Josh Buchan has become the first-ever two-time TCR Australia champion
HMO Customer Racing driver Josh Buchan has become the first two-time TCR Australia champion after the season-ending Bathurst International weekend.
Buchan entered the final round with a 36-point lead over his nearest rival. However, following his stunning set of results at the penultimate round, Buchan was forced to defend his advantage carrying the maximum 40kg of ballast in his Elantra N TCR. On the famously challenging Mount Panorama circuit, the extra weight prevented Buchan from adding to his three wins this year. Instead, his best finish came in Race 1, when he completed the podium, while his rival took victory. However, as Buchan finished seventh and sixth in the remaining contests, his lead was enough to keep ahead in the standings to claim a second consecutive drivers’ title by 18 points.
Buchan’s season has been one of remarkable, consistent pace. Despite the challenges presented by the Compensation Weight regulations and the wide range of circuits included on the TCR Australia calendar, he finished on the podium at least once at every event. He began the season at the wheel of an i30 N TCR – taking the car to victory at Phillip Island, but it was a switch back to the Elantra N TCR he drove to the 2023 title that rebooted his championship chase. With the car he twice – at The Bend Motorsport Park and Sydney Motorsport Park – finished on the podium in all three races of the weekend.
Despite this incredible record, Buchan never led the championship until after the penultimate round. After the Phillip Island weekend in April, he sat fourth in the standings but began moving up the order until he moved to the head of the points after the round at Sydney Motorsport Park, where he took victory in Race 1 and Race 3, either side of taking third after starting from tenth in Race 2. The results sent him into the finale with a lead that would prove crucial.
In his first year with the team, British driver Tom Oliphant finished the season with arguably his best weekend of the season. Oliphant took his i30 N TCR to victory in the final race of the meeting at Symmons Plains earlier in the year, after coming second in Race 2. At Bathurst, he finished fourth in Race 1, before taking podiums in third and second respectively in Sunday’s two races.
Josh Buchan said:
“It’s pretty amazing to back up the 2023 title and defend the crown by winning this year’s series. I felt quite a lot of pressure to deliver a result for everyone at HMO Customer Racing, 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 with the Elantra N TCR, but 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.”
Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing Manager Benoit Nogier said:
“Any time you can be the first to achieve something is a reason to celebrate. Josh Buchan becoming the first two-time TCR Australia champion is a huge accomplishment for him, and for the HMO Customer Racing team, who have again shown their ability to run at the front of the grid. TCR Australia has emerged as one of the most competitive national TCR series, with one of the most varied grids of manufacturers. Buchan standing on the podium at every round, regardless of carrying Compensation Weight, has shown the strength of the Elantra N TCR, while Oliphant’s debut season with the car proves that the i30 N TCR remains one of the more competitive cars in the TCR category.”
