POLE POSITION AT WINTON FOR SERIES LEADER SWEENY

HMO Customer Racing Hyundai driver, and curent championship leader, Bailey Sweeny will start from the front row and in pole position for Race 3 after securing a second place in Race 1 and a fifth position in the reverse grid Race 2, during Round 3 of the 2023 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia series at Winton Motor Raceway in Benalla, Victoria.

Sweeny, whe went into the round leading the series has mainatained a solid weekend and will now start the fnal race from the front.

The third and final race for the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series begins at 4:10pm.

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Bailey Sweeny

FRONT ROW START FOR SWEENY AT WINTON

HMO Customer Racing Hyundai driver, and curent championship leader, Bailey Sweeny will start from the front row after qualifying for Race 1 of Round 3 of the 2023 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia series at Winton Motor Raceway in Benalla, Victoria.

Sweeny clocked the Victorian hig country circuit in a time of 1.24:8654 to narrowly miss pole by zero point zero 3 of a second.

Lachlan Mineeff (Audi RS 3 LMS) was quickest after the first flyers on a 1:26.8332s, then Sweeny clocked a new benchmark of 1:25.1873s in his Hyundai i30 N as tyres continued to come up to temperature, before Michael Clemente who was second at that point found another six tenths of a second to move up to provisional pole position on his third flying lap, with Sweeny setting the second fastest time.

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Bailey Sweeny at Winton

Race 1 begins at 16:10 LOCAL TIME with Races 2 and 3 on Sunday.

The Shannons SpeedSeries is currently streaming live and ad-free on Stan Sport, and free for international viewers on Speedcafe.

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CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD RETAINED AFTER CONSISTENT ISLAND VENTURE

HMO Customer Racing Hyundai driver Bailey Sweeny retains top spot in the 2023 championship standings heading into Round 3, after a solid and consistent Round 2 of the 2023 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia series at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.

Sweeny finished all 3 races for the weekend in 4th and 5th places, and after the 2 wins in Round 1 in Tasmania, he retains the lead of the standings with 252 points over Jordan Cox on 230.

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Bailey Sweeny is seen at Phillip Island

The third round sees the championship head to the Victorian country circuit of Winton Motor Raceway on 9th June.

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SWEENY STAYS ON TOP - CHAMPIONSHIP LEADER AFTER FIGHTING RACE 1

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.

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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.

TWO WINS FROM THREE SEES BAILEY FINISH OPENING ROUND AS TITLE LEADER

story via TCR Australia

Young gun Bailey Sweeny has stamped his authority on the title early by winning the final race of AWC Race Tasmania, the opening round of the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series.

Sweeny took advantage of an intermittent problem afflicting the Honda Civic Type R TCR of reigning series winner Tony D’Alberto to take his second win of the weekend as Jordan Cox fought off the advances of his stablemate to take third in the Schaeffler GRM Peugeot 308 TCR.

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D’Alberto won the start as polesitter Sweeny in the HMO Customer Racing Hyundai i30 N TCR dropped to third after a robust move from Cox elevated him behind the leader.

Valvoline Team GRM’s Aaron Cameron just failed to follow his stablemate Cox through on Sweeny in fourth as the trio dropped 2s behind D’Alberto.

This order changed when Sweeny took Cox down the inside at the penultimate corner before a switchback resulted in minor contact, but the HMO Customer Racing entry took second.

Behind the leading quartet, Autoglym ASM’s Tom Oliphant in the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR was holding fifth from the sole MPC Team LIQUI MOLY Audi of Lachlan Mineeff in what was a large battle pack developing.

This featured the second Valvoline Team GRM Peugeot of Kody Garland, a recovering Ben Bargwanna in the Burson Auto Parts Racing GRM example, Josh Buchan’s HMO Customer Racing Hyundai Elantra (i30 Sedan N) TCR and Michael Clemente in the Carl Cox Motorsport RS3 LMS TCR Gen1.

Buchan was also recovering after a turbo pipe split in Race 2.

As Sweeny pursued D’Alberto, Cameron just failed to pass Cox for second at the penultimate corner as he slid down the inside, but was unable to pull up allowing the Schaeffler GRM Peugeot back through and allowing Oliphant to catch up.

It was an interesting race at the front as Sweeny was gradually closing in on D’Alberto in a tug of war battle, with the margin remaining around a second. This changed when an intermittent gear shifter problem interrupted the reigning series winner’s rhythm leading to Sweeny to take the lead.

Cox in third was still unable to make inroads on D’Alberto, but Cameron was closing having broken away from Oliphant as the battle behind now led by Garland started to heat up.

