Cox uses super start to claim TCR Australia win from sixth on grid
Jordan Cox made a storming start to win TCR Australia Race 2 at Sandown Raceway.
John Martin, who driver coaches Will Harris and took over his car mid-weekend after Harris withdrew due to pain from an old injury, started on reversed-grid pole ahead of Dylan O’Keeffe, Clay Richards, Ryan Casha, Brad Harris and Cox.
Yet by turn one it was Cox who was in the lead in his Garry Rogers Motorsport-run Peugeot 308TCR.
However he did not get an opportunity to run away from the field as Glenn Nirwan and Marcus LaDelle made contact twice on lap one and ended up spinning then getting stuck on track.
The safety car was called out as their Audis were taken away, and it was not until lap six that green flags waved again.
Over the second half of the race Cox managed the pace and finished 0.874 seconds ahead of Clay Richards for his sixth series win.
Richards matched his career best result by finishing second, with Cox’s rookie teammate Ryan Casha getting his first podium in third.
Martin ended up finishing fifth, with Josh Buchan and Ben Bargwanna battling behind him to come home sixth and seventh after finishing second and first in the previous race.
The result put Buchan at the top of the championship standings, and therefore earned him pole position for Race 3.
Aaron Cameron set the fastest lap in eighth, Brad Harris topped the TCR Challenge classification in 11th and Ian McDougall was the final finisher in 13th but only 11.888s behind the winner.
