News
Will Brown scores pole by 0.011s at AWC Race Tasmania
MPC Team LIQUI MOLY’s Will Brown will start the opening race of the 2023 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series season from pole after just edging out his rivals in qualifying.
Leading in both segments of qualifying by the barest of margins, Brown followed through on yesterday’s practice pace.
In the first segment of qualifying, Brown in the MPC Team LIQUI MOLY Audi RS3 LMS TCR Gen2 led the way on a 56.271s lap from HMO Customer Racing’s Bailey Sweeny in what is beginning to turn into a nice rivalry.
The gap at the front was just 0.165s as Zac Soutar in the Tufflift Racing Audi sat third in his first qualifying run in the model ahead of the first Valvoline Team GRM Peugeot of Aaron Cameron and reigning series winner Tony D’Alberto in the Honda Wall Racing Civic Type R TCR.
The three knocked out drivers were Audi RS3 LMS TCR Gen1 trio Michael Clemente, Lachlan Mineeff and Iain McDougall, but all just missed out.
The first session set up a tantalising contest for pole, but it was Cameron setting the pace on a 56.461s though this was quickly superseded by HMO Customer Racing pair Josh Buchan and Sweeny, in addition to Brown.
The inaugural series winner sat at the top on a 56.178s as Buchan recovered well in his Hyundai Elantra (i30 Sedan N) TCR after a fraught practice to be second just 0.011s ahead of Sweeny, D’Alberto and Cameron.
Burson Auto Parts Racing GRM’s Ben Bargwanna was sixth from stablemates Kody Garland in the second Valvoline Peugeot and Jordan Cox in his Schaeffler example.
BTCC race winner Tom Oliphant finished his first Astrontech Pole Position session in ninth driving the Autoglym ASM Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce TCR.
Problems for Soutar kept him in pit lane during the second segment of qualifying, so he will start from 10th.
Of course, for winning pole Brown receives 10 series points for his troubles.
The first race of the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia season begins at 4:20pm AEDT.
Results to come.