However, it was Sweeny taking the win from D’Alberto, Cox, Cameron, Oliphant, Garland, Mineeff, Bargwanna, Buchan, Clemente and Iain McDougall for Challenge Motorsport.

Sweeny now leads the standings ahead of Round 2 of the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series at Phillip Island as part of the Shannons SpeedSeries on May 12-14.

BAILEY OPENS THE SEASON WITH VICTORY IN TASMANIA

HMO Customer Racing young gun Bailey Sweeny got his pursuit to the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia title off to the best start by taking the opening victory at AWC Race Tasmania.

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It was a dominant performance from the rising star as he was never headed for the 30-lap encounter.

The two Audi RS3 LMS TCR Gen2s of Will Brown and Zac Soutar failed to make the start, ensuring a couple of vacant spots on the grid, while Josh Buchan was penalised for a turbo boost irregularity dropping him to the rear of grid.

Sweeny was the sole car on the front-row, but it was the Valvoline Team GRM Peugeot of Aaron Cameron making the best start around the outside, but was run wide dropping to fifth.

This elevated Tony D’Alberto to second in the Honda Wall Racing Civic Type R TCR and Kody Garland in the other Team Valvoline GRM Peugeot rounded out the podium through the opening lap.

The battle for fourth heated up as Garry Rogers Motorsport stablemates Jordan Cox in the Schaeffler entry and Cameron tangled at the hairpin.

It remained status quo for much of the race as Sweeny continued to extend his lead to D’Alberto throughout as Garland maintained third.

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The big mover was Buchan in the HMO Customer Racing Hyundai Elantra (i30 Sedan N) TCR as he was up to seventh by lap 15 leading to a close battle with Cox.

Buchan failed to find a way through, although both were side-by-side dualling for much of the race’s second half.

In the end, Sweeny took a lights-to-flag victory to get his title attack off to the best start in the absence of Brown and Soutar, while D’Alberto was runner up 7.6s in arrears.

It proved a perfect Peugeot debut for Garland as he scored third ahead of GRM teammates Burson Auto Parts Racing GRM’s Ben Bargwanna, Cameron and Cox.

Buchan maintained seventh ahead of BTCC race winner Tom Oliphant’s Autoglym ASM Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR.

Forza Brakes Motorsport’s Lachlan Mineeff was ninth from Michael Clemente and Iain McDougall rounded out the results.

The Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series action continues tomorrow at 1:30pm AEDT live and uninterrupted on Stan Sport.

SECOND ROW START - QUALIFYING DONE FOR ROUND 1 IN TASMANIA

HMO Customer racing’s Bailey Sweeny has qualified on the second row for Race 1 of the 2023 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series Round 1, at Symmons Plains in Tasmania.

Sweeny missed pole to Erebus Supercars driver Will Brown by zero point one three of a second.

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Race 1 will get underway at 4.10pm local time today with races 2 and 3 to come on Sunday at 1.30pm and 4.10pm respectively.

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Bailey Sweeny / pic supplied via TCR Australia

Live coverage will also be broadcast on 9Go!/9Gem at 2:00pm-5:00pm AEDT on Saturday, February 25.

Check your local guides for which channel.

Replays will be scheduled across the Nine Network following the event.

International viewers, including New Zealand, can watch live on speedseries.com.au/tv

The Australian Racing Group (ARG) and Stan Sport are proud to announce a multi-year partnership that will provide coverage of the brand-new ARG SpeedSeries and key Australian motorsport events, including two major events at Australia’s Motorsport capital, Bathurst.

Every race from every round will be streamed ad-free, live and on demand on Stan Sport.

SWEENY TOPS OPENING PRACTICE IN TASMANIA

Bailey Sweeny has set the pace in Practice 1 for the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series at AWC Race Tasmania.

Bailey Sweeny is seen in his new Hyundai

story via speedcsafe

Sweeny (Hyundai) topped the timesheets in the 30-minute session with a 0:55.9259s, ahead of Will Brown (Audi) (0:55.9357s), with Zac Soutar (Audi) third-fastest (0:56.4309s).

The two-time TCR Australia Series race winner backed up his pace from the TCR tyre test yesterday, where he quickly came to grips with the new control Kumho tyres.

Kody Garland (Peugeot) set the first representative time with a 0:59.0218s, with Brown going to the top a short time later after setting a 0:58.2845s.

Ben Bargwanna (Peugeot) went to P1 with a 0:56.8129s on his second lap, before reigning title winner Tony D’Alberto (Honda) vaulted to the top with a 0:56.7068s on his third lap.

