished seventh in the session after battling with a very loose #92 Mustang, ahead of Eggleston rookie Cody Burcher, who lost 15 minutes with a roll bar drama.
There were several wild moments throughout the final 40-minute practice session, however unlike Practice 1, there were no red flag interruptions.
The Dunlop Super2 Series returns to the track tomorrow morning at 10:40am AEST for Boost Mobile Qualifying for Race 3 of the 2025 season, which will begin at 12:40pm AEST.
SUPER SPILL & SAFETY SOLUTIONS FOR SWEENY AT SYMMONS
Blanchard Racing Team (BRT) is proud to announce Super Spill & Safety Solutions as the naming rights sponsor for Bailey Sweeny’s No. 33 BRT Super2 Mustang at the upcoming 2025 Snowy River Caravans Tasmania Super 440.
Blanchard Racing Team (BRT) is proud to announce Super Spill & Safety Solutions as the naming rights sponsor for Bailey Sweeny’s No. 33 BRT Super2 Mustang at the upcoming 2025 Snowy River Caravans Tasmania Super 440.
Super Spill & Safety Solutions are a leader in environmental and workplace safety solutions and aligns with BRT’s focus on safety, performance, and innovation.
"We’re incredibly proud to be the naming rights sponsor of Bailey Sweeny’s No. 33 BRT Mustang for the Tasmania Super2 round,” says Dominic Fedele, Director of Super Spill & Safety Solutions.
“Partnering with BRT reflects our shared commitment to performance, precision, and safety — values that drive everything we do.”
“We're also excited to announce Super Spill & Safety Solutions spill response and safety products will soon be available through BRT’s parent company, CoolDrive Auto Parts, starting from June 1st 2025, expanding access to quality safety solutions at automotive workshops across the country,” continued Fedele.
“As a proudly Australian-made and owned business, we are honoured to support both the motorsport and industrial sectors through this exciting collaboration!”
Behind the wheel of the No. 33 Super Spill & Safety Solutions Mustang, Bailey Sweeny shares his excitement about the partnership.
“It's a huge honour to have Super Spill & Safety Solutions as our naming rights partner for this round,” says Sweeny.
“I'm genuinely excited to represent a brand that shares our focus on performance, precision, and professionalism and I'm honoured to carry their name into battle at Tassie!”
BRT’s Commercial Manager, Mitch Brittain, highlighted the strategic weight of this collaboration,
“As a proudly Australian-made and owned company, Super Spill is making a real impact in providing access to the safety solutions professionals need across the country,”
“Super Spill has been instrumental in creating a safe workplace at the BRT workshop, ensuring our team can operate at full throttle,”
“Thanks to Super Spill for extending their support as the naming rights partner for our Super2 team at Tasmania and we can’t wait to see this livery hit the track!”
Sweeny and the No. 33 Super Spill & Safety Solutions Mustang will hit the track for the 2025 Snowy River Caravans Tasmania Super 440 at Symmons Plains Raceway during May 9-11, 2025.
HEAD HELD HIGH AFTER LATE DRAMA ENDS SWEENY'S SYDNEY HOPES
Blanchard Racing Team’s Bailey Sweeny will head to Round 2 at Tasmania after a ‘thats racing’ mechanical issue forced his retirement in his debut Supercars race weekend, on Day 3 of the Thrifty Sydney 500, which acts as Round 1 of the 2025 Dunlop Super 2 Championship, at Sydney Motorsport Park.
Despite the late misfortune, Sweeny can hold his head high after a strong overall showing amongst Australia’ best young driver talent.
Blanchard Racing Team’s Bailey Sweeny will march into Round 2 at Tasmania after a ‘thats racing’ mechanical issue forced his retirement in his debut Supercars race weekend, on Day 3 of the Thrifty Sydney 500, which acts as Round 1 of the 2025 Dunlop Super 2 Championship, at Sydney Motorsport Park.
Despite the late in the weekend misfortune, Sweeny can hold his head high after a strong overall showing amongst Australia’ best young driver talent.
The round was his first in a Supercar and first in the Dunlop Super 2 Series.
Sweeny had come out well, finishing second overall in the 23 car field during Practice 2 on Friday, before qualifying in 11th for Race 1 on Saturday.
A finish of 14th led to qualifying again on Sunday where he improved to start 13th on the grid, a mere 0.6 of a second off the front row.
Moving through the field, he gained places in Race 2 of the weekend before the mechanical gremlin set in.
Jordyn Sinni claimed his first career race victory in the Dunlop Super2 Series.
Sinni beat teammate and polesitter Cody Burcher off the front row of the grid at the start and disappeared into the distance.
Round 2 of the 2025 Dunlop Super2 Series will take place at the Tasmania Super 440 from May 9-11.
BAILEY HOME IN 14th ON DUNLOP SUPER 2 SUPERCARS DEBUT
Blanchard Racing Team’s Bailey Sweeny has produced a strong result in his debut Supercars race, coming home 14th in the 23 car field, during Race 1, on Day 2 of the Thrifty Sydney 500, which acts as Round 1 of the 2025 Dunlop Super 2 Championship, at Sydney Motorsport Park.
The race was his first in a Supercar.
Blanchard Racing Team’s Bailey Sweeny has produced a strong result in his debut Supercars race, coming home 14th in the 23 car field, during Race 1, on Day 2 of the Thrifty Sydney 500, which acts as Round 1 of the 2025 Dunlop Super 2 Championship, at Sydney Motorsport Park.
