What's new?

After yesterday’s issues, Nathan Morcom was forced to start race two from the back with Jimmy Vernon.

With plenty of action ahead and cars running off track & colliding, Morcom went in “Shake N Bake” mode and carved his way through the field. With car speed and a fantastic setup, he won the battle with Pither & Rullo towards the end of the race finishing a fine 4th.

Will Brown started from position 2 and ended in P2. He tried feverishly to bridge the gap to race winner Dylan O’Keeffe but had to settle for second.

Will Brown P2
Nathan Morcom P4 from Second last on the grid

Race 3:

The fall of the green flag was nothing different to the previous race with lots of positions swapping heading into turn one. A massive pile up after pole sitter Dylan O’Keeffe got turned around entering turn one which sent the field scattering. The race went less than a lap before the cautions were called with wounded cars trying to get back to the pits.

When racing resumed Brown and Morcom simply drove away from the field in the DPO / Rondo Hyundai i30’s

Will Brown: Race Winner Fastest lap 1.37.343
Nathan Morcom: P2

Race One of the weekend for the TCR Series got off to a great start for DPO / Rondo i30’s.

Off the front row, Will Brown battled hard entering turn one resulting on him running wide in turn 2. An off track excursion via the gravel trap put the pace setting Hyundai towards the back of the pack.

Nathan Morcom came together with a spinning John Martin in the Honda also on the opening lap. He made it back to the pits only for the team to declare the damage too great to continue.

“I was past the spinning car only for it to gyrate into the side of my i30” Stated a depressed Morcom.

Morcom will start tomorrows race 2 from the back.

Brown made some cracking moves to march his way back through the pack and swapped position with James Moffat numerous times to eventually finishing in second position.

“Mad I ran off on the first lap but rewarding to finish second. These i30’s are fast” beamed Brown.

Will Brown P2 Fastest lap 1.37.08
Nathan Morcom DNF

Race 2 saw a repeat of yesterday’s dream start for Jimmy Vernon in the Alfa Romeo.

With perfect car control and precise moves, Vernon's focus had taken him from a rear of the field start to position nine on the very first lap. Faultless driving saw Vernon gain another position by lap 13 and slip into 8th position and secure this spot on the starting grid for race 3.

"The car was throwing me around but i managed to keep control and got a good result which puts me in great position for the start of race 3."

With only 30 minutes for the team to prepare and rectify the mechanical issue, Jimmy remained relaxed and confident in preparation for today’s final race.

The third and final race of the day started with plenty of carnage for the front runners. This saw Vernon move into position 6 within the first two laps. The safety car was deployed that saw the field bunched up ready for another green flag.

With a gutsy outside move, Vernon puts himself into 4th position but an unfortunate error saw him veer off the track at very high speed at turn one. Managing to rejoin the field safely Vernon did well to recover and make up some positions, finishing the race in 11th position.

Vernon had a perfect start to race one moving from twelfth to sixth by turn 1.

Lap 2 he gained another two spots with some demon moves under brakes.

A clash between Bright and Heimgartner left Jimmy with nowhere to go, getting collected on the way past.

This shot Vernon into a wild spin and into the gravel trap backwards. Vernon was unable to continue and resulted in a DNF. 

“Im gutted” stated a fuming Vernon. “We had speed and were making clean passes in the opening laps to leapfrog a bunch of cars”. “Those two got together and I got spat out of 3rd spot. We had a fantastic car today and im devastated for my guy’s and the team” claimed Vernon.

Vernon certainly put on a show and if his faultless start is anything to go by, we are set for a fantastic racing tomorrow.

Although it’s freezing in Sydney, this will play into the hands of Jimmy Vernon as he acclimatises to the conditions expected at Phillip Island in just over a weeks’ time.

Vernon was the first to commit to the Australian version of the world wide series with Garry Rogers Motorsport (GRM) in the Alfa Romeo.

Round one showed glimpses of potential and heading into Round two the team at GRM has undergone some R&D to better understand the characteristics of the TCR Alfa under the guidance of Greg Crick.

“We’ll be much better prepared for round 2 and hopefully straight out of the box we’ll be on the money” stated Vernon.

“I’m heading to Melbourne early to do some pre event preparation with the team and do a bit of bonding” he went on to say.

Round 2 kicks off on Friday 7^th June with Practice.  Racing on both Saturday and Sunday.  Live streaming via The National Website  www.thenationals.com.au and LIVE Free to air TV on SBS on Saturday 2pm till 3pm and Sunday from 1pm till 3pm AEST.

Follow Jimmy’s progress via his website www.JimmyVernon.com  or via Facebook @JimmyVernonRacing

For those that have ever competed, one of the worse feelings is when your car is stranded on the startline.

TCR Series race two turned it on for the big crowd at Sydney Motorsport Park.

The inaugural TCR event in Australia got away to a great start for Jimmy Vernon as he jumped 3 within the first lap.