HMO Customer Racing Hyundai driver Bailey Sweeny retains top spot in the championship standings, after a fighting 4th place, in Race 1, of Round 2 of the 2023 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia series at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.
Sweeny qualified strongly in 4th but lost places at the start, only to fight hard and move back up into 4th at the finish on one of the fastest tracks in Australia.
Bailey Sweeny is seen at Phillip Island
The 4th position sees Bailey retain top spot in the championship over Honda driver Tony D’alberto.
RACE 1 report by TCR Australia
Josh Buchan got the jump from pole in his Hyundai i30N Sedan, whilst reigning series champion Tony D’Alberto also got a great start from third on the grid and got past Zac Soutar’s Audi for second.
Will Brown’s nightmarish 2023 Supercheap Auto TCR season only got worse as he retired with a right-rear suspension failure at the end of the second lap to continue the misery for MPC Team LIQUI MOLY.
The issues with the newer-spec Audi RS3 LMS TCR weren’t limited to Brown in Tasmania, and they weren’t limited to Brown today as Soutar retired his car from a strong third place at the end of lap seven with a suspected electrical issue.
Tom Oliphant also found drama, having pulled his new Lynk & Co 03 TCR off the track at Miller Corner with smoke trailing from the back of the Ashley Seward Motorsport entry, though he would eventually finish two laps down in eleventh.
More drama came on the penultimate lap as D’Alberto suffered a right front tyre failure on the Gardner Straight – having only just lost second place to Lachlan Mineeff’s Audi at MG Corner.
Whilst D’Alberto would make it around to pit lane, he was unable to get back out on track – the subsequent non-finish a DNF a setback in his quest to win back-to-back Supercheap Auto TCR Australia titles.
Mineeff would finish a brilliant second in his older-spec Audi RS3 LMS SEQ, whilst Aaron Cameron rounded out the podium with a fine drive from eighth on the grid in his Team Valvoline GRM Peugeot.
D’Alberto’s late issue was great news for championship leader Bailey Sweeny, who stayed out of trouble in a mature drive to fourth, whilst Ben Bargwanna made it two Peugeots in the top five for Burson Auto Parts Racing.
The Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series is back on track for two races tomorrow, with the first race being the reverse top ten affair at 11:30 am.
Sunday’s races will be broadcast live, ad-break free and on demand on Stan Sport.
International audiences can view via www.speedseries.com.au/TV.