Bargwanna briefly bettered the benchmark with a 0:56.4571s on his third lap, before Brown returned to the top with a 0:56.0389s on his fourth lap.

The Toowoomba native went even faster the following lap with a 0:55.9357s, filing into the pits after that effort, as Soutar moved into P2 with a 0:56.4309s on his fifth pass.

Sweeney displaced Soutar for second with a 0:56.1391s on his seventh lap.

With 10 minutes of the session complete, the order was Brown, Sweeny, Soutar, Bargwanna and D’Alberto rounding out the top five, with Aaron Cameron (Peugeot), Jordan Cox (Peugeot), Garland, British Touring Car Championship race winner Tom Oliphant (Alfa Romeo) and Michael Clemente (Audi) rounding out the top 10 for Carl Cox Motorsport.

Sweeny vaulted into first with a 0:55.9259s on his ninth lap, prompting Brown to return to the track as the former returned to pit lane.

The session was red-flagged with just over 11 minutes on the clock, with Cox needing to be towed back into the pits after stopping with what appeared to be a technical issue at the exit of the hairpin.

The session went green with just over seven minutes on the clock, with Sweeny topping the timesheets from Brown, Soutar, Bargwanna, D’Alberto, Cameron, Cox, Garland, Josh Buchan (Hyundai) and Lachlan Mineeff (Audi).

The top 10 remained unchanged from then on, with Oliphant, Clemente and Iain McDougall (Audi) completing the order.

TCR Australia will next head on track for Practice 2 at 15:00 local time/AEDT.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR RETURNS FOR 2023

story via TCR Australia

Two-time race winner and last year’s Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series Rookie of the Year Bailey Sweeny has confirmed he will contest the 2023 season with HMO Customer Racing.

Sweeny proved a revelation last year after scoring two wins and three podiums on the way to an impressive fifth in the standings.

Driving the third Hyundai i30 N TCR in 2022, Sweeny finished on the podium in his weekend at AWC Race Tasmania before taking a dominant maiden victory at Mount Panorama where Supercheap Auto TCR Australia acted as support to the Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour.

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Bailey Sweeny

Another win followed at the same venue in November at the inaugural Supercheap Auto Bathurst International where Sweeny also secured second in the season finale to lock away fifth in the title, beating the likes of fellow young gun Zac Soutar, experienced teammate Nathan Morcom and Garry Rogers Motorsport driver Aaron Cameron.

Familiarity is key to Sweeny’s title tilt as he will once again race a Hyundai i30 N TCR with the same team as in 2022 ensuring he will be a driver to watch this season.

Also on Sweeny’s mind is the TCR World Tour, which is set to join the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series grids at the final two rounds of the season as he endeavours to race in the class overseas.

Sweeny will form an exciting field for the opening round of Supercheap Auto TCR Australia starting for the third time at AWC Race Tasmania on February 24-26.

Stan Sport will provide live, uninterrupted and on-demand coverage of all SpeedSeries rounds. AWC Race Tasmania will also feature free-to-air broadcasting on the Nine Network’s digital channels on Saturday afternoon from 2-5pm (February 25).

QUOTES

Bailey Sweeny

HMO Customer Racing, Hyundai i30 N TCR

“It’s good to be committed to the TCR Australia after a successful first year, I definitely wanted to be back in 2023,” said Sweeny.

“To be back in the category and at HMO Customer Racing is pretty cool. The title is the goal, last year was about learning everything from tracks to the car, I hadn’t been to most venues on the TCR calendar, but I think at each round I was getting more familiar with the Hyundai and my results progressed as the season continued.

“The i30 TCR is still a quick package as proven last year when set-up and driven well, it is a consistent frontrunner.

“My ultimate goal is to be racing TCR overseas, so to have the TCR World Tour come to Australia putting us on the big stage against the best teams and drivers is the best platform for me to do that.”

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR - STUNNING WEEKEND SEES BAILEY SHINE AT BATHURST

HMO Customer Racing’s Bailey Sweeny has completed a stunning weekend and season, taking a second place podium spot, in a dramatic final Race 3 , at the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series round, as part of the Bathurst International event, at Mount Panorama.

Sweeny finished second, after at one stage leading the race, following on from his victory in Race 1 on Saturday.

Te result means Sweeny ends the championship in 5th place in his first season of TCR racing and claims the Rookie of The Year title.

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Bailey Sweeny

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Race wrap via TCR Australia

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LIQUI MOLY Team MPC’s Will Brown has narrowly missed out on the 2022 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia title, despite winning the final race of the season.