The race was his first in a Supercar.
Bailey Sweeny
Earlier Sweeny has qualified 11th to start from Row 6.
Bailey Sweeny
Cameron McLeod has led from start to finish in the opening Dunlop Super2 Series race of 2025 at the Thrifty Sydney 500 - Opening Round.
The 20-year-old Queenslander streaked away to a 9.3078s margin in his first Super2 race for Kelly Racing, with Erebus Academy's Jobe Stewart running home second fending off a hard-charging Rylan Gray.
Behind the front three, Nash Morris was a solid fourth on debut for Tickford, ahead of Hodson, Gonmersall, Jordyn Sinni, Lochie Dalton, Bates, and Walls rounding out the top 10.
The Dunlop Super2 Series return to the track tomorrow at 10:35am for Boost Mobile Qualifying, with the second race of the season set to begin at 2:40pm.
SWEENY STUNS WITH SECOND PLACE ON DEBUT IN PRACTICE - SYDNEY SUPERCARS THRIFTY 500 EVENT
Blanchard Racing Team’s Bailey Sweeny has stunned the category, finishing the day in second place behind reigning champion, Zach Bates by just 0.0919s, on Day 1 of the Thrifty Sydney 500, which acts as Round 1 of the 2025 Dunlop Super 2 Championship, at Sydney Motorsport Park.
SWEENY STUNS WITH SECOND PLACE ON DEBUT IN PRACTICE - SYDNEY SUPERCARS THRIFTY 500 EVENT
Blanchard Racing Team’s Bailey Sweeny has stunned the category, finishing the day in second place behind reigning champion, Zach Bates by just 0.0919s, on Day 1 of the Thrifty Sydney 500, which acts as Round 1 of the 2025 Dunlop Super 2 Championship, at Sydney Motorsport Park.
Sweeny in second - leads all rookies
First Boost Mobile Qualifying of the year begins at 2:00pm tomorrow afternoon
Bailey Sweeny is seen in the Dunlop Series
In his first outing with the team and in the category, by doing so, Sweeny has outshone the likes of reigning Super3 champion Cody Burcher, reigning Toyota GR Cup champion Max Geoghegan and 2023 Australian Formula Ford champion Matt Hillyer.
Zach Bates topped the timesheets in Practice 2 with Sweeny having earlier finished Practice 1 in 5th place overall from the field of 23 cars.
Bates led Blanchard Racing Team rookie Bailey Sweeny, who impressed in BRT's return to full-time development series competition to set a 1:32.0445s, just 0.0919s behind Bates.
Bailey Sweeny is seen in the Dunlop Series
The session ran green for the entirety of it's 40-minute duration, though several drivers pushed the limits with locked wheels, and Reuben Goodall was lucky to escape a trip through the grass at the exit of Turn 3.
Mason Kelly was an encouraging sixth in the second of the Kelly Racing Mustangs, only 0.03s behind his highly-rated teammate McLeod, as the team aims to go one better than Aaron Cameron's runner-up finish in last year's championship.
Cody Gillis, Lochie Dalton, Rylan Gray, and Cody Burcher rounded out the top 10, though the latter featured towards the top of the timesheets for the majority of the session.
Another feature of the session was the continuing trend of drivers being able to set two push laps in a row, which could be a consideration for the first Boost Mobile Qualifying of the season tomorrow afternoon.
The 2025 Dunlop Super2 Series kicks into gear tomorrow with Boost Mobile Qualifying at 2:00pm local time, before the Race 1 of the 25th anniversary season begins at 5:55pm.
Bailey Sweeny is seen in the Dunlop Series
Sweeny’s Super2 livery breaks cover at Winton
Bailey Sweeny’s Ford Mustang for this first Super2 Series campaign with the Blanchard Racing Team has been unveiled.
Sweeny cut his first laps in the car at Winton Motor Raceway on Wednesday, carrying CoolDrive colours and #33.
story via Speedcafe by Simon Chapman
Bailey Sweeny’s Ford Mustang for this first Super2 Series campaign with the Blanchard Racing Team has been unveiled.
Sweeny cut his first laps in the car at Winton Motor Raceway on Wednesday, carrying CoolDrive colours and #33.
Bailey Sweeny’s BRT Ford Mustang. Image: Brett Mullavey
The former TCR Australia Series driver takes the reins of the car that has had success with Jack Perkins and Aaron Love before him.
Bailey Sweeny’s BRT Ford Mustang. Image: Brett Mullavey
Love won at Bathurst in 2023 before Perkins took wins at Townsville and Sandown.
“The No. 33 BRT Mustang’s new livery is truly outstanding,” said Sweeny.
Bailey Sweeny’s BRT Ford Mustang. Image: Brett Mullavey
“The crew has been working hard to fine-tune the car and I can’t wait to get it on track and fight for top results in 2025.
“Both the team and car are proven winners in the Super2 Series, and I’m eager to contribute to our history of success.”
SWEENY ANNOUNCED AT BRT FOR 2025
The Blanchard Racing Team will return to the Super2 Series this season with former TCR Australia driver Bailey Sweeny.
story via /Speedcafe by Stefan Bartholomaeus
The Blanchard Racing Team will return to the Super2 Series this season with former TCR Australia driver Bailey Sweeny.
