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Race Sydney: Brown beats internationals, Moffat back in front

By Thomas Miles

Date posted: 4 November 2023

The opening night of Race Sydney and TCR World Tour’s debut down under was a crazy affair as rain caught many out.

TCR

The big star of the day was Will Brown, who upstaged all the global stars to win first of six races the TCR Australia and World Tour drivers will take part in at Sydney and Bathurst.

Brown’s Audi was the only local in the top six with the next best Aaron Cameron in seventh, who extends his streak of runner-up finishes to six races by beating Jordan Cox.

Turn two and rain caused crazy drama in the opening TCR race.

Cameron gained ground in the championship race with the Hyundais of Bailey Sweeny and Josh Buchan sixth and eighth respectively.

The winner of the TCR World Tour was Hyundai’s Mikel Azcona, backing up his breakthrough win at Argentina by finishing 5s ahead of Ma Qing Hua in the Lynk & Co.

Cyan Racing Lynk & Co appeared to be the team to beat by topping both practices, including a top-four lockout in their first crack at Sydney Motorsport Park.

By qualifying, Australia’s Ben Bargwanna stole the show by smashing the field to take pole position.

A pair of locals both overcame the World Tour drivers with Bargwanna’s 1:37.8033 a huge seven tenths ahead of Brown.

Azcona was third, half a second ahead of Sweeny as there was an even split of locals and internationals in the top 10.

Tony D’Alberto flies off at high speed. Image: RACE PROJECT

Just as the race approached, so did the rain, sparking wild scenes in Sydney.

Bargwanna got the jump off the line to lead into turn one, while TCR World Tour championship leader Norbert Michelisz went off at turn two.

Cyan Racing Lynk & Co’s Santiago Urrutia also spun Jordan Cox as Michelisz found more trouble, making contact with Tony D’Alberto, spearing the #1 Honda off at high speed.

A stopped Zac Soutar would bring out an early Safety Car on lap four.

When racing resumed, the comical scene of the entire top 10 flying off at the end of turn two occurred when the slick-shod runners were caught out by the ever-changing conditions.

The race was then red flag, which reset the field and allowed drivers to change to wets. Brown was the biggest winner, returning to the lead he had lost and he was never challenged once racing resumed.

TCR returns for two more big races at 16.05 and 20.40 AEDT.

Trans Am

James Moffat was back to his best in Sydney.

It was a dramatic day off the track in Trans Am with James Moffat regaining his championship lead after his and Lochie Dalton’s disqualifications from Winton were overturned.

Both Moffat and Dalton were wiped from Winton due to a technical breach regarding pedal set-up, which blew the championship wide open.

However, GRM won its appeal and now the championship is once again effectively a two-horse race between Moffat and Dalton.

Despite all of this playing out behind the scenes, Moffat was back to his dominant best in Sydney.

He converted pole to a crushing lights to flag victory by 4s over Nash Morris with Dalton in third.

James Moffat and Nash Morris lead the field at Sydney.

Dalton started fourth and was able to make an early move to a podium place, but was unable to catch Morris and only just kept Cody Gillis behind.

Both Mark Crutcher and Elliott Cleary failed to finish.

A super Saturday lies ahead for Trans Am with three races at 14.10, 17.40 and 20.40 AEDT.

Radical Cup Australia

Alex Gardner has landed the first blow in his fight with Elliott Schutte for the 2023 Radical Cup Australia title.

Gardner did the double by taking pole and the opening race win in Sydney, but only just held off a charging Schutte.

The championship contenders were only separated by a single second at the chequered flag.

Schutte started fourth but managed to climb up to second across the 15-lap race, displacing Cooper Cutts.

Despite Gardner making an early statement, the championship fight will go down to the wire with more races at 15.20 and 18.15 AEDT.

Images: RACE PROJECT

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