Australian Hyundai i30 N TCRs take on global competition

Up north at Sydney Motorsport Park, Hyundai’s TCR racing series in Australia is gearing up for an action-packed weekend.

The TCR series uses the Hyundai i30 N and Hyundai i30 Sedan N – both of which are available for our customers at Frankston Hyundai, along with the greater sporty N lineup of models.

The racing action at Sydney Motorsport Park will be condensed into a two-day format, with two of the three races set to be run under the night sky, providing a unique spectacle for fans. Sydney Motorsport Park has been a successful venue for HMO Customer Racing in the past,

The first of two Australian rounds of the TCR World Tour is set to feature ten of the best touring car drivers from around the world. The event is also the penultimate round of the TCR Australia Championship.

The racing weekend will include two 30-minute practice sessions on Friday afternoon to fine-tune the cars, followed by evening qualifying and the first race at 8:40 pm. On Saturday, two 17-lap sprints will take place, with the top-10 finishers from Friday’s race reversed for the second race.

Hyundai drivers Bailey Sweeny and Josh Buchan from HMO Customer Racing are looking to cement their lead in the TCR Australia Championship as they face formidable international competition. The pair has dominated the early stages of the season, securing seven race victories out of the previous 12 starts.

However, the competition will be fierce, with 10 international drivers, including reigning champion Mikel Azcona and TCR World Tour championship leader Norbert Michelisz, joining the fray. These international stars will be driving the latest-generation Hyundai Elantra N TCRs for the BRC Hyundai N Squadra Corse team. With a 25-car field, this event boasts the largest grid ever for a TCR Australia Championship race.

Fans can catch all the thrilling action from Sydney Motorsport Park as part of the Motorsport Australia Shannons Speed Series, available live and on-demand via Stan Sport and the Nine Network.

Josh Buchan, who will be driving the i30 Sedan N TCR, expressed his excitement about driving the i30 Sedan N in the TCR World Tour.

“There’s been a lot of excitement building up to the TCR World Tour rounds in Australia, and it’s going to be really interesting to see how competitive we are against the best touring car drivers in the world,” he said. “But, really, it’s just another race weekend for us with a whole bunch of new drivers that we don’t know their names.”

“I just want to put on a good performance for myself, and the guys on the team – they’re the ones I’m racing for – and hopefully jag some great results against the internationals. Sydney Motorsport Park has been a happy hunting ground for me in the past, and I’m confident we’ll be fast again this weekend. But I’m not going to be driving any faster just because they are here, and I’m certainly not going to drive any slower. We’ve got a better idea of the car the more rounds we do, and if it’s fast enough at Sydney then we will be right up there.

“It would be amazing to perform well against those guys: win or lose. The Australian standard is ridiculously high, and I think we can race hard against them.”

Bailey Sweeny, piloting the i30 N TCR, is looking to protect his lead in the championship as they head into the final round at Bathurst, where he anticipates a strong result.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how we compare to the international competition this weekend. I don’t think we’ll have as much advantage at Sydney Motorsport Park as we will the following weekend at Bathurst, as the track is very similar to European circuits in its character. Plus, they’ve got an extra practice session to get up to speed. It will be gloves off that’s for sure.

“Racing under lights will introduce a pretty cool dynamic, and an extra challenge for us all to chase the car to suit the changing conditions. It will be the same for everyone.

“From my perspective, the priority is to protect our lead in the championship heading into the final round at Bathurst where I’m confident we will have a strong result. So, it’s important to have a clean weekend at Sydney and not get tangled up in any incidents and score good points in every race.”

Your Own Hyundai i30 N hot hatch experience

If you are looking to experience the thrill of the i30 N and i30 Sedan N yourself, contact the team at Frankston Hyundai,located conveniently just south of Melbourne and in the picturesque Bayside area near Mornington.