Dylan O’Keeffe saw off a second lap challenge from the Hyundai of Will Brown in the second TCR Australia race at Phillip Island to claim victory in his Alfa Romeo, with the Audi of Hamish Ribarits completing the podium.
O’Keeffe started the race from pole position thanks to his race one win on Saturday and the Ashley Seward Motorsport driver made a strong start to lead the opening lap.
A few places back at Turn 2, James Moffat spun out in his Renault Mégane, the Garry Rogers Motorsport driver ending up in the path of the Subaru of Andre Heimgartner, who was himself hit from behind by Garth Tander’s Audi.
Moffat dropped to the back of the field, whilst Heimgartner retired from the race with damage on his WRX STi.
Further around the opening lap, Tander then collected his wife Leanne at the Turn 4 hairpin, whilst Melbourne Performance Centre team-mate Aaron Cameron tried to pass on the outside, with all three cars going off, although Cameron was able to continue whilst the Tanders limped to the pits.
With no safety car needed, racing continued and lap two saw Brown pass O’Keeffe for the lead at the fast first corner, only to then lost it at Turn 4 when the HMO Customer Racing driver outbraked himself, allowing O’Keeffe back into the lead.
Brown wouldn’t get a second shot, and O’Keeffe pulled away for the rest of the race distance, eventually taking his second win of the season by a margin of over six seconds from Brown.
Ribarits was third, having moved up one place on the first lap and assumed the final podium position on lap two.
For much of the race it had been a Honda in fourth, initially Tony D’Alberto before his Wall Racing team-mate John Martin got past on lap three. However, D’Alberto picked up a puncture at Turn 2 on lap nine and dropped out of contention, whilst the same fate befell Martin just three laps later.
Fourth thus went to HMO’s Nathan Morcom, who battled past the Renault of Chris Pither with three laps to go, ahead of Kelly Racing’s Alex Rullo in fifth, the Holden driver also passing Pither, resigned to sixth, on the penultimate lap.
Cameron brought his Volkswagen Gofl home in seventh, ahead of the second Alfa Romeo of Jimmy Vernon in eighth.
Alliance Autosport’s Alexandra Whitley was ninth having got past the recovering Moffat on the final lap, Moffat taking tenth.
Both of the Wall Racing Hondas rejoined the race after tyre changes and were 14th and 15th respectively.
Alliance Autosport’s Jason Bright failed to finish after losing drive in his Golf on the opening lap.
Race three follows at 14:20 local time (06:20 CEST, 05:20 BST).
Race result
| POS | NO | DRIVER | NAT | ENTRANT | CAR | LAPS | TIME | BEST | GD |
| 1 | 9 | Dylan O’KEEFFE |  |
Ashley Seward Motorsport | Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR | 16 | 26:21.9600 | 1:37.235 | 1 |
| 2 | 30 | Will BROWN | |
HMO Customer Racing | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 16 | 6.241 | 1:37.540 | 2 |
| 3 | 22 | Hamish RIBARITS | |
Melbourne Performance | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 16 | 7.111 | 1:37.948 | 5 |
| 4 | 11 | Nathan MORCOM | |
HMO Customer Racing | Hyundai i30 N TCR | 16 | 20.819 | 1:38.106 | 18 |
| 5 | 62 | Alex RULLO | |
Kelly Racing | Holden Astra TCR | 16 | 21.296 | 1:38.419 | 6 |
| 6 | 33 | Chris PITHER |  |
Garry Rogers Motorsport | Renault Mégane RS TCR | 16 | 21.932 | 1:38.245 | 7 |
| 7 | 16 | Aaron CAMERON | |
Melbourne Performance | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 16 | 22.937 | 1:37.924 | 12 |
| 8 | 7 | Jimmy VERNON | |
Garry Rogers Motorsport | Alfa Romeo Giulietta TCR | 16 | 30.355 | 1:38.902 | 17 |
| 9 | 35 | Alexandra WHITLEY | |
Alliance Autosport | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 16 | 53.994 | 1:40.449 | 11 |
| 10 | 34 | James MOFFAT | |
Garry Rogers Motorsport | Renault Mégane RS TCR | 16 | 54.202 | 1:38.591 | 3 |
| 11 | 6 | Molly TAYLOR | |
Kelly Racing | Subaru WRX STi | 16 | 54.354 | 1:40.298 | 15 |
| 12 | 37 | Chelsea ANGELO | |
Kelly Racing | Holden Astra TCR | 16 | 1:19.746 | 1:41.184 | 14 |
| 13 | 3 | Leanne TANDER | |
Melbourne Performance | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 15 | + 1 LAP | 1:40.063 | 8 |
| 14 | 24 | John MARTIN | |
Wall Racing | Honda Civic Type R TCR | 14 | + 2 LAPS | 1:38.192 | 13 |
| 15 | 50 | Tony D’ALBERTO | |
Wall Racing | Honda Civic Type R TCR | 13 | + 3 LAPS | 1:38.800 | 4 |
| R | 777 | Andre HEIMGARTNER | |
Kelly Racing | Subaru WRX STi | 1 | DNF | 2:15.030 | 9 |
| R | 4 | Garth TANDER | |
Melbourne Performance | Audi RS3 LMS TCR | 0 | DNF | N/A | 10 |
| R | 8 | Jason BRIGHT | |
Taskforce / Alliance Autosport | Volkswagen Golf GTi TCR | 0 | DNF | N/A | 16 |