It was a dramatic final encounter at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International as the fluctuating title positions of Brown and Honda Wall Racing’s Tony D’Alberto proved a nail biting affair.

The race started clean through Hell Corner as Dylan O’Keeffe in the Schaeffler GRM Peugeot made a great start to lead the field up Mountain Straight, but lost the rear at Griffins Bend and hit the outside tyre wall allowing stablemate Cameron taking the lead ahead of HMO Customer Racing’s lead contender Nathan Morcom in the Hyundai i30 N TCR.

Opening race winner Bailey Sweeny dropped to fourth in the kafuffle as title contender Will Brown elevated to third in the LIQUI MOLY Team MPC Audi RS3 LMS TCR increasing his series winning aspirations.

Continuing his solid weekend, Ben Bargwanna was fifth driving the Burson Auto Parts Racing Peugeot ahead of the new Hyundai Elantra N TCR of Josh Buchan and Lachlan Mineeff in the Forza Brakes Motorsport Audi.

However, the race was turned on its head when the two leaders collided at The Chase, with Cameron maintaining his lead and Morcom dropping back behind Brown in addition to teammate Sweeny.

As for series leader Tony D’Alberto, his Honda Wall Racing dropped to 14th losing position to GRM Valvoline Racing’s Kody Garland in the Renault Megane RS TCR and the Ryco Audi of Michael Clemente. However, a move from Clemente forced Garland wide and elevated D’Alberto a position to 13th.

Cameron continued to lead, but Brown amazingly dove down the inside at The Chase to take the lead of the race and the series, but Sweeny was not far behind.

Behind the top three, Buchan and Bargwanna further demoted a struggling Morcom as the front guard was peeled back resulting from the Cameron contact.

But in another twist, Cox was damaged after scraping the wall and dropped down the pack to elevate D’Alberto back to a series winning position on a countback. The Swyftx GRM Peugeot returned to the pits were running repairs were attempted to return him to the track.

The Chase continued to provide the passing opportunities as Sweeny passed Cameron to pursue Brown for the lead, though his title aspirations took a hit when Bargwanna stopped exiting The Dipper elevating D’Alberto to 11th.
A safety car was called to retrieve the stricken Burson Auto Parts Racing Peugeot, but it was a short interruption and Brown led away, making a perfect restart against Sweeny as Cameron had a peak entering Hell Corner.

By The Chase, Sweeny was pressuring Brown, which led to a mistake as the LIQUI MOLY Team MPC Audi squirmed as the HMO Customer Racing Hyundai i30 N TCR emerged ahead. A concertina behind gave Buchan a sniff at third place, but Cameron defended to maintain position.

D’Alberto continued to hold 11th and was applying the blowtorch to the Autoglym Ashley Seward Motorsport Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR of Michael Caruso for a top 10 berth.
Brown re-took the lead on the final lap, but it was in vain as D’Alberto maintained 11th to take the title by two-points.

Rounding out the podium were HMO Customer Racing pair Sweeny and Buchan.

Cameron held onto fourth leading from Mineeff in a season best result, Morcom, Frenchman Teddy Clairet in the GRM Peugeot, Moutai/ZIP PAY privateer Luke King, Caruso and Clemente completed the top 10.

The Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series returns next year as part of the SpeedSeries in what will be a bigger and better season in 2023.

BAILEY WINS AT BATHURST

story via TCR Australia

Young gun Bailey Sweeny has taken victory in the opening race of the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia decider at Bathurst.

The opening race at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International proved dramatic for a few title contenders, with two retiring and others struggling.

It was Sweeny off the start, but his HMO Customer Racing teammate Josh Buchan in the brand new Hyundai Elantra N TCR encountered a launch control problem on the start and dropped to the back.

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Behind Sweeny, AWC MPC Racing’s Jay Hanson was hustling in his Audi RS3 LMS TCR, with Dylan O’Keeffe settling into third for Schaeffler GRM Peugeot, but the best start went to his teammate Jordan Cox as he climbed to 10th in the opening sector taking advantage of a tangle ahead on Mountain Straight.

Contact between the Autoglym Ashley Seward Motorsport Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR of Michael Caruso and Luke King in the Moutai/ZIP PAY Hyundai i30 N TCR delaying many as the Swyftx GRM Peugeot slid down the outside after an incident in qualifying forced him to start from the back.

Sweeny continued to lead by just under a second from Hanson, O’Keeffe, while Nathan Morcom was enjoying a good run in fourth from a fast starting Ben Bargwanna in the Burson Auto Parts Racing Peugeot.

Valvoline Team GRM’s Aaron Cameron was leading a developing pack featuring Lachlan Mineeff after a career best qualifying result in sixth as Caruso was setting up an attack.

