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Field set for Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series finale
A few wildcards will be thrown in the mix at the season finale of the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series at Bathurst.
Headlining the inaugural Supercheap Auto Bathurst International, the two-litre turbocharged performance models including Audi, Hyundai, Peugeot, Renault, Alfa Romeo and Honda will do battle once again at Mount Panorama following a spectacular visit during Easter.
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But unlike the Easter event, they are competing for more points, and importantly, the series title.
Races 1 and 3 will award the winner 75 points (up from the usual 50), while Race 2’s inverted top 10 grid spots offers 60 points (up from 40).
The wildcards in the mix will be Frenchman Teddy Clairet in a fifth Garry Rogers Motorsport Peugeot 308 TCR. Clariet was battling for medals at the FIA Motorsport Games recently until a mechanical problem dropped him out. Closely aligned with Peugeot Sport, Clairet is a proven frontrunner in the highly competitive TCR Europe Series and is expected to be a contender at a circuit suited to the 308 TCR.
The other wildcard will be the debut of HMO Customer Racing’s Hyundai Elantra N TCR as used in WTCR featuring title contender Josh Buchan behind the wheel. Currently equal fourth in the standings, Buchan has tested the Elantra N TCR extensively since Sandown and is confident it will perform well at the Mountain.
Just 46 points separate the two main title protagonists. The consistent Tony D’Alberto leads the charge in his Honda Wall Racing Civic Type R TCR from Jordan Cox in the Swyftx GRM Peugeot.
Behind the top two, inaugural Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series winner Will Brown leads the Audi charge in his LIQUI MOLY Team MPC RS3 LMS TCR and comes off a strong weekend at Sandown.
One driver to surprise this year has been privateer Zac Soutar. The Victorian sits a remarkable fourth in the standings in a season where he broke through for his first win in the Spicers Australia Honda Civic Type R TCR.
Another to take a maiden win is fellow rising star Jay Hanson, who is aiming for redemption after a crash in practice at Easter severely damaged his latest-specification Audi. The incident forced him into an older model Audi for the remainder of that race weekend. Sitting fifth in the standings, he will be targeting a tilt at the title.
GRM duo Dylan O’Keeffe and Ben Bargwanna have enjoyed solid seasons, the latter taking his first win at Sandown, but with the Peugeots being the superior package during Easter, the pair will like their chances of victory.
Same can be said for HMO Customer Racing’s Nathan Morcom and Bailey Sweeny. The i30 N TCR changed its form around earlier this year in spectacular fashion as Sweeny took a dominant victory in Bathurst’s reverse grid race earlier this year and finished on the podium in the finale.
Returning from the FIA Motorsport Games where he represented Team Australia, Aaron Cameron’s form at Bathurst is hard to top having finished off the podium just once in the nine races Supercheap Auto TCR Australia has held at the Mountain. Bad luck is the main reason he’s outside the top 10 in the standings.
Another to experience a desertion of luck this season is Michael Caruso in the Autoglym Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR, but coming off a (belated) win at Sandown breeds confidence of a good run at Bathurst.
Renault enjoyed its best performance of the season during Easter, with LMCT+ Racing GRM’s James Moffat and rookie Kody Garland in the Valvoline Racing GRM Megane RS TCRs eager to end the season with a top result.
Luke King made his return to the series here earlier this season, but now acclimatised to the Moutai/ZIP PAY Hyundai i30 N TCR he will be a threat.
A mid-season change to Audi has provided Forza Brakes Motorsport’s Lachlan Mineeff with an improved package, while Michael Clemente also joins the four-ring brigade at Bathurst for the first time alongside Iain McDougall.
Action begins with the Circuit to City parade on Thursday, November 10 before practice on Friday ahead of the usual two-part qualifying and three races to decide the 2022 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series winner.
The inaugural Supercheap Auto Bathurst International will also feature a three-hour event for the Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS, the Gulf Western Oil Touring Car Masters, Turtle Wax Trans Am Series, Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge, Australian Production Car Series brought to you by LIQUI MOLY and the Bathurst Sportscar Challenge.
Tickets are available at http://bathurst.international
If you can’t make it to Mount Panorama, broadcast can be seen live and ad-break free on Stan Sport on Saturday and Sunday. Sign up now for your free 7-day trial >> http://www.stan.com.au/motorsport
The Nine Network will also offer live free-to-air coverage on Saturday afternoon.
International viewers can watch on http://motorsport.tv
Also pick up the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International program HERE.
Entry list, 2022 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series Round 7 Bathurst
| Car # | Sponsor/Team | Driver | State | Model |
| 2 | Moutai/ZIP PAY | Luke King | NSW | Hyundai i30 N TCR |
| 8 | Schaeffler GRM | Dylan O’Keeffe | VIC | Peugeot 308 TCR |
| 9 | AWC MPC Racing | Jay Hanson | VIC | Audi RS3 LMS TCR |
| 10 | Ashley Seward Motorsport | Michael Caruso | NSW | Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR |
| 11 | HMO Customer Racing | Nathan Morcom | NSW | Hyundai i30 N TCR |
| 14 | Forza Brakes Motorsport | Lachlan Mineeff | NSW | Audi RS3 LMS TCR |
| 15 | Michael Clemente Motorsport | Michael Clemente | VIC | Audi RS3 LMS TCR |
| 18 | Team Valvoline GRM | Aaron Cameron | VIC | Peugeot 308 TCR |
| 20 | Peugeot Sport GRM | Teddy Clairet | FRA | Peugeot 308 TCR |
| 22 | Challenge Motorsport/MPC | Iain McDougall | VIC | Audi RS3 LMS TCR |
| 30 | HMO Customer Racing | Josh Buchan | NSW | Hyundai Elantra N TCR |
| 33 | Swyftx GRM | Jordan Cox | NSW | Peugeot 308 TCR |
| 34 | LMCT+ Racing GRM | James Moffat | VIC | Renault Megane RS TCR |
| 41 | Valvoline Racing GRM | Kody Garland | NSW | Renault Megane RS TCR |
| 50 | Honda Wall Racing | Tony D’Alberto | VIC | Honda Civic Type R TCR |
| 71 | Burson Auto Parts Racing | Ben Bargwanna | VIC | Peugeot 308 TCR |
| 110 | Team Soutar Motorsport | Zac Soutar | VIC | Honda Civic Type R TCR |
| 130 | HMO Customer Racing | Bailey Sweeny | NSW | Hyundai i30 N TCR |
| 999 | MPC Team LIQUI MOLY | Will Brown | QLD | Audi RS3 LMS TCR |