Bailey Sweeny
Sweeny, 22, starred aboard Hyundai TCR machinery throughout 2022 and ’23, narrowly missing out on the latter title.
Budget constraints prevented a planned move to Super2 in 2024, although he did scrape onto the Dunlop Series grid for the Bathurst round in October aboard a Super3 Commodore.
He’ll now step into the BRT Ford Mustang that Jack Perkins drove to race wins at Townsville and Sandown last year, adding to an already strong second-tier Supercars field.
“I’m thrilled to join BRT to contest the Super2 Series full-time in 2025,” said Sweeny.
“This is a monumental step in my career, one that brings me closer to my dream of competing in Supercars as a main game driver,”
“Thanks to Tim (Blanchard), Kate (Harrington, team manager) and the entire team for their faith in providing me with such a massive opportunity.
“I look forward to hitting the ground running at Sydney and showing what I can do behind the wheel of a Supercar.”
BRT last ran a full-time Super2 entry in 2023, fielding Aaron Love before progressing the West Aussie to the main game last year.
“Bailey represents exactly the kind of young talent we strive to support here at BRT,” said BRT team principal, Tim Blanchard.
“His track record speaks volumes, and his ambition aligns perfectly with BRT’s focus of growth and development.”
BRT has an unchanged Supercars Championship driver line-up of Love and James Courtney, who has declared 2025 will be his last as a full-time driver.
The Supercars Championship and Super2 Series both kick-off at Sydney Motorsport Park on February 21-23.
SWEENY COMES HOME 2ND IN RACE 1 AT BATHURST
Bailey Sweeny has come through to finish second in class and gain a solid bank of ponts in Race 1, in the Dunlop Super 3 series, at the Bathurst 1000 event, at Mount Panorama.
Racing for the first time at the Mountain in the Image Racing Super3 VF Commodore, Sweeny came home in 15th overall and ahead of Dunlop Super 2 chamionship leader Kai Allen.
Bailey Sweeny has come through to finish second in class and gain a solid bank of ponts in Race 1, in the Dunlop Super 3 series, at the Bathurst 1000 event, at Mount Panorama.
Racing for the first time at the Mountain in the Image Racing Super3 VF Commodore, Sweeny came home in 15th overall and ahead of Dunlop Super 2 chamionship leader Kai Allen.
Bailey Sweeny is seen at Bathurst
“I am very excited to announce I will be racing Super3 with Image Racing at the Bathurst 1000,” Sweeny said.
“It has been a bit quiet for myself in the motorsport world but we have been working hard behind the scenes. I have been racing a few categories throughout the year.”
Sweeny has already got accustomed to the VF Commodore by staging a test day this week at a sunny Phillip Island and was encouraged by the start.
SWEENY BACK FOR BATHURST TILT
Bailey Sweeny is back on the national scene and will make a long-awaited Dunlop Series debut by steering an Image Racing Super3 VF Commodore at Bathurst.
Sweeny will drive the #4 VF Commodore that Tony Auddino raced at Wanneroo when the Dunlop Series arrives at Mount Panorama in October.
story via Auto Action
Bailey Sweeny is back on the national scene and will make a long-awaited Dunlop Series debut by steering an Image Racing Super3 VF Commodore at Bathurst.
Sweeny will drive the #4 VF Commodore that Tony Auddino raced at Wanneroo when the Dunlop Series arrives at Mount Panorama in October.
It is a big moment for the 21-year-old, who has had a quiet 2024 after stepping away from TCR Australia.
In the space of just two years Sweeny became one of the stars of TCR, taking six wins for HMO Customer Racing.
Bailey Sweeny
After falling just short of the TCR title last year, Sweeny has only done a handful of races including the RX8 Cup and Jeremy Hodges Memorial Excel race.
But since he left TCR, he has had his sights set on the Dunlop Series and the chance has finally arrived for the penultimate round of the season.
“I am very excited to announce I will be racing Super3 with Image Racing at the Bathurst 1000,” Sweeny said.
“It has been a bit quiet for myself in the motorsport world but we have been working hard behind the scenes. I have been racing a few categories throughout the year.”
Sweeny has already got accustomed to the VF Commodore by staging a test day this week at a sunny Phillip Island and was encouraged by the start.
“I have just wrapped up an awesome day of testing at Phillip Island. The VF Commodore was an absolute weapon and I learnt lots of new things,” he said.
“I feel like we are in good shape heading into Bathurst and I can’t wait to hit the track.”
The addition of Sweeny is a much needed one for both driver and category.
In two of the three rounds so far, Cody Burcher and Thomas Maxwell have been the only Super3 competitors racing amongst themselves.
The only exception was Perth when Auddino made a one-off appearance to bring the third tier to a three-car field.
BAILEY QUALIFIES FOR WORLD TCR FINAL IN PORTUGAL
HMO Customer Racing’s Bailey Sweeny has qualified for the TCR World Ranking Final, to take place at the Algarve circuit in Portimão, Portugal from 1-3 March, 2024.
The top 45 drivers in the World Ranking as of October 1st earn a spot in the play-off races, from which 19 drivers will advance to the final on day three of the event.
story via Speedcafe
HMO Customer Racing’s Bailey Sweeny has qualified for the TCR World Ranking Final, to take place at the Algarve circuit in Portimão, Portugal from 1-3 March, 2024.
Algarve circuit in Portimão, Portugal
Four Supercheap Auto TCR Australia regulars have earned a place at the TCR World Ranking Final.
