Jordan Cox will remain with Garry Rogers Motorsport for the 2020 TCR Australia season, continuing to race one of the outfit’s alfa Romeo Giulietta cars in the second season of the series.
Cox made his début with Wall Racing at the third round of the 2019 TCR Australia season, immediately impressing at the wheel of a Honda Civic on the then-one-off appearance.
He was subsequently signed to race with GRM from the next round onwards in one of its Alfa Romeos, with the New South Walesman going on to claim a brace of third-place finishes at Sandown and the season finale at The Bend Motorsport Park.
Those strong results saw him end the year 11th overall in the drivers’ championship standings, despite only contesting five of the seven events.
Cox could even have claimed a victory in the final race of the year, only for a mechanical failure to deny him a maiden win.
The Australian will work with renowned racer and driving coach Greg Crick, who will continue to work with GRM in 2020. GRM will be running Peugeot 308 and Renault Mégane cars in 2020, as well as its existing Alfa Romeo cars.
Whilst Cox will contest a full season, he is not currently entered into the non-championship Asia Pacific Cup round at the Australian Grand Prix on 12 – 15 March.
“We learnt a lot in my first season racing at the national level,” said Cox. “At lower club and state levels, it can be hard to know where you are at as a driver, but I certainly learnt about my strengths and weaknesses in TCR.
“We did some good things as the season went on and learnt a lot about myself.
“Qualifying was the biggest weakness, I found. Getting the most out of one lap proved difficult, but I’ve had a good look at that over the break and I’m confident that we can improve.
“It was the first time I’ve ever raced on slick tyres, so I was learning about getting the most out of them over a race distance, and making the most of them when they are brand new. That was something I struggled with initially.
“There’s still a lot to learn at this level, but again, the biggest advantage is that I have five rounds of experience under my belt.
“It means that I can hit the ground running. The pressure will be on, no doubt, but you can’t make it a bigger deal than it is. Championships are won one race at a time, so that’s where the focus is.
“The main priority is the championship. I would love to do the Grand Prix, but it’s just a budget constraint for that event. It would have been great thing to do.
“I can’t thank the team enough for the opportunity. Also, the people who have helped get me there. I can’t wait to get into the season.”
Garry Rogers, GRM owner, is looking forward to working with Cox on a full title challenge in the coming season.
“Jordan was a good addition to our team last year and we are pleased to have him in for a full series campaign in 2020,” said Rogers.
“He’ll get to do some pre season testing, a full championship and we really believe that he has the talent to be up there amongst it.
“His mechanical aptitude is one of the best that I’ve seen in a driver. He is very hands on and always busy.
“The big thing in his favour is that he runs his own business, so he really has that ‘effort in, reward out’ mentality. There’s no doubt he has the driving skill, but he also realises that being a great race driver doesn’t guarantee you a chance to have a long-term future.
“Greg Crick is a very wise man and has been a big supporter of our efforts with Jordan. When I originally spoke to Greg about getting Jordan to our team, Greg helped me influence my decision.
“While Cricky is not an engineer, he is very qualified in getting the most out out of a car and driver combination, and he is an invaluable part of our whole organisation.”