| Charlie Cox | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | |
| Born | 10 June 1958 |
| British Touring Car Championship | |
| Years active | 1995 |
| Teams | Thames Ford Dealers |
| Starts | 12 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Best finish | 23rd in 1995 |
| Championship titles | |
| 1993, 1994 1993 | National Saloon Car Cup - Class A BRDC National Sports GT Challenge - Class A |
Charles Richard Cox (born 10 October 1964) is a Senior Media Executive, as well as a former broadcaster and racing driver.
Born and brought up in the suburb of Gymea in Sydney, New South Wales, Cox now lives with his family in the UK.[ citation needed ]
Cox's earliest exposure to racing was in Australia in the late 1980s in the Production car-based "Street Sedans", raced on tracks in the Sydney area.[ citation needed ]
Cox raced a Ford Escort RS Cosworth in the 1993 National Saloon Car Cup in Britain, winning six races, including the Willhire 24 Hour at Snetterton, to clinch the Class A championship. Cox retained his title the following year, taking five wins during the season. He also claimed the Class A title in the 1993 BRDC National Sports GT Challenge. [1]
For 1995, Cox moved up to the British Touring Car Championship in a Ford Mondeo for his recently formed Thames Ford Dealers team with sponsorship from the Evening Standard newspaper. He caused a sensation in a wet race early in the season by finishing fifth, although behind both works Fords, choosing the correct tyres and recovering from an early spin. However, a huge barrel-rolling crash at Thruxton left him with concussion, and caused him to miss several races. When he returned it was in a hatchback Mondeo, making him the first driver to race one in the BTCC. [2]
Cox subsequently raced internationally in Sportscars as well as three appearances at the Bathurst 1000.driving the Vittoria Coffee Commodore.[ citation needed ]
From 1996 to 2001, Cox raced International Class GT sports cars in the UK, South Africa and across Europe. Notably, Cox raced a GT1 Factory Harrier in the 1997 British GT Championship.[ citation needed ]
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | DC | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Thames Ford Dealers | Ford Mondeo Ghia | DON 1 18 | DON 2 Ret | BRH 1 5 | BRH 2 15 | THR 1 13 | THR 2 DNS | SIL 1 | SIL 2 | OUL 1 | OUL 2 | BRH 1 | BRH 2 | DON 1 | DON 2 | SIL | KNO 1 | KNO 2 | BRH 1 21 | BRH 2 15 | SNE 1 Ret | SNE 2 16 | OUL 1 Ret | OUL 2 DNS | SIL 1 Ret | SIL 2 14 | 23rd | 8 |
| Supercars results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | Position | Points | |||||
| 1999 | Challenge Motorsport | Holden Commodore VS | EAS R1 | EAS R2 | EAS R3 | ADE R4 | BAR R5 | BAR R6 | BAR R7 | PHI R8 | PHI R9 | PHI R10 | HID R11 | HID R12 | HID R13 | SAN R14 | SAN R15 | SAN R16 | QLD R17 | QLD R18 | QLD R19 | CAL R20 | CAL R21 | CAL R22 | SYM R23 | SYM R24 | SYM R25 | WIN R26 | WIN R27 | WIN R28 | ORA R29 | ORA R30 | ORA R31 | QLD R32 | BAT R33 Ret | NC | 0 | |||||
| Year | Team | Car | Co-driver | Position | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Challenge Motorsport | Holden Commodore VS | | 17th | 143 |
| 1998 | Challenge Motorsport | Holden Commodore VS | | DNF | 60 |
| 1999 | Challenge Motorsport | Holden Commodore VS | | DNF | 122 |
Following a career racing cars, Cox moved into the commentary box in 1997, commentating on BTCC in 1997 alongside veteran commentator Murray Walker.[ citation needed ]
Following Walker's departure in 1998, Cox was lined-up alongside 1982 Formula One World Championship runner-up John Watson. The BBC's loss of BTCC coverage allowed Cox to move to motorbike coverage alongside Steve Parrish and Suzi Perry.[ citation needed ]
This move led to the BBC appointing Cox to commentate alongside Steve Parrish on MotoGP. Cox became known for his individual, comical and at times, tongue-in-cheek style, with catchphrases and one-liners expected as a staple serving for listeners.[ citation needed ]
An established and fondly remembered voice of motorsport, Cox frequently referred to co-commentator Steve Parrish as "Oracle".[ citation needed ]
Cox was named as one of the hosts for the first season of Top Gear Australia . Along with cartoonist Warren Brown and advanced driving instructor Steve Pizzati, Top Gear Australia premiered on SBS on 29 September 2008. [3]
On the 19th December 2008, Cox announced his departure from Top Gear owing to a lack of time and opting to focus on his broadcasting career in the UK as BBC's MotoGP commentator until 2013.[ citation needed ]
As well as racing and sports, Cox has become well known within the media and publishing industry.[ citation needed ]
In 1990, Coz arrived in London to take over LBC radio, returning the company to a profitable state while launching new radio stations.[ citation needed ]
The former CEO of the UK's biggest circulation newspaper, The Metro, Cox has worked as an adviser to The Daily Mail Group since the 1990s, and is a director on the board for ITN. [4]