TCR Australia’s season gets underway at Sandown

The 2024 season of TCR Australia series starts this weekend at Sandown Raceway, with the Melbourne circuit hosting the opening event for the first time. A competitive 15-car field has been entered, with a number of key driver changes taking place.

Last year’s champion Josh Buchan returns to defend his title with HMO Customer Racing, switching from the Hyundai Elantra he drove last year to a i30 N, and is joined by Tom Oliphant in the team’s second car.

Taking Oliphant’s place at Ashley Seward Motorsport in the Lynk & Co 03 is returnee Dylan O’Keeffe, who’s now back with the team where he had the most success in his TCR Australia career back in 2019, taking four victories in that year.

Garry Rogers Motorsport is the most represented team on the grid, running four Peugeot 308 cars in the series with Jordan Cox, Ben Bargwanna, and Aaron Cameron who are joined by series’ debutant Ryan Casha. The team starts with their existing Peugeot Sport-built 308 and plans to introduce its self-built second-generation 308 TCR for the last half of the season.

2022 champion Tony D’Alberto is back with Wall Racing’s Honda Civic Type R FL5, with teammate Brad Harris also switching up to a Civic FL5. The team expands to a three-car effort, with Brad’s twin brother Will now competing in the team’s Civic FK7.

There are four Audi RS 3 LMS cars acroww Tufflift Racing/Soutar Motorsport, 99motorsport and Challenge Motorsport for Zac Soutar, Glenn Nirwan, Marcus LaDelle and Iain McDougall.

Carl Cox Motorsport, with support from Melbourne Performance Centre, runs a CUPRA Leon Competición for third-generation Australian touring car driver Clay Richards.

Sandown is the first of a seven-event calendar. As last year, the championship continues with its three-race format, with reduced points for the reversed-grid second race. This is except for the fifth round at Queensland, where there are four races, with the second and fourth races both with reduced points and reversed grids based on the first and third races' results.

Besides the overall drivers’ title, a TCR Am Challenge Award for amateur drivers over 30 and the Motorsport Australia Manufacturers Championship have been introduced.

Entry list

1       Josh Buchan (HMO Customer Racing, Hyundai i30 N)

2       Tony D'Alberto (Wall Racing, Honda Civic Type R FL5)

4       Clay Richards (Carl Cox Motorsport, CUPRA Leon Competición)

11     Dylan O'Keeffe (Autoglym Ashley Seward Motorsoport, Lynk & Co 03)

15     Tom Oliphant (HMO Customer Racing, Hyundai i30 N)

18     Aaron Cameron (Team Valvoline Garry Rogers Motorsport, Peugeot 308)

22     Iain McDougall (Challenge Motorsport, Audi RS 3 LMS)

29     Glenn Nirwan (Tufflift Racing Team Soutar Motorsport, Audi RS 3 LMS II)

33     Jordan Cox (Schaeffler Garry Rogers Motorsport, Peugeot 308)

71     Ben Bargwanna (Hangcha Racing Garry Rogers Motorsport, Peugeot 308)

74     Brad Harris (Exclusive Switchboards Wall Racing, Honda Civic Type R FL5)

76     Will Harris (Exclusive Switchboards Wall Racing, Honda Civic Type R FK7)

79     Ryan Casha (Team Valvoline Garry Rogers Motorsport, Peugeot 308)

99     Marcus LaDelle (Beyond Constructions 99motorsport, Audi RS 3 LMS II)

110   Zac Soutar (Tufflift Racing Team Soutar Motorsport, Audi RS 3 LMS II)

Picture: TCR Australia