TCR SQUAD COMPLETES EVALUATION DAY

Reigning TCR Australia Series winning team HMO Customer Racing has held a driver evaluation day at Wakefield Park in the lead up to the TCR Australia Series finale at Mount Panorama.

The team took Toyota Gazoo Racing 86 Series competitor Bailey Sweeny, Super2 privateer Zane Morse and Tom Shaw along for the test in addition to its regular TCR drivers Nathan Morcom and Josh Buchan who spun some laps.

Shaw completed a similar program in the HMO Customer Racing’s Hyundai i30N TCR earlier this year, while Sweeny and Morse drove the car for the first time under the watchful eyes of Morcom and Buchan.

“We had a couple of drivers complete an evaluation day just to get a sample of a TCR car, some had never driven a front-wheel-drive before,” Morcom explained.

“They did well. We had three i30N TCRS on track at multiple times, so it was good to show them the lines and demonstrate what a TCR car is made of.

“Tom knows what they are about, but the other two boys didn’t and were blown away with how advanced a TCR race car is.

“They are definitely not a production car.”

Buchan and Morcom sit third and fourth in the series, respectively, below leaders Chaz Mostert and Luke King.

For the pair, the evaluation day doubled as a shakedown ahead of the final round which will take place as part of the six-day Bathurst 1000 event.

“It was enjoyable and we definitely missed it,” Morcom said.

“It was more a shakedown to get back into the swing of things, but we did change some stuff just to test out before we get up to Bathurst.

“Some bits improved, but there were some parts we did change and didn’t (improve) so it was just a matter of learning the set-up tweaks we were doing.”

HMO Customer Racing is hoping to continue its third entry driven by Duvashen Padayachee, while if the seat is filled a fourth i30N TCR will also become available.

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