There are two methods of qualification for the event, with the top 15 in the Kumho TCR World Tour points earning an automatic spot in the day three final.
Those 15 drivers aside, the top 45 drivers in the World Ranking as of October 1st earn a spot in the play-off races, from which 19 drivers will advance to the final on day three of the event.
The World Tour Qualifiers
Melbourne Performance Centre’s Will Brown ended the year 10th in the World Tour points, with Tony D’Alberto (Honda Wall Racing) in 12th and Garry Rogers Motorsport’s Aaron Cameron in 15th.
Should they choose to attend the World Ranking final, the three drivers will benefit from an extended practice programme as they come to grips with the famous Portuguese track.
Across the first two days of the event, the World Tour qualifiers will enjoy 90 minutes worth of practice time across three sessions.
Qualifying kicks off the competitive action at the end of day two.
A qualifying race on day three then sets the grid for the 30 minute World Final race.
Algarve circuit in Portimão, Portugal
The World Ranking Qualifiers
Also qualified is HMO Customer Racing’s Bailey Sweeny, who was classed inside the top 45 in the World Ranking at the October 1 cutoff date.
Should Sweeny take up his opportunity to attend the event, he faces a tougher road towards the final race.
Sweeny would have just one practice session at the Algarve circuit, before qualifying later on day one.
On day two Sweeney would be faced with two play-off races, at the end of which the top 15 drivers on cumulative points will earn a spot in the final.
Those 15 drivers join the 15 World Tour drivers in the qualifying race on day three.
The remaining 30 drivers will have one last chance, with a repechage race on day three, giving the top four drivers a spot at the back of the grid for the World Final race.
There is potential for more Supercheap Auto TCR Australia representation, with Josh Bucan, Jordan Cox and Jay Hanson all sitting on Priority List 2.
This list, taken from rankings 46-65 on October 1, gives drivers an opportunity to attend the event should any of the 45 qualified drivers choose not to attend.
Buchan is first on the list, and thus would need just one driver to not take up their invitation.
Cox is 15th and Hanson 17th.
The TCR World Ranking Final takes place from March 1-3 at the Algarve Circuit in Portimão.
Supercheap Auto TCR Australia returns to action from February 9-11 at Sandown Raceway.
SWEENY CLAIMS THIRD PLACE OVERALL AFTER STELLAR BREAK OUT TCR SEASON
HMO Customer Racing TCR driver Bailey Sweeny has claimed the third place overall position, after a stellar break-out year in the 2023 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Championships.
HMO Customer Racing Hyundai TCR driver Bailey Sweeny has taken out the third place overall in the 2023 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Championships, after a stellar break-out year.
20 year old Sweeny from Batemans Bay led the drivers championship going into the final round but a mechanical issue saw him miss results on the penultimate race of the year, dropping him behind stablemate Josh Buchan and highly experienced Supercars driver Tony D’Alberto.
In the final race of the season - held at Australia’s most famous circuit, Mount Panorama, Bathurst and amongst the world’s best drivers as part of the Kumho TCR World Tour - Sweeny stormed home to give himself a total of 748 points for the year.
Eventually, he would narrowly miss the title but can hold his head up high after a stunning year.
The season included multiple race wins, pole positions and podiums and established Sweeny as a serious driver to watch in 2024.
YOUNG GUN SWEENY SITS ON THE BRINK OF TCR AUSTRALIA TITLE
20 year old HMO Customer Racing Hyundai TCR driver Bailey Sweeny, tonight sits on the brink of claiming the 2023 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia championship title.
Sweeny holds a 15 point lead over fellow Hyundai stablemate Josh Buchan with 2 races remaining in the season, held tomorrow, at Australia's most infamous track, Mount Panorama, Bathurst. GRM driver Aaron Cameron sits in third.
story by PIT LANE MEDIA
20 year old HMO Customer Racing Hyundai TCR driver Bailey Sweeny, tonight sits on the brink of claiming the 2023 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia championship title.
Sweeny holds a 15 point lead over fellow Hyundai stablemate Josh Buchan with 2 races remaining in the season, held tomorrow, at Australia's most infamous track, Mount Panorama, Bathurst. GRM driver Aaron Cameron sits in third.
Bailey Sweeny
This weekend sees the Australian championship form part of the Khumo World TCR Championships and Sweeny will go up against the best TCR drivers in the world.
It's been a meteoric rise for the young gun from Batemans Bay in NSW.
Bailey Sweeny at Bathurst
Sweeny began in karts before progressing up to the highly competitive Toyota 86 Series, and eventually to the TCR Championship.
The title would be his first Australian TCR title and would have him sit amongst highly experienced and household name drivers in Australia motorsport, such as current 888 Supercars driver Will Brown and Shell V Power Racing Supercars driver Tony D’Alberto as previous champions.
Bailey Sweeny
The combined Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series and Kumho TCR World Tour field return to the track for Race Two at 12:50pm AEST and the the final race at 4.10pm AEST.
QUALY DONE - TOP 7 TCR AUS START FOR RACE 1 AT BATHURST
Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series leader, Bailey Sweeny has come through qualifying unscathed and will start from P16, and P7 in the TCR Australia series, for Race 1 of the 2023 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International. at Mount Panorama at Bathurst.
Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series leader, Bailey Sweeny has come through qualifying unscathed and will start from P16, and P7 in the TCR Australia series, for Race 1 of the 2023 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International. at Mount Panorama at Bathurst.
