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Soutar Claims First Career Pole in Bathurst Blitz
Tufflift Racing Audi driver Zac Soutar needs to trim reigning Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series champ Josh Buchan’s points advantage and he’s already got to work on doing so before a racing lap has been turned at Bathurst.
Soutar has claimed pole position this morning at Mount Panorama’s Supercheap Auto Bathurst International, blitzing the field to lap in 2m12.8137-seconds to finish 0.84-seconds clear of the Honda Civic of Exclusive Switchboards/Wall Racing driver Will Harris.
Soutar picked up the Astrontech Pole Award for his efforts, claiming the final $1000 pole cheque of the season.
Points leader Buchan was third fastest in his HMO Customer Racing Hyundai Elantra, 0.94-seconds slower than the flying Audi.
The Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series awards points to the top six qualifiers – Soutar scored six points for pole, while Buchan claims four for third place, meaning the Audi driver will enter Race 1 this afternoon now 34 points behind the Hyundai pilot.
There is still a maximum of 135 points available in the title race – 50 points for the winner of Races 1 and 3 and 35 points for the winner of Race 2, which features a reverse top 10 grid.
Brad Harris, who was fastest in yesterday’s second practice session and quickest in the first leg of qualifying today, will start Race 1 from fourth clear of Dylan O’Keeffe’s Autoglym/Ash Seward Motorsport Lynk & Co and Tom Oliphant (HMO Customer Racing Hyundai i30).
None of the four Garry Rogers Motorsport-run Peugeot P51 308s made it through the first 15–minute qualifying session to earn a spot in the second, 10-minute, leg of qualifying.
Jordan Cox’s Schaeffler was the fastest of the Peugeots in seventh, clear of teammates Aaron Cameron, Ryan Casha and Ben Bargwanna.
Kiwi Blake Knowles (99motorsport Audi) rounded out the field in qualifying in his debut weekend in the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series.
Race 1 will be held this afternoon and will start at 2.05pm AEDT. There will be two more races tomorrow to determine the 2024 Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series victor.
Coverage of the Supercheap Auto Bathurst International is streaming on 7+ today, Saturday, from 11.45am to 6pm AEDT and on Sunday from 10am to 5.15pm AEDT.
Free to air coverage will air today, Saturday, on 7mate from 2pm to 4pm AEDT (including Race 1 of TCR) and on Sunday on 7two from 2pm to 4pm AEDT (including Race 3 of TCR).