MOTORSPORT: Young gun conquers TCR opener

Chaz Mostert and Lee Holdsworth came and saw, but it was youngster Jordan Cox who conquered the first round of the 2021 TCR Australia Series at Symmons Plains Raceway in Tasmania.

Supercars refugee Holdsworth bagged a pole position and a race win, then would have taken victory in the feature race – as well as the championship lead – if he had not been penalised for a jump start in the Australia Day finale that knocked him back to third.

Cox and Holdsworth both drove Alfa Romeo Giuliettas as the Italian cars, which were the car to beat on high-speed tracks when TCR racing began in Australia in 2019, were the best bet again for the Race Tasmania meeting.

Cox bagged two wins and Holdsworth got the other on the three-race program, as Mostert was the other stand-out when he finished the meeting in third place, although the former Bathurst 1000 winner is yet to confirm any future TCR plans despite his skill and speed in an Audi RS 3.

The first TCR meeting for more than a year was a solid start for the turbocharged hot hatches, with a mixture of grizzled veterans – led by one-time Bathurst 1000 winner Jason Bargwanna in a Peugeot 308 – and hopeful youngsters including 16-year-old Jay Hanson and Bargwanna’s son, Ben

As Mostert christened the meeting ‘Chazmania’, there were three starts for the 18 TCR tiddlers that made the trip across Bass Straight.

Holdsworth got a flying start to his switch to TCR, after being dumped from his Supercars seat when Tickford Racing was forced to downsize for the coming season, as he bagged pole position and a Race 1 win. He was second in Race 2 and first to the flag in Race 3, before his five-second penalty.

“I had a really cool battle. It’s just a shame to come in first and park it in third. There is no way I jumped it,” Holdsworth said.

But his disappointment was offset by Cox’s celebration.

“Pumped. Really excited,” he said.

“Probably not the way I wanted to do it. But full credit to Lee and Chaz, it’s great sharing a track with those guys.”

And Mostert?

“I’m happy with two podiums. It’s been a lot of fun out there. I’d love to come back for round two,” he said.

The TCR races were the headline act for the first major motorsport meeting of the year, as the Australian Racing Group overcame COVID restrictions to keep their championship on track after a year with zero racing by the mostly semi-professional teams and drivers.

Backing the three TCR races were events for the thundering S5000 V8 single-seaters, Touring Car Masters and Trans Am.

Cancer survivor Tom Randle, who raced without the hair he has lost to chemo treatment during the off-season, was the big winner in S5000 as he bagged the Feature Race and also the points lead in the Gold Star championship ahead of Tim Macrow.

Nathan Herne, who was doing double duty in the single-seater as well as Trans Am sedans, was slightly further back in S5000 but converted victory into a points lead in the Trans Am title, where he leads defending champion Aaron Seton.

But the emotional highlight of the Race Tasmania meeting was the 100th Touring Car Masters win for John Bowe, who started his racing career at Symmons – just down the road from his home in Devonport – in 1971.

He became a centurion in the final TCM race when he pushed his Holden Torana to victory against a field who were mostly less than half his age.

“It’s just nice to be here,” said Bowe.

The next ARG meeting, and the second round of the TCR Australia Series, is at Phillip Island in Victoria from February 19-21.

2021 TCR Australia Series standings:
1. Jordan Cox, Alfa Romeo
2. Lee Holdsworth, Alfa Romeo
3. Chaz Mostert, Audi
4. Luke King, Audi
5. Josh Buchan, Hyundai