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Buchan, Hyundai brilliant in Phillip Island finale’
HMO Customer Racing’s Josh Buchan has repeated his Saturday performance in a commanding lights to flag win in the final race of the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series at Phillip Island.
Pole man Buchan got the jump off the start with Michael Clemente slotting in behind in the Cupra Leon that won the earlier race today.
Will Brown was on a charge from the rear of the grid, storming to seventh at the end of the opening lap in the MPC Team LIQUI MOLY Audi RS3 LMS.
Buchan slowly began to build a margin over Clemente, as a six-car train formed from the Cupra down to Brown’s Audi, with championship leader Bailey Sweeny’s Hyundai in the midst of the battle.
Brad Harris had a wild moment in his Honda Civic with a high-speed spin at Doohan Corner, though he was able to rejoin at the tail of the field without the need for safety car intervention.
Clemente had slipped into the clutches of GRM Peugeot stablemates Ben Bargwanna and Jordan Cox at half race distance, with Sweeny not far behind.
The late race pace the Cupra displayed in the day’s first race was once again apparent as Clemente was able to pull away from Bargwanna enough to relieve the pressure, though Buchan was still over a second up the road with four laps to go.
Bargwanna soon had his hands full with the Schaeffler Peugeot of Cox putting serious pressure on the Burson Auto Parts Peugeot with three laps to go.
However, Cox himself was under threat from championship leader Sweeny, letting Bargwanna off the hook for the final two laps.
Buchan would end up with a margin of just under one second over Clemente’s Cupra, with Bargwanna rounding out the podium and a great weekend for the Burson Auto Parts Peugeot.
Cox and Sweeny would complete the top five, with the Hyundai driver maintaining his TCR Australia championship lead after a consistent weekend.