Title contenders Will Brown and Cox continued to battle, the former unable to move forward in the LIQUI MOLY Team MPC Audi RS3 LMS TCR. Series leader Tony D’Alberto lost a position to Frenchman Teddy Clairet off the start in the fifth GRM Peugeot, but was maintaining 13th only losing 11-points to Cox in the standings.

As the margin fluctuated in front between Sweeny and Hanson, Morcom was sensing an opportunity to attack O’Keeffe for third.

Buchan meanwhile was charging through the field elevating to 15th in the Elantra N TCR, overtaking privateer Michael Clemente in his Ryco Audi.

Behind this battle, Spicers Australia-backed privateer Zac Soutar entered the pits in his Honda Civic Type R TCR and was pushed down pit lane by his team hurting his title aspirations.

Kangaroos caused a safety car on lap 12 when a few were close to the circuit just as rain began to fall across the
top of the Mountain.

On the restart, Hanson was all over Sweeny along Mountain Straight as Morcom mounted a challenge on O’Keeffe, but these both failed. Cameron demoted Bargwanna just as Caruso did likewise to Mineeff, who dropped back to ninth when Brown completed a pass at Hell Corner.

Right behind, King moved passed Cox into 10th in a crucial move for the title and D’Alberto lost further ground when Buchan completed an overtake at The Chase.

A further battle between Cameron and Bargwanna followed after the former made a mistake at The Chase, but the Team Valvoline GRM Peugeot held fifth.

However, it kicked off on the penultimate lap as first Cox made a move on King at The Cutting leading to contact and a puncture for the Moutai/ZIP PAY Hyundai i30 N TCR, but the race was turned on its head when Hanson crashed heavily at Reid Park.

Hanson emerged from the Audi under his own steam and was taken to the medical centre as a precaution.

In the end, Sweeny took the win from O’Keeffe, Morcom, Cameron, Bargwanna, Caruso, Brown, Mineeff, Cox and Clairet, who will start from pole for Race 2 tomorrow.

Buchan was 11th and his fellow title contender D’Alberto was 12th.

Race 2 will feature the inverted top 10 from the results of the opener at 9:25am AEDT tomorrow live, uninterrupted and on-demand via Stan Sport.

Tickets are available at https://bathurst.international/

If you can’t make it to Mount Panorama, broadcast can be seen live and ad-break free on Stan Sport on Saturday and Sunday. Sign up now for your free 7-day trial >> https://www.stan.com.au/watch/sport/motorsport

The Nine Network will also offer live free-to-air coverage on 9Gem from 3pm-5pm AEDT. Check your local guides.

International viewers can watch on https://motorsport.tv/

FRONT ROW START FOR BAILEY AT BATHURST

HMO Customer Racing’s Bailey Sweeny has qualified his Hyundai on the front row for Race 1 at the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series round, as part of the Bathurst International event, at Mount Panorama.

Sweeny missed pole by a mere 0.439 of a second but will start from second position and on the front row.

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story via TCR Australia

AWC MPC Racing’s Jay Hanson has taken his third pole of the season at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International, as title contender struck trouble at the start of the session.

Hanson was unstoppable in his AWC MPC Racing Audi RS3 LMS TCR as he set a 2m 12.164s to top qualifying by 0.439s to the pacesetter from yesterday, HMO Customer Racing’s Bailey Sweeny.

However, there was drama at the very start of the session as a strange incident between Swyftx Peugeot Cox and stablemate James Moffat in the LMCT+ GRM Racing Renault Megane RS TCR came into contact approaching Griffins Bend.

The two failed to set a time and due to the prolonged stoppage of the session, qualifying was cut down into a 15-minute all-in affair.

Holding a strong affinity with Mount Panorama, Cox will be up for the challenge of scything through the field as Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series leader Tony D’Alberto qualified only 12th in the Honda Wall Racing Civic Type R TCR.

The Peugeots didn’t hold the same advantage as Easter, but Dylan O’Keeffe will be one to watch off third in the Schaeffler GRM Peugeot 308 TCR, with the second HMO Customer Racing Hyundai i30 N TCR of Nathan Morcom fourth, just ahead of the new Elantra N TCR of teammate Josh Buchan.

An impressive performance from Audi privateer Lachlan Mineeff has placed him sixth in the Forza Brakes Motorsport/Purple Sector RS3 LMS TCR from polesitter at Easter Aaron Cameron in the Valvoline Team GRM Peugeot.

