Oliphant takes first TCR Australia race win

British Touring Car Championship race winner Tom Oliphant has his first victory in the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series, taking out Race 2 of Round 3 at Winton.

The Ashley Seward Motorsport driver was handed first position on the grid due to the reversal of the Race 1 top 10 and led all 18 laps in the #115 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Veloce which is a stand-in for the team’s newly-acquired Lynk & Co 03 this weekend.

Supercheap Auto TCR Australia debutant Clay Richards ran second all the way in an Audi RS 3 LMS while Josh Buchan was a late mover into third in a Hyundai i30 N Sedan.

Race 1 winner Michael Clemente was a DNS due to a suspected clutch or gearbox problem for the Carl Cox Motorsport Cupra Leon Competicion, leaving 10th position on the grid empty.

From the front row, Oliphant got the jump when the lights went out while Richards almost lost second place to Ben Bargwanna (Peugeot 308) at the first corner.

He managed to bend off his fellow third-generation driver as Jordan Cox (Peugeot) took up fourth position and Buchan passed Tony D’Alberto (Honda Civic Type R) for fifth at Turn 4.

Oliphant extended his led to over a full second on Lap 4 as Richards found a train forming behind him, comprised of Bargwanna, Cox, Buchan, and Lachlan Mineeff (Audi).

D’Alberto was running almost two seconds further back in seventh position, while Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series leader Bailey Sweeny (Hyundai i30 N) passed Zac Soutar (Audi) for eighth on Lap 5 at Turn 9.

Richards reduced Oliphant’s margin to less than a second on Lap 9, before Sweeny got outside of D’Alberto at Turn 8 on Lap 10 and completed the pass for seventh when they switched back for the slow Turn 9 right-hander.

Cox began to attack team-mate Bargwanna and would make the move for third on Lap 11 at Turn 3, before setting the gunsights on Cars #115 and #4 ahead.

It was a reprieve for Oliphant in the #115 Alfa Romeo when Cox started to pressure the #4 Audi of Richards.

The pressure valve was then released for Richards on Lap 15 when Cox went spinning onto the grass at Turn 7 after getting unsettled on the ripple strip at Turn 6.

Cox resumed at the very back of the 13-car field which had taken the start, meaning the pass which Buchan soon put on Bargwanna was for third place.

That essentially settled matters at pointy end of the field, while Bargwanna lost several positions in the closing stages due to a power steering-related drama.

Fourth went to Mineeff, who just staved off Sweeny, with D’Alberto sixth from Soutar, Aaron Cameron (Peugeot), Bargwanna, and Iain McDougall (Audi), while Cox did take the chequered flag in 13th.

The final race of the weekend starts this afternoon at 16:10 local time/AEST.

Australian viewers can watch the Shannons SpeedSeries live and ad-free on Stan Sport, while international viewers can see the action for free on Speedcafe.

Results: Race 2

Series points