Jones books ticket to Finland after Japan test
Pukekohe’s Zeal Jones has been selected as just one of six competitors to earn a chance to compete in the WRC via a junior drivers initiative in Japan last week.
Jones, who has Japanese heritage, was one of 100 young drivers invited to a testing session at the famous Fuji Speedway last week and he proved to be a standout – working his way through the elimination process to be one of six drivers invited to Finland in December for the final stage, which could see him become a WRC driver.
Jones will be in Finland – the spiritual home of world rallying – from December 5-15 – where he will battle for a spot in the Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC Challenge Program as a Generation 4 driver.
He will be tested physically and will be driving on the ice and snow.
Jones said it was a nerve-racking time after completing the test in Japan, waiting to see if his performance was good enough.
“Genuine relief was the feeling,” Jones said. “I wasn’t overly pleased with my runs, so it left me in an unknown to just sit with my thoughts till they announced the result an hour later.
“It was tough we were restricted to waiting in a room with all the other drivers. It was tense knowing that this was their specialty, being gymkhana-style evaluation. However, after making the semi-finals (Friday), we were told it wasn’t just based on times like the quarter-finals (Thursday), so I ensured I left it all out there with the opportunity and no regret by trying to sell myself as an all-round driver who was capable of more than this style of racing, which the instructors noted.”
Jones’ opportunity has come about thanks to Toyota Gazoo Racing New Zealand, who have helped him prep for Japan.
“I want to thank Nicolas and the whole TGRNZ team for their support,” he said. “I wouldn’t have been able to advance without them.”
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