Ben Bargwanna was eighth driving the Burson Auto Parts Racing GRM Peugeot from Will Brown’s LIQUI MOLY Team MPC Audi and rounding out the 10 was the Autoglym Ashley Seward Motorsport Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR of Michael Caruso.

Falling short of a top 10 berth by the barest of margins was Hyundai privateer Luke King in the Moutai/ZIP PAY entry from D’Alberto, Kody Garland driving the Valvoline Racing GRM Renault Megane RS TCR and Frenchman Teddy Clairet in the fifth GRM Peugeot.

Michael Clemente was 15th in his first qualifying session driving the Ryco Audi RS3 LMS TCR from Spicers Australia-supported Zac Soutar in his Honda and the Challenge Motorsport entry of Iain McDougall.

The opening race will not be one to miss at 4:00pm AEDT live, uninterrupted and on-demand via Stan Sport in addition to free-to-air coverage on 9Gem starting at 3pm AEDT.

Tickets are available at https://bathurst.international/

If you can’t make it to Mount Panorama, broadcast can be seen live and ad-break free on Stan Sport on Saturday and Sunday. Sign up now for your free 7-day trial >> https://www.stan.com.au/watch/sport/motorsport

The Nine Network will also offer live free-to-air coverage on 9Gem from 3pm-5pm AEDT. Check your local guides.

International viewers can watch on https://motorsport.tv/

BAILEY SWEENY REMAINS ON TOP AFTER PRACTICE 2 AT THE SUPERCHEAP AUTO BATHURST INTERNATIONAL

story via TCR Australia

HMO Customer Racing’s Bailey Sweeny has remained at the top after Practice 2 of the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series at Bathurst.

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Sweeny continued his hot Mount Panorama form from Easter to top the timesheets in opening practice and he backed this up in the second session to set a 2m 12.956s to lower his mark from this morning.
Recovering from a delay earlier this morning, Aaron Cameron in the Team Valvoline GRM Peugeot 308 TCR was second just 0.030s shy of Sweeny.

Seeking Mountain redemption at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International after crashing his Audi RS3 LMS TCR at the Easter meeting, Jay Hanson was third on a 2m 13.415s.

Rounding out the top five were the remaining two HMO Customer Racing entries, with the Hyundai Elantra N TCR of Josh Buchan edging Nathan Morcom’s i30 N TCR.

Audi privateer Lachlan Mineeff continued his strong run in sixth driving the Forza Brakes Motorsport entry to lead the three Garry Rogers Motorsport Peugeots headed by title contender Jordan Cox in the Swyftx 308 TCR, Dylan
O’Keeffe’s Schaeffler example and Ben Bargwanna for Burson Auto Parts.

Series leader Tony D’Alberto was 10th in the Honda Wall Racing Civic Type R TCR as the two GRM Renault Megane RS TCRs followed, with James Moffat’s LMCT+ entry leading rookie Valvoline Racing GRM’s Kody Garland.

Michael Clemente was 13th as he grew in confidence driving the Ryco Audi, with the Autoglym Ashley Seward Motorsport Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR of Michael Caruso, privateer Luke King in the Moutai/ZIP PAY Hyundai i30 N TCR, Challenge Motorsport’s Iain McDougall, Frenchman Teddy Clairet in the fifth GRM Peugeot, Spicers Australia Honda driver Zac Soutar and Will Brown in the MPC Team LIQUI MOLY RS3 LMS TCR rounded out the field.

Qualifying for the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia finale begins at 8:50am AEDT tomorrow.

Tickets are available at https://bathurst.international/

If you can’t make it to Mount Panorama, broadcast can be seen live and ad-break free on Stan Sport on Saturday and Sunday. Sign up now for your free 7-day trial >> https://www.stan.com.au/watch/sport/motorsport

The Nine Network will also offer live free-to-air coverage on 9Gem from 3pm-5pm AEDT. Check your local guides.

International viewers can watch on https://motorsport.tv/

BATHURST INTERNATIONAL - BAILEY GOES FASTEST OF FIELD IN P1

story via TCR Australia

HMO Customer Racing’s Bailey Sweeny has set the fastest time in the opening session ahead of the season finale at the Bathurst International.

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Sweeny set the early benchmark with a 2m 13.6704s in his Hyundai i30 N TCR at a venue where he broke through for his maiden win earlier in the year as teammate Josh Buchan took to the Mountain for the first time in the Elantra N TCR for its maiden Supercheap Auto TCR Australia outing.

Buchan enjoyed an impressive run straight out of the box to hold second for most of the session on a 2m 14.904s until a late lap from Schaeffler GRM Peugeot’s Dylan O’Keeffe dropped him to third.
Title contender Jordan Cox was well placed in the Swyftx GRM Peugeot to be fourth on a 2m 13.946s as the top nine were split by less than a second.

