TCR Australia Series front-runner Jordan Cox has vowed to return serve should he and Michael Clemente go wheel-to-wheel again.
Clemente stole victory from Cox in a thrilling finish at Phillip Island with a forceful pass at the Southern Loop on the last lap of race two.
Cox was none too happy with the pass, brushing the race winner when he tried to speak with him after the clash.
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The Peugeot pilot, who rose to fame after a series of incredible passes went viral, spoke with race officials afterwards to voice his displeasure.
Now that the baseline has been set, he expects he’ll be treated the same should push come to shove.
“I was incredibly frustrated by the move and I voiced my opinion to the stewards when they called me in to talk about it,” Cox told the official TCR website.
“I don’t have an issue with the end decision, I’m all for free and open racing on track, but it’s got to be clean.
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“I also love hard racing, and I know it’s hard to pass in these cars but if that is the standard that’s being set going forward, then I will remember that.
“Between us drivers, we all know exactly what he did, despite how different it may come across on TV.
“I happily shook his hand, but other than that, I didn’t really have much time for him after the race.
“He knows what he did, so if that’s how he wants to do it then bring it on.”
Rubbing, they say, is racing. However, that wheel-to-wheel rubbing was a bridge too far.
Although the incident cost him victory, the Garry Rogers Motorsport driver is still at the pointy end of the standings.
HMO Customer Racing’s Bailey Sweeny leads on 252 points while Cox sits just behind him on 230. Clemente, meanwhile, is fifth on 214 points.
Despite missing out on his first win of the season, Cox is content with his form.
“I wanted to keep going, I didn’t want the weekend to end,” he said.
“I have got full trust in the GRM crew with what they do, there are four drivers in GRM and we have all got our own unique driving styles but we work very well together to go down a path then put our own personal touches on things.
“I’m pretty confident moving forward, the boys have had some good tests and we have seemed to have made a great gain.
“I am here to win the series, I’m not here just to make up the numbers. I haven’t had the race wins I’ve wanted but I’ve been up there a lot of the time.
“I was in the hunt last year, I’m in the hunt this year and the process seems to be paying off.”
The TCR Australia Series resumes on June 9-11 with Race Winton as part of the SpeedSeries season.
TCR Australia headlines a healthy line-up featuring the National Trans Am Series, S5000, Touring Car Masters, V8 Touring Cars, Sports Sedans, and Formula Ford.
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