Sweeny currently holds a 29 point lead over stablemate Josh Buchan for the TCR Australia Championship which will be decided this weekend.
Bailey Sweeny
Race One for the combined Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series and Kumho TCR World Tour field begins at 4:15pm AEDT.
You can catch all the action live, ad break free, and on demand on Stan Sport, with the race also broadcast on free to air via 9Gem and 9Go (check your local guides).
SWEENY REVEALS NEW HELMET FOR SYDNEY WORLD TOUR EVENT
Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series leader, Bailey Sweeny has revealed a sleek new helmet design in celebration of the two upcoming Kumho TCR World tour rounds down under.
Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series leader, Bailey Sweeny has revealed a sleek new helmet design in celebration of the two upcoming Kumho TCR World tour rounds down under.
Bailey Sweeny with his new helmet
The back-to-back Shannons SpeedSeries rounds could be a memorable occasion for the New South Welshman for a number of reasons – not only will he sharing the track with some of the world’s best TCR drivers, but is in a commanding position to win a maiden national title in his home state.
The helmet was specially prepared by Diamond Helmet Designs for the international rounds and features both Sydney Motorsport Park and Mount Panorama track layouts on the top.
“It came about earlier in the year when I mentioned the idea to Hyundai and was met with great support from them,” Sweeny said.
“It’s cool to be heading to two of my favourite tracks for the TCR World Tour and to have them on the top of helmet.
“Diamond designs have been a great supporter of mine and his work is seriously next level.”
Race Sydney will kick off the double-header for two days on 3-4 November before the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International runs as a traditional three-day event on 10-12 November.
Headlining both events will be Kumho TCR World Tour, which will see some of the best TCR drivers from around the world share the grid with Supercheap Auto TCR Australia for six 30-minute races across the two events.
SWEENY BUILDS LEAD AS FIELD CONDENSES HEADING TO WORLD TOUR ROUNDS
TRAILING by a single point entering the round, HMO Customer Racing’s Bailey Sweeny will take a 30-point series lead into the back-to-back final rounds of this year’s Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series.
The big swing in title momentum came in a weekend that delivered Sweeny his first Astron Tech Pole Award and wins in two of the three races at Sandown last weekend.
TRAILING by a single point entering the round, HMO Customer Racing’s Bailey Sweeny will take a 30-point series lead into the back-to-back final rounds of this year’s Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series.
The big swing in title momentum came in a weekend that delivered Sweeny his first Astron Tech Pole Award and wins in two of the three races at Sandown last weekend.
Bailey Sweeny
It could prove critical heading into the final two rounds of the season, to be run in conjunction with the first visit by the Kumho TCR World Tour to local circuits.
Sweeny’s emphatic Sandown performance was the third time this season he’s topped the points at the end of a round, the race three finishing order that placed the Hyundai driver ahead of Aaron Cameron and Tony D’Alberto also reflecting the overall weekend result.
“I couldn’t be happier with two race wins, my first pole position and reclaiming the championship lead that I’ve held all year except for after the last round in Queensland,” Sweeny said.
“It’s great to have a bit of a buffer on the championship ladder heading into the final two rounds with the TCR World Tour, because I reckon there could be a bit of chaos with those guys on the grid at Sydney Motorsport Park and Bathurst. But I can’t wait to get stuck into it against them.”
Bailey Sweeny
Having eked out a lead by a solitary point following Queensland, Sweeny’s HMO teammate Josh Buchan remains second in the championship.
However, while he is still well within striking distance of his teammate he is now only eight points clear of the charging Aaron Cameron and his Valvoline GRM Peugeot.
“We knew coming into Sandown that the track wouldn’t play to the strengths of the Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR, and we weren’t wrong – it was a pretty tough weekend on our side of the garage,” Buchan explained.
“We lack straight line speed, and Sandown’s long straights really highlighted that. We had good lap speed, but we couldn’t race when there were cars around us, and it made me a bit of a sitting duck.
“We worked hard all weekend and still scored good points in each of the three races. We’re still second in the championship and we’ve got two tracks to finish off the year that I’m really looking forward to and think will suit our car a lot better.”
Sandown represented the second round in a row Cameron took points out of Buchan, the GRM driver now just 38 points from the series lead.
Defending champion said farewell to his title-winning Honda Civic Type R with another strong finish and another gain up the championship leaderboard at Sandown as he continues his quest for back-to-back titles.
The Wall Racing Honda pilot takes delivery of his brand-new JAS-built car prior to Sydney Motorsport Park’s next round, where the Victorian will aim to continue his relentless climb up the leaderboard seen in recent rounds.
A challenging weekend for Jordan Cox drops the Schaeffler GRM Peugeot behind D’Alberto for the first time this year, the Sunday birthday boy now 93 points behind the series lead in fifth position.
Ben Bargwanna has climbed to sixth position while Lachlan Mineeff remains best of the Audi brigade in seventh.
Cupra pilot Michael Clemente had a fast finish to an otherwise challenging Sandown weekend and sits eighth in the series, ahead of Kody Garland and Tom Oliphant – who moves back into the series top-10 after missing Queensland.
Points remain provisional pending confirmation of final results from Sandown.
SWEENY COMPLETES SENSATIONAL SUNDAY SWEEP AT SANDOWN
HMO Customer Racing’s Bailey Sweeny has placed himself in a very strong position to clinch his first Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series title after another dominant drive in Race Three at Sandown.
