Supercheap Auto TCR Australia’s sole international driver will be joined by nine more overseas counterparts as the TCR World Tour joins the Australian grid for the final two rounds of the season.
Tom Oliphant, racing for Ashley Seward Motorsport, has faced an uphill battle through 2023 as he faces new tracks at each round, but a recent test day at Sydney Motorsport Park gives the British driver added confidence for the penultimate round of the season.
The BTCC and TCR Australia race winner has the unique advantage of a long career racing against some of the world’s best drivers, including some of those coming to Australia in the next two weeks.
The highlight so far of Oliphant’s maiden season of TCR Australia came at round three where he steered the Autoglym entry to victory in race two at Winton Raceway, in a dominant display that saw Oliphant lead every lap after starting from pole position.
“I feel we found a fair bit of performance in the car, with our recent test day, so I’m quietly optimistic heading in to the final two rounds,” said Oliphant.
“First impressions of the SMP circuit were really enjoyable, I like the elevation change and the flow of the track, and there’s a few overtaking opportunities as well which promote great racing. I’ve got experience racing against some of the World Tour drivers, and just having that background in many different formulas against a range of drivers could be beneficial.
“It’s hard to say what will and won’t be an advantage, but one thing the Australians definitely hold is the track knowledge, something that I’ve had to come up against this year. These are some of the best in the world, they’re not here to muck around, the racing is going to be extremely hard fought.
“The weekend is going to be a bit like the BTCC events I’m used to, across just two days. I prefer more sessions in one day, as I can get into the swing of it a bit more and really build on my performances,” concluded Oliphant.
Spread across just two days, round six of the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia season takes place from November 3-4 at Sydney Motorsport Park.