Nathan Morcom made it three HMO Customer Racing Hyundais in the top five as he led the AWC MPC Racing Audi RS3 LMS TCR of Jay Hanson, privateer Lachlan Mineeff in the Forza Brakes Motorsport entry, Michael Caruso’s Autoglym Ashley Seward Motorsport Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR and series leader Tony D’Alberto in the Honda Wall Racing Civic Type R TCR.

Polesitter at the Bathurst season finale last year, Ben Bargwanna was 10th in the Burson Auto Parts Peugeot from the two Renault Megane RS TCRs of LMCT+ Racing’s James Moffat and Kody Garland in the Valvoline Team GRM example.

Michael Clemente was 13th in his first official session driving the Ryco Audi RS3 LMS TCR to lead fellow privateer Zac Soutar driving the Spicers Australia Honda, Luke King’s Moutai/ZIP PAY Hyundai, Challenge Motorsport’s Ian McDougall and Frenchman Teddy Clairet in Garry Rogers Motorsport’s fifth Peugeot.

Valvoline Racing GRM’s Aaron Cameron and the LIQUI MOLY Team MPC Audi of Will Brown ran limited laps in the opening practice session.

The next session for Supercheap Auto TCR Australia is at 4:05pm AEDT this afternoon.

Tickets are available at https://bathurst.international/

If you can’t make it to Mount Panorama, broadcast can be seen live and ad-break free on Stan Sport on Saturday and Sunday. Sign up now for your free 7-day trial >> https://www.stan.com.au/watch/sport/motorsport

The Nine Network will also offer live free-to-air coverage on 9Gem from 3pm-5pm AEDT. Check your local guides.

International viewers can watch on https://motorsport.tv/

BATHURST INTERNATIONAL - SCHEDULE RELEASED

Headlined by the final round of Supercheap Auto TCR Australia as 46-points separate Honda Wall Racing’s Tony D’Alberto and the GRM Swyftx Peugeot of Jordan Cox.

Other key contenders include LIQUI MOLY Team MPC driver Will Brown, Josh Buchan debuting the HMO Customer Racing Hyundai Elantra N TCR, Honda privateer Zac Soutar and Jay Hanson in the AWC MPC Racing, as more points on offer compared to a regular round ensure a tight battle is expected.

The endurance segment of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS will come to an exciting conclusion as Prince Jefri Ibrahim leads from local driver Brad Schumacher leading the fortunes of Mercedes-AMG and Audi.

It’s a close battle for the Gulf Western Oil Touring Car Masters crown as it enters its penultimate round at Bathurst, with just five-points separating Holden Torana duo Ryan Hansford and John Bowe, while Chevrolet Camaro driver George Miedecke should be in contention to close the gap at a circuit regarded as horsepower friendly.

It’s a non-points scoring affair for the Turtle Wax Trans Am entries, but this doesn’t mean it will be fought any less vigorously. Garry Rogers Motorsport driver Nathan Herne will aim to retain his Bathurst 100 title, but teammates Owen Kelly and Lochie Dalton will be some of his toughest rivals in a stacked field at the Mountain.

The Supercheap Auto Bathurst International will provide debuts for a couple of categories including the second-tier Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge, which has been hotly contested this season between CHE Racing Team’s Thomas Sargent and New Zealander Ryan Wood of Earl Bamber Motorsport.

More than 45 entries are expected for the final round of the Australian Production Cars brought to you by LIQUI MOLY featuring the likes of BMW, HSV, Ford, Mercedes and Honda in a wide varying field.

Finally, the ‘Bathurst Sportscar Challenge’ will provide the first opportunity for the Australian Prototype Series competitors to lap the Mountain, with a diverse entry featuring Wolf, West, Juno, Praga, Radical and Stohr.

Be there to witness history for the inaugural Supercheap Auto Bathurst International. CLICK HERE to secure your tickets.

All of the action will be broadcast live, on-demand and ad-break free on Stan Sport in Australia. International viewers can watch via motorsport.tv.

You can sign up to a free 7-day trial with Stan Sport. Head to http://www.stan.com.au/motorsport and don’t miss any of the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International action.

Check out the full schedule below:

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MONSOON ON THE MOUNTAIN - BAILEY NETS 6TH SPOT AT BATHURST

All 4 Mechanical Erebus Academy driver Bailey Sweeny has finished in 6th spot from a 32 car field, in one of the most wet and wild Toyota86 races yet seen in Australia - during the opening day’s racing, on Day 2 of the Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia 86 series at Bathurst.

