Hyundai driver Josh Buchan made history at Mount Panorama by winning his second consecutive TCR Australia Championship.
The 29-year-old Sydneysider becomes the first two-time winner since the introduction of the TCR category to Australia in 2019. With HMO Customer Racing cementing itself as the most successful team with three titles in five years following Will Brown’s victory in the inaugural season.
Buchan’s weekend started on a high with a dominant performance in the opening practice session. However, he struggled to match the front-running pace for the rest of the weekend as his Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR carried the maximum weight penalty.
His points advantage was narrowed in the opening race despite finishing third. Again in the second race when he was demoted behind his title rival following a post-race penalty for jumping the start.
That left an anxious wait to seal the title in the final race around the challenging 6.21km mountain circuit, in which he cruised to a sixth-place finish.
Teammate Tom Oliphant also a standout weekend with two podium finishes and third outright for the final round in his Hyundai i30 N TCR. The former British Touring Car Championship race winner provided some of the highlights of the weekend.First with a brilliant three-wide pass across the top of the mountain to clinch third in race two. Then a charging drive to challenge for victory in the closing stages of the final race.
Car 1: i30 Sedan N TCR – Josh Buchan
“It’s pretty amazing to back it up and defend the crown by winning this year’s series. I felt quite a lot of pressure to deliver a result for everyone in the team. Considering the amount of work they have put in this season. I felt good on Friday and we started really well out of the gate in the first free practice. It was a struggle to maintain that speed for the rest of the weekend with the weight penalty we were carrying.”
“But it’s a massive relief to bring it home, and it’s a real privilege to become the first two-time winner of the TCR Australia Championship with consecutive titles.”
Car 15: i30 N TCR – Tom Oliphant
“It’s been a fantastic weekend for me personally and the team. My goal coming into the final round was to really attack the track and drive the mountain properly. I was one of the fastest cars on track all weekend. The second goal was to try and win a trophy, which I achieved with third in race two”
“That created a new goal in trying to win the last race of the year. I gave it my all. Honestly, I couldn’t have pushed any more. Me and Dylan O’Keefe were putting in qualifying laps there at the end. We were right up against the walls, which I loved. To come away with second, having given it absolutely everything. I am really proud and it’s satisfying to finish the season on a high.
“On top of all that, I am really pleased that Josh won the championship. It was well deserved.”
Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR
The Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR (known as the Elantra N TCR in Europe and North America) is the latest generation touring car. Developed by Hyundai Motorsport’s Customer Racing division.
Revealed for the first time at the Beijing Motor Show in 2020 as a replacement for the successful i30 N TCR and Veloster N TCR models. It quickly established itself as a championship winner when Sebastien Loeb Racing won the 2021 TCR Europe title.
In 2022, Hyundai Motorsport clinched its third drivers’ title and second teams’ championship in the World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) with Azcona and BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corsa. As well as a clean sweep of the TCR category in the North American IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge. With Bryan Herta Autosport claiming the drivers’, teams’ and manufacturers’ titles. A double title victory for Niels Langeveld and Target Competition in the ultra-competitive TCR Italy regional championship.
Last year, the Hyundai i30 Sedan N TCR won the 2024 TCR World Tour with former champion Norbert Michelisz. Driving for the BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse team, as well as the TCR Australia Championship with HMO Customer Racing’s Josh Buchan.
Based on the road-going i30 Sedan N, the TCR variant maintains strong links between the Hyundai Motorsport vehicles that racing fans see on track and the standard production cars they drive and in showrooms.
In line with TCR regulations, the i30 Sedan N TCR is front-wheel drive. Powered by a 2.0-litre turbo charged four-cylinder engine built specifically by Hyundai Motorsport and directly related to the motor in the road-going i30 Sedan N.
About the 2024 TCR Australia Championship
The 2024 TCR Australia Championship consists of seven rounds.
Two practice sessions are held before the opening qualifying session. With the top 10 fastest drivers progressing to a 15-minute shootout. Which determines the final starting positions for the opening race.
In the second race, the drivers that finish race one in the top 10 positions are reversed. And, in the final race the starting positions are determined by the driver’s aggregated point score.
As for the points scoring system, the fastest five drivers in qualifying score bonus points. In the three races, the first and third races are worth equal points. While the reverse Top 10 second race is worth 80 per cent. The driver with the fastest lap in each of the three races also picks-up an extra point.
Read more from Hyundai Motorsport.