Hyundai’s Josh Buchan climbs TCR Championship ladder with double podium at Phillip Island
- Reigning TCR Australia Champion Josh Buchan scored his first race victory of the season in the opening race of Round 3 at Phillip Island.
- Buchan bounced back from a DNF in race two to charge back and finish third in the final race, climbing to third on the championship ladder.
- Teammate Tom Oliphant scored three consistent top 10 finishes at Phillip Island.
Hyundai’s Josh Buchan closed in on the championship lead with a double podium finish in the third round of the 2024 TCR Australia Championship at Phillip Island on the weekend.
The reigning TCR Australia Champion scored his first race victory of the season in the opening race when he stole the lead on the opening, and then managed his lap-record pace advantage over the rest of the field to greet the chequered flag first.
Looking to repeat his 2023 overall round victory at the spectacular seaside circuit, Buchan was prepared for a conservative run in the second race, which starts with a reversed grid for the top 10. But his plan was foiled at the first corner when a rival crashed into his Hyundai i30 N TCR, which caused severe damage to the rear suspension resulting in immediate retirement.
Determined to salvage a positive result, after his HMO Customer Racing team heroically repaired the car in time to start the third and final race, the 29-year-old Sydneysider charged through the field to finish on the podium. The strong result helped elevated him to third place on the driver’s championship ladder, just 22 points behind the new leader, Ben Bargwanna.
Teammate Tom Oliphant had a consistent run of top 10 finishes across the three races, finishing seventh, ninth and seventh respectively. His pace was hampered by carrying the maximum success ballast weight penalty following his maiden TCR Australia Championship round victory in the previous event at Symmons Plains. The former British Touring Car Championship race winner was on course for a potential podium result in the reverse grid second race, having started on the second row, but, like Buchan, was crashed into by a rival which sent him off the road and lost numerous positions.
HMO Customer Racing next returns to The Bend Motorsport Park in South Australia, for the first time since the inaugural TCR Australia Championship in 2019, for the fourth round of the 2024 series on May 31-June 2
Car 1: i30 N TCR - Josh Buchan
“When you look at the results – a double podium with a race victory – is pretty good, but it was also an unfortunate case of ‘what could have been’ after being poorly taken out in race two. I get racing, but that was a bit much.
“It was a great recovery drive to finish third in the final race, and miraculously climbing to third on the championship standings which I am quite pleased about. I’m now looking forward to the next round at The Bend and another opportunity to reclaim the lead in the title race.”
Car 15: i30 N TCR – Tom Oliphant
“We had a lot going against us on my side of the garage this weekend carrying the success ballast from Symmons Plains, which hurt us in terms of outright pace and tyre life. We had a real chance to making something from nothing in race two and I was sneaking my way into a potential podium finish, but then I was speared off the track.
“I should be leaving Phillip Island with a few more points on the scoreboard, which would be nice as I need every point I can get. I’ll take the positives though, as we finished all three races and scored a decent haul. It wasn’t spectacular, but I’m determined to create some spectacular at The Bend for the next round.”
Race Results: Round 3, Phillip Island, Victoria
|
Josh Buchan |
Tom Oliphant |
Practice 1 |
P4 (1:37.1401sec) |
P9 (1:38.0104sec) |
Practice 2 |
P3 (1:36.4139sec) |
P9 (1:37.4311sec) |
Qualifying |
P3 (1:35.7174sec) |
P8 (1:36.7756sec) |
Race 1 |
P1 (1:36.7171sec) - FL |
P7 (1:37.2998sec) |
Race 2 |
DNF |
P9 (1:36.8806sec) |
Race 3 |
P3 (1:36.7254sec) |
P7 (1:37.5507sec) |
Race Results: Round 3, Phillip Island, Victoria
Position |
Name |
Car |
Points |
1. |
Ben Bargwanna |
Peugeot 308 R |
300 |
2. |
Zac Soutar |
Audi RS3 LMS |
293 |
3. |
Josh Buchan |
Hyundai i30 N TCR |
278 |
4. |
Clay Richards |
Cupra Leon TCR |
277 |
5. |
Jordan Cox |
Peugeot 308 TCR |
265 |
6. |
Ryan Casha |
Peugeot 308 TCR |
257 |
7. |
Brad Harris |
Honda Civic Type R |
256 |
8. |
Dylan O’Keefe |
Lynk & Co 03 TCR |
242 |
9. |
Aaron Cameron |
Peugeot 308 TCR |
220 |
10. |
Tony D’Alberto |
Honda Civic Type R |
215 |
11. |
Tom Oliphant |
Hyundai i30 N TCR |
210 |
Hyundai i30 N TCR
The Hyundai i30 N TCR is one of the most successful models in the global TCR Championship.
Developed by Hyundai Motorsport’s Customer Racing division in Germany, the i30 N TCR represented Hyundai’s first steps into circuit racing when it was first launched in 2017.
The car immediately proved its performance potential by winning the first race of the inaugural FIA WTCR season in 2018 and finished the season with customer teams taking both the drivers’ and teams’ titles.
Its success continued when Hyundai’s customer racing team added a second consecutive FIA WTCR drivers’ title in 2019 during a season in which Hyundai teams won the TCR Championship in eight different series spread across four continents, including the first TCR Australia Championship with Will Brown and HMO Customer Racing.
Since then, the Hyundai i30 N TCR is the most successful model variant in the TCR Australia Championship with 19 victories.
Based on the road-going i30 N model, in-line with the TCR regulations, it is powered by a two-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine connected to a six-speed sequential gearbox and is fitted with a 100-litre fuel tank.
| Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR Specifications | |
| Length | 4,445 mm |
| Width | 1,950 mm |
| Wheelbase | 2,650 mm |
| Weight | 1,265 kg (including driver) |
| Engine | 1,998 cc turbocharged four-cylinder, DOHC, 16 valves |
| Power | 257 kW at 7,000 rpm |
| Torque | 450 Nm at 3,500 rpm |
| Transmission | Six-speed sequential with paddle shift, front-wheel drive |
| Suspension (Front) | Fully adjustable MacPherson strut with coil springs & anti-roll bar |
| Suspension (Rear) | Fully adjustable four-arm multi-link with coil springs & anti-roll bar |
| Steering | Electrically assisted rack and pinion |
| Brakes (Front) | Six-piston callipers and 380 mm ventilated disc |
| Brakes (Rear) | Two-piston callipers with 278 mm disc |
| Wheels | 18” x 10” Braid alloys specifically designed for Hyundai Motorsport |
| Tyres | Kumho TCR slicks |
| Fuel Tank | 100 litres with dry-brake system |
About the 2023 TCR Australia Championship
The 2023 TCR Australia Championship consists of seven rounds, each with three or four races.
This season will include two rounds of the TCR World Tour in Australia, including Sydney Motorsport Park and the season finale Bathurst International at Mount Panorama in November.
The 2024 TCR Australia Championship will be broadcast live on 7plus.
2024 TCR Australia Championship Schedule |
|
Round 1 |
February 9-11, Sandown Raceway, Victoria |
Round 2 |
May 15-17, Symmons Plains, Tasmania |
Round 3 |
April 12-14, Phillip Island, Victoria |
Round 4 |
May 31-June 2, The Bend Motorsport Park, South Australia |
Round 5 |
July 12-14, Queensland Raceway, Queensland |
Round 6 |
November 1-3, Sydney Motorsport Park, New South Wales* |
Round 7 |
November 8-10, Mount Panorama, New South Wales* |
*denotes round of the 2024 TCR World Tour