Sweeny was able to make his way by the fast-starting Peugeot of Aaron Cameron in the middle of the race and was able to pull away to claim his fifth win of the 2023 season, as the rest of the field engaged in an old-school touring car tussle at the historic Melbourne venue.
HMO Customer Racing’s Bailey Sweeny has placed himself in a very strong position to clinch his first Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series title after another dominant drive in Race Three at Sandown.
Bailey Sweeny
Sweeny was able to make his way by the fast-starting Peugeot of Aaron Cameron in the middle of the race and was able to pull away to claim his fifth win of the 2023 season, as the rest of the field engaged in an old-school touring car tussle at the historic Melbourne venue.
For the third time in as many TCR Australia races this weekend, the best start came from the second row, as Cameron’s Team Valvoline GRM entry got an incredible launch from third to split the front row of Sweeny and Lachlan Mineeff into turn one.
Ben Bargwanna had a hairy moment on the opening lap when he was forced to sail through the runoff area at turn six after bumping doors with Tony D’Alberto’s Honda Civic, though rejoined with no issue.
Three battle packs quickly formed through the field, with Cameron and Sweeny fighting for the lead, followed by an all-Audi fight for third between Mineeff and Zac Soutar, with D’Alberto and Cox leading a vigorous battle for fifth.
The rivalry that boiled over at Queensland Raceway threatened to do so once again as Cox received a bad sportsmanship flag for blocking the reigning champion, with his defence inviting Bargwanna, Josh Buchan, Michael Clemente, Kody Garland, and Tom Oliphant all into the battle.
D’Alberto was then forced into a wild off at turn two whilst attempting to sail around the outside of the Schaeffler GRM Peugeot, allowing Michael Clemente’s Cupra to split the pair.
Garland would soon exit the battle after slipping off into the gravel at turn nine on lap six, though as has been the case throughout the weekend, he was able to rejoin without bringing out the Safety Car, though had another spin at turn one later on.
Meanwhile at the front of the field, Sweeny made his move on Cameron on lap eight, diving down the inside to take the lead of the race, where he would stay for the balance of the race.
Whilst the battles for first and fifth calmed down as the race progressed, the battle for third continued throughout the race as Soutar and Mineeff were barely separated by anything more than a second for the vast majority of the race.
That was until lap eighteen, when Soutar ran wide at Dandenong Road in his Audi, allowing Mineeff to draw alongside in his older 2017-spec RS3 on the run into the final complex.
Mineeff was able to get the inside run into turn twelve leading onto the front straight, however the Audis made wheel-to-wheel contact, forcing the Team Soutar Motorsport entry out on the spot.
The Purple Sector entry was able to continue on, now in third, however had a right-front tyre failure heading into turn one on the penultimate lap, forcing Mineeff into retirement.
Suddenly the earlier battle for fifth became the fight for the last step of the podium, as Cox was once again forced to to desperately fend against the faster cars behind.
This time it was Michael Clemente who got aggressive with the birthday boy, bumping the rear of the Peugeot at turn four on the final lap, impacting both of their runs onto the back straight.
The biggest beneficiary was Tony D’Alberto, who was able to get a big run on both Cox and Clemente, and swooped around the outside of turn six to clinch a last-gasp podium behind Sweeny and Cameron, who were over fifteen seconds up the road.
The stars of the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series return to the track alongside some of the world’s best touring car drivers at Race Sydney on November 3-4, as part of the Kumho TCR World Tour.
BAILEY SNARES POLE IN EPIC SANDOWN SHOOTOUT
One point off the series lead, Bailey Sweeney had taken his first pole for Round 5 of Supercheap Auto TCR Australia at Sandown International Raceway in the Shannons SpeedSeries.
One point off the series lead, Bailey Sweeney had taken his first pole for Round 5 of Supercheap Auto TCR Australia at Sandown International Raceway in the Shannons SpeedSeries.
“I didn’t quite nail that final lap,” he said which suggested that he could have gone quicker than the 1:14.1547 best lap he set in the HMO Customer Racing Hyundai i30N.
The top times continually dropped throughout the session before Sweeny did the pole winner at the end of the session. He had a 0.1189s advantage over Lachlan Mineeff (Audi RS3 LMS). After a meeting with the fence late on Friday and overnight repairs, Zac Soutar (Audi), who was quickest for the day, finished third.
Bailey Sweeny is seen at Sandown
Next to him for the first of three races will be reigning title holder Tony D’Alberto (Honda Civic FK7) ahead of Aaron Cameron (Peugeot 308), current points leader Josh Buchan (Hyundai), Michael Clemente (Cupra Leon Comp), Ben Bargwanna (Peugeot), Kody Garland (Peugeot) and last round winner Will Brown (Audi).
Qualifying 1, where the top ten went through to Q2, was headed up by Sweeney over Soutar, Mineeff, Bargwanna and D’Alberto. Brown was outside the top 10 until the last moment, where he snuck in behind Cameron and Clemente, and in front of Buchan and Garland.
Those that missed out were Jordan Cox (Peugeot), and Brit Oliphant (Lynk & Co), who was back in the series after he missed the last round whilst getting married in England. Also out were Iain McDougall (Audi) and Clay Richards, who raced an Audi at the Winton round before the switch to Peugeot for this outing.