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Torrential rain just prior to the race saw the track become an ice rink with multiple drivers spearing off at The Chase, the fastest corner in Australian motorsport.

Three races will be held over the weekend as part of the Bathurst 1000 weekend with coverage on Foxtel, Kayo and the Seven Network.

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MOUNTAIN CLIMBING - SWEENY TOP 4 ON DAY 1 - BATHURST

All 4 Mechanical Erebus Academy driver Bailey Sweeny has hit the Mount Panorama circuit, going 4th fastest, from the 32 car field, during the opening day’s practice session, on Day 1 of the Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia 86 series at Bathurst.

Sweeny clocked the circuit in a best time of 2:38.1962

Three races will be held over the weekend as part of the Bathurst 1000 weekend with coverage on Foxtel, Kayo and the Seven Network.

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BATHURST - SCHEDULE REVEALED

The schedule for the 2022 Great Race's return to its traditional October date has been revealed.

This year's Repco Bathurst 1000 will be held on October 6-9.

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The 161-lap Race 30 will commence at 11:15am local time on Sunday October 9.

Tickets for the event are available on Supercars.com and Ticketek.

Supercars will be on track on all four days of the event.

Friday's action will be headlined by ARMOR ALL Qualifying.

The fastest 10 runners from qualifying will earn passage into Saturday's Top Ten Shootout.

There will be six 60-minute practice sessions, three of which will be for co-drivers only.

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Supercars will be supported by the future stars of the championship in the Dunlop Series.

Super2 and Super3 drivers will complete one race on the Friday and Saturday of the event.

Toyota GAZOO Racing Australia Series, Haltech V8 SuperUtes and Heritage Revival complete the blockbuster card.

BAILEY FASTEST OF FIELD IN PRACTICE 1 - TCR - SANDOWN

story via TCR Australia

HMO Customer Racing’s Bailey Sweeny has led the way following a shortened opening practice for the penultimate round of Supercheap Auto TCR Australia at Sandown.

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Bailey Sweeny is seen at Sandown

It was Sweeny setting the pace on a 1m 14.762s in his Hyundai i30 N TCR to edge AWC MPC Racing’s Jay Hanson in his latest specification Audi RS3 LMS TCR by 0.127s.

Sweeny’s HMO Customer Racing teammate Josh Buchan finished the session third ahead of Aaron Cameron in the lead Garry Rogers Motorsport Peugeot 308 TCR for Valvoline.

Following heartbreak at Queensland Raceway, Michael Caruso enjoyed a great run to fifth in the Autoglym-supported Ashley Seward Motorsport Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR.

Privateer Lachlan Mineeff followed in his Forza Brakes Motorsport Audi RS3 LMS TCR, to lead the similar LIQUI MOLY Team MPC entry of Will Brown and HMO Customer Racing’s Nathan Morcom.

Rounding out the top 10 were Moutai/ZIP PAY’s Luke King in his Hyundai and fellow privateer Zac Soutar in the Spicers Australia-supported Honda Civic Type R TCR.

Series leader Tony D’Alberto was in 11th driving the Honda Wall Racing Civic Type R ahead of title rival Jordan Cox’s GRM Swyftx Peugeot and the Valvoline Racing GRM Renault Megane RS TCR.

Ben Bargwanna’s Burson Auto Parts Racing Peugeot, the Honda of Michael Clemente, LMCT+ Racing GRM’s James Moffat in the second Renault, Challenge Motorsport driver Iain McDougall in his Audi and Dylan O’Keeffe completed the field in the Schaeffler GRM 308 TCR.

The session was shortened as Bargwanna hit the wall approaching Turn 9, with his Peugeot sustaining damage to the front end.

This ensured the session was halted with eight minutes still remaining while repairs were made to the guard rail.

Supercheap Auto TCR Australia is back on track at 2:40pm AEST for second and final practice session ahead of the two-part fight for Astrontech Pole Position tomorrow.

The Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series will contest three races at Sandown as part of the SpeedSeries event also including the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia Powered by AWS, Gulf Western Oil Touring Car Masters and the final round for the Turtle Wax Trans Am Series.

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES STILL AVAILABLE

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With two rounds to go in the TCR Australia series, we have some space on the car for sponsors. This is a great opportunity to promote your business and enjoy the best of what tcr has to offer.

Some of the benefits:

Hot laps in the tcr car

Free weekend passes

Pit tour and grid walks

Tv time on Stan and Gem

Sandown September 16-18

Bathurst November 11-13

If this is something you may be interested contact me through my Facebook page and we can discuss further.

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