TCR Australia Series leader Bailey Sweeny says there’ll be no team orders if the title fight comes down to he and stablemate Josh Buchan.
The HMO Customer Racing teammates sit first and second in the standings after three rounds, Sweeny heading Buchan on 387 and 351 points respectively.
This year marks Sweeny’s second year in the TCR Australia Series while Buchan is in his third.
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Buchan was bestowed a brand new Hyundai i30 N sedan last year and was tipped to lead the team’s title hopes in 2023, but it’s Sweeny in the older hatchback who’s been quicker.
Sweeny has three wins to date this season and has finished all but one race inside the top five.
The most dominant victory saw him clear out by 20 seconds in the most recent event at Winton Motor Raceway.
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Buchan, meanwhile, has two wins to his credit but has always finished inside the top 10.
With four rounds remaining, the team is already conscious of the pair coming together.
“I don’t think at any point there’s going to be priority,” Sweeny told SEN’s The Driver’s Seat.
“We just need to be smart. On the weekend we had good pace and even though I was behind him and all over him he wasn’t letting me pass.
“Barry Morcom has definitely been the nervous one, messaging us before each race saying ‘Don’t be stupid’.”
Sweeny is in uncharted territory this year having not factored into the 2022 title race.
That season, he wound up fifth in a season that included two wins.
He’s already eclipsed that benchmark and is keen to maintain his top five streak.
“Coming into the year, we were trying to go for the championship, but I didn’t quite think we’d be in this position midway through the year,” said Sweeny.
“Last year we had pace at times and glimpses. I think we’ve almost got an (unbeaten) top five streak for the year, which is what you need for the championship, the consistency, no mistakes, no DNFs, and be at the pointy end.”
Sweeny’s success is something of an anomaly in TCR terms.
Often the newest cars are the quickest, with the likes of Will Brown and Michael Clemente showing their cars are the fastest – at least on one-lap pace.
Sweeny expects it won’t be long before Buchan is hot on his heels once HMO Customer Racing gets its head around the newer Hyundai.
“The guys are definitely working hard to get the sedan going,” he explained.
“I think they’re slowly getting there, but the hatch has definitely been on fire. They’ve spent three years to develop it in Australia, which I think is the difference.
“I definitely think the sedan will get there towards the end of the year. You can see overseas, the sedan is quick, winning the world series.
“The package is definitely there. The guys, HMO, just have to fine-tune that last little bit.”
A change to the SpeedSeries calendar means the TCR Australia Series takes an extended break before returning on August 18-20 at Queensland Raceway.
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