RACE 1 begins today at 3.35pm local time
SANDOWN ON-TRACK SCHEDULE LOCKED IN
A fan-friendly schedule has been confirmed for next month’s Shannons SpeedSeries round at Sandown International Raceway.
Six national categories will combine for more than 20 hours of on track action across three days at the popular Victorian circuit, including the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series, National Trans Am Series, Kumho V8 Touring Car Series, Mobil 1 Australian Production Car Series and Monochrome GT4 Australia Series, MARC Cars Australia and the Australian Formula Open Series.
A fan-friendly schedule has been confirmed for next month’s Shannons SpeedSeries round at Sandown International Raceway.
Six national categories will combine for more than 20 hours of on track action across three days at the popular Victorian circuit, including the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series, National Trans Am Series, Kumho V8 Touring Car Series, Mobil 1 Australian Production Car Series and Monochrome GT4 Australia Series, MARC Cars Australia and the Australian Formula Open Series.
View the full schedule for Sandown International Raceway
For the first time this year, the National Trans Am Series will see two races on Saturday, with a short turnaround expected to add some extra spice before undertaking the third and final race on Sunday afternoon.
The combined Mobil 1 Australian Production Car Series and Monochrome GT4 Australia Series will also experience at first at Sandown, with the event to serve as the first time the combined category will feature as a unit at the circuit, which will enjoy four half-hour races split across Saturday and Sunday.
Tickets for the event can be purchased at motorsporttickets.com.au.
The event will also welcome two new categories for the first time this year, MARC Cars Australia and the Australian Formula Open Series.
Not only will the MARC Cars hold the first race of the event on Friday afternoon, but the 40-minute affair will also be the longest for the weekend. The category will then have a 25-minute race on Saturday afternoon, before rounding out the weekend’s action with a final half-hour sprint on Sunday.
As for Australian Formula Open, fans of the open-wheel series will be treated to three races across the weekend, one of which will be on the Saturday and two on the Sunday.
Friday will feature a mammoth 15 sessions, kicking off with National Trans Am Series practice at 9:15am AEST and running all the way through to the conclusion of its qualifying around 4pm AEST.
Saturday will feature similar track time, while Sunday’s action will resume at a slightly later 9:50am AEST and run through to the conclusion of Race 3 of Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series.
As always, Stan Sport will provide live, on demand and ad-free coverage of the event on Saturday and Sunday, with Saturday’s broadcast kicking off at 11am AEST – just in time for Race 1 of the combined APC and GT4 category.
Sunday’s Stan Sport broadcast will begin at 11:00am AEST in time for Race 2 of the Kumho V8 Touring Car Series at 11:20am AEST, before the rest of the day’s action gets underway running through to the final Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series race at 4.15pm AEST.
Fans will also be able to watch Saturday afternoon’s action live and free via 9Gem from 2pm to 5pm AEST.
View the full schedule for Sandown International Raceway
Those wishing to attend the event can secure their tickets at motorsporttickets.com.au.
Single day passes can be purchased from $30 AUD, with weekend passes and VIP experiences also available.
The weekend also offers an enjoyable and affordable weekend away for motorsport loving families, with kids under the age of 15 going free.
Motorsport Australia’s Director of Motorsport & Commercial Operations Michael Smith was looking forward to what was promising to be a big weekend of motorsport.
“Shannons SpeedSeries rounds at the iconic Sandown Raceway are always big and I expect this year’s event to be no different,” Smith said.
“We have half a dozen exciting categories in action, two of which will be joining us for the first time this year, while a number of our regular categories will undoubtedly put on quite the spectacle for attending fans.
“Of course, with the amount of track action occurring, there is great value for money and fans will get be getting a lot of bang for buck, so I highly encourage any motorsport fans to make their way down to Sandown.”
The sixth round of the Shannons SpeedSeries will take place at Sandown International Raceway on 8-10 September.
Tickets for the event can be purchased at motorsporttickets.com.au.
NEW YEAR MEANS NEW BAILEY SWEENY
HMO Customer Racing’s Bailey Sweeny is sitting comfortably on top of the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series after his winning his second round of the season at last weekend’s Hi-Tec Oils Race Winton.
The 19-year-old had a perfect start to the season by taking wins two wins out of three at the opening round of the season at AWC Race Tasmania.
Consistent top five finishes at Phillip Island then ensured he would hold the series lead heading into the third round at the Winton Motor Raceway last weekend.
story via TCR Australia
HMO Customer Racing’s Bailey Sweeny is sitting comfortably on top of the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series after his winning his second round of the season at last weekend’s Hi-Tec Oils Race Winton.
The 19-year-old had a perfect start to the season by taking wins two wins out of three at the opening round of the season at AWC Race Tasmania.
Consistent top five finishes at Phillip Island then ensured he would hold the series lead heading into the third round at the Winton Motor Raceway last weekend.
After qualifying in second behind Phillip Island race winner Michael Clemente in his rapid new Cupra Leon, Sweeny maintained the position in the opening race to set himself up for another showdown in Sunday’s final race.
But before then, Sweeny was able to muster some valuable points after working his way up to fifth in the reverse grid format race on Sunday morning.
When the time for the third race had come, the New South Welshman couldn’t have made it look any easier – finishing 20 seconds ahead of his closest competitor and HMO Customer Racing teammate Josh Buchan (the second largest winning margin in series history).
While Sweeny was thrilled to take the race win, he wasn’t expecting to do so in such convincing fashion.
