Richards joins Carl Cox Motorsport

Third generation racer Clay Richards will drive a third manufacturer in as many rounds when he lines up on the TCR grid at Sandown this weekend.

Richards joined Carl Cox Motorsport for the 2024 season which sees him steer a Cupra Leon for the first time.

The son of five time Bathurst 1000 winner Steven Richards made his TCR Australia debut at Winton last year in a Melbourne Performance Centre Audi and scored an impressive second place finish in his second race.

Two rounds later he returned at Sandown, this time driving a GRM Peugeot 308 TCR and after a luckless first two races finished the weekend with a top 10 finish in the dramatic finale.

Now he will return to the famous Melbourne circuit driving a Cupra in the Carl Cox Motorsport entry.

Richards made his TCR debut at Winton, scoring a podium in Race 2. Image: Daniel Kalisz

Last year the Cupra was raced by Michael Clemente who took two wins in three races at Phillip Island and Winton.

Since his last TCR race Richards had his first taste in a Supercar driving a Ford FG Falcon at Calder Park during an Image Racing evaluation day where Erebus boss Barry Ryan was also in attendance.

He also completed his Toyota 86 Series campaign with a hat-trick of podiums at Mount Panorama, which sealed eighth in the championship.

Despite being yet to turn a wheel in a Cupra, Richards is excited to return to TCR.

“To race for someone as well-known as Carl Cox, and his team, is something I’m really looking forward to and will grab with both hands,” said Richards.

Clemente has taken out two TCR race wins in the CUPRA Leon in 2023. Image: Daniel Kalisz

“I drove the Peugeot at Sandown last year, so I’ve got some experience on what TCR is like around there. 

“I’ve done a bit in the Audi as well and the Cupra is pretty similar to the Audi, it’s got the same running gear, so that’s another bonus.

“I haven’t done a test day in the Cupra, but hopefully it will be familiar, and I can get up to speed quite quickly. 

“I don’t have any expectations at the moment. I’m just going in aiming to finish every race, and every session, learn as much as we can and do the best we can.”

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