“It was definitely a strong weekend, to come away with the win in the final race over 20 seconds ahead was pretty amazing,” Sweeny said.
“It was about five laps in I could see Josh (Buchan) getting further and further behind, when the engineer came on the radio and told me, I was like ‘What, are you sure? It was definitely surprising.
“I was getting updates on the gap throughout the race, when I won at Bathurst last year it was the second biggest at the time of 14 seconds, I did everything I could to beat that back then but couldn’t quite get there.”
After joining the series in 2022, Sweeny was adamant that his fast start to the season plays a big role in his continued success in the category.
“I definitely have more confidence than last year, coming off the first round win also helps because I didn’t expect to have a gap in the standings like I do now, so confidence is very high,” Sweeny added.
“We have been in good form all year and Winton was a track that suited our car, so it worked in our favour quite well.
“It’s definitely a positive weekend for the title race.”
2023 SpeedSeries, Winton Motor Raceway, Victoria, Australia.
June 9th-11th 2023.
World Copyright: Daniel Kalisz Photographer
The results are all the more impressive when considering his lack of at circuits like Winton as well as Queensland Raceway – the location of the fourth round of the 2023 season.
“I have done two test days at Winton in the past, but it was my first race there ever,” Sweeny explained.
“The hardest part about it was judging the braking zones. Tracks like Bathurst give you a long braking point while you only have around 50 metres at Winton, so that took some getting used to.
“We have a test day scheduled in at QR before the next round, and I have also got a couple of Hyundai N drive days planned too, so anything in a car, in a seat, going round in circles keeps you in check.
“Last year was my first race there, but we had good pace and qualified fourth and worked our way back after being turned around, so hopefully it’s another good weekend for us and we can extend the lead at the top again.”
The next round of the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series will take place at Queensland Raceway as part of the fifth round of the Shannons SpeedSeries calendar on 11-13 August.
WONDERFUL WINTON - BAILEY ANNIHILATES OPPOSTION IN RACE 3 VICTORY
HMO Customer Racing’s Bailey Sweeny has taken the second-biggest win in Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series history with a crushing 20 second win, during Race 3 of Round 3 at Hi-Tec Oils Race Winton in Victoria.
By taking both the final race and the round win, Sweeny now leads the championhip by 36 points overall after the half way point of the season.
story via TCR Australia
HMO Customer Racing’s Bailey Sweeny has taken the second-biggest win in Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series history with a crushing 20 second win, during Race 3 of Round 3 at Hi-Tec Oils Race Winton in Victoria.
By taking both the final race and the round win, Sweeny now leads the championhip by 36 points overall after the half way point of the season.
Bailey Sweeny wins at Winton
Chaos reigned behind as Sweeny was taking the chequered flag, as the fight for second was turned on its head with three corners to go.
Josh Buchan was tagged in the rear by Michael Clemente at turn ten on the final lap, sending Buchan off into the grass.
Clemente then attempted to redress the situation and allowed Buchan to re-enter the track in front of him, however Zac Soutar in fourth to get a monumental run on both heading into the final two corners.
Soutar had to take to the grass on the outside to make the move on Clemente, but in trying to squeeze back onto the circuit for the braking zone, Soutar tagged the front of Clemente and the rear of Buchan.
Clemente was fired heavily into the outside wall, whilst Buchan was lucky not to meet the same fate as the Cupra.
It was an HMO Customer Racing front-row lockout on the grid, with Sweeny making a slightly better than the newer-spec i30N Sedan of teammate Buchan.
However, the best start came from Tony D’Alberto in fourth, who nearly stormed past both Hyundais into turn one, and entered the complex second, locked onto Sweeny’s rear bumper.
D’Alberto would receive no reward for his fantastic start however, as Buchan would squeeze the reigning champion wide at turn two, with D’Alberto dropping back down to seventh as a result.
There was further drama back in the pack, as the Honda of Brad Harris and the Peugeot of Ben Bargwanna both went off on the outside of turn two after making contact.
Another driver making their way to the front in the opening laps was Clemente, banging doors with Race 2 winner Tom Oliphant at turn three on lap two to go to fourth having started eighth on the grid after missing Race 2.
Sweeny then drove away into the setting Winton sun, with Buchan coming under serious pressure from Zac Soutar’s Audi RS3 LMS TCR, with Clemente soon joining to make it a three-way fight for second.
That wasn’t the only battle on track, as Tom Oliphant began to drop back through the pack and queued several cars up behind the Alfa Romeo Giulietta.
First D’Alberto, then Kody Garland’s Team Valvoline GRM Peugeot got by Oliphant, however Bargwanna, Clay Richards, Aaron Cameron, and Iain McDougall all continued to scrap at the back end of the top ten.
The ferocious battle took its toll, as Richards suffered a major right-front suspension failure exiting turn ten on lap twelve, cutting a promising debut TCR Australia weekend short.
The fight for second began to heat up on lap fifteen of eighteen, when Clemente dived down the inside of Soutar at turn seven on lap fifteen.
Clemente then continued to close the margin on Buchan, culminating in the dramatic final lap incidents with Soutar.
Following the battle-scarred Buchan and Soutar was Jordan Cox for Schaeffler GRM, with Lachlan Mineeff rounding out the top five with another strong performance for Purple Sector.
Round five of the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series heads to Queensland Raceway on August 11-13 at Round 5 of the Shannons SpeedSeries.
