• Indy Lights sophomore extends championship lead at Indianapolis
• Dubai-based Brit duels for victory in closest race in circuit’s history
• Carlin ace underscores oval improvement with stellar performance

Ed Jones stretched his advantage in the chase for the coveted Indy Lights crown with a starring performance in the Freedom 100 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) that saw him narrowly miss out on victory in the closest finish in the legendary circuit’s history.
 
Jones made his oval racing debut at Indianapolis in 2015, struggling for pace before a puncture precipitated a hefty impact with the unforgiving concrete wall. Twelve months on, the talented Dubai, UAE-based ace returned to the iconic Indiana racetrack with more experience under his belt and leading the way in the standings in his sophomore campaign in the fiercely-disputed Mazda Road to Indy series.
 
Indeed, in evidence of his impressive progression, last year’s oval racing rookie entered the event having qualified on the front row of the grid and finished runner-up in his most recent two oval outings. Inside the cockpit of his 450bhp Carlin Dallara IL-15 single-seater, he maintained that stellar form around the ultra-fast IMS as top speeds approached an eye-watering 200mph.
 
With qualifying being rained off, the field lined up for the 100-mile showdown in championship order, placing Jones on pole position amongst the 16 high-calibre contenders – for the fifth time in swift succession in 2016. In front of a capacity crowd at the celebrated Brickyard, the 21-year-old Brit held firm as the green flag dropped and thereafter settled into a flat-out slipstreaming draft-fest in a race punctuated by caution periods for accidents – one of them involving his nearest title challenger.
 
With the pack concertinaing together at each re-start, wheel-to-wheel action was guaranteed, and Jones engaged in a thrilling duel for supremacy with Andretti Autosport rival Dean Stoneman as the pair exchanged the top spot on multiple occasions.
 
Following the final safety car intervention, a one-lap shoot-out lay in wait, and from third position, the former European F3 Open Champion sensationally darted out wide to snatch the lead. Stoneman immediately fought back and, in a side-by-side drag race to the line, got the nod by the slenderest of margins of 0.024 seconds.
 
Despite the fleeting disappointment, his fifth podium finish from eight starts this season enabled the ultra-consistent Jones to pull further clear in the drivers’ standings – from 21 points to 29 – with the Grand Prix of Road America double-header next on the Indy Lights calendar in just under a month’s time.
 
“I was really looking forward to returning to Indy, because I knew how much I had improved on ovals since last season,” mused the Williams-Harfield Sports Group protégé. “It’s the biggest weekend of the year and obviously a very special event, but at the end of the day, it’s still worth the same points as any other race. That said, there was admittedly a moment when I took a step back and soaked up the incredible atmosphere, which put into perspective how far we’ve come and what we’ve achieved – and how close we now are to the ultimate goal.
 
“It was a shame to earn pole in the way we did, but of the eight cars that had run before the session was stopped, we were the quickest so I was confident we had the pace. I really enjoy oval qualifying – it’s a tremendous mental challenge. You trim the car out a bit more and then have to push flat-out as soon as you leave the pits, without knowing what to expect going into the first corner on cold tyres. That requires a bit of blind faith, which is an amazing rush.
 
“The race was really exciting – constantly back-and-forth, and very strategic. I spent a lot of time being patient and letting the laps tick down, and I was very careful to make sure I didn’t drop out of the top three, because that would have risked getting dragged into a dogfight further down the order – especially with the other two Andretti cars right behind me.
 
“I lost count of the number of times Dean and I passed each other, and I was more aggressive than usual, which seemed to pay off. When we re-started with one lap to go, I took the lead into Turn One and kept it flat the whole way round, but Dean benefitted from the slipstream to get a run on me through Turn Three and that gave him the extra momentum.
 
“It was a classic case of so near yet so far – it was such a tiny margin that it really could have gone either way. It was cool to be a part of the closest finish in IMS oval racing history, although massively frustrating to be on the wrong side of just 24 thousandths-of-a-second! The team gave me a great car and I was pleased with my performance – I couldn’t have done any more – but full credit to Dean. He drove a great race.
 
“Looking at the bigger picture, we were consistently up at the front once again, and that will prove very important as we get towards the business end of the season. We’ve left every race meeting recently having increased our championship lead, which has to be the main objective – so in that respect, Indy was very much mission accomplished.”

• Dubai-based Brit stretches legs in Indy Lights title battle
• Carlin ace on fine form around Indianapolis Grand Prix Circuit
• 21-year-old ready to ‘prove a point’ in biggest race of year

Ed Jones sped clear of his pursuers in the chase for the coveted Indy Lights crown at the Indianapolis Grand Prix Circuit last weekend, with a peerless performance yielding the second victory of his sophomore season in the fiercely-disputed Mazda Road to Indy series.
 
Having moved into the championship lead three weeks earlier at Barber Motorsports Park, Jones travelled to Indianapolis aiming to maintain his burgeoning momentum. Behind the wheel of his 450bhp Carlin single-seater, he duly featured inside the top three throughout testing and practice amongst the 16 high-calibre competitors.
 
The talented Dubai, UAE-based ace carried that form into qualifying as he commandingly clinched pole position for both races – making it four in swift succession in 2016 – with a stellar effort that was more than three tenths-of-a-second out of reach of any of his rivals, earning him a new lap record for good measure.
 
After making a textbook getaway in the opening encounter, Jones maturely controlled proceedings by holding a steady margin of just under a second over nearest challenger Dean Stoneman. His rhythm was interrupted by a late full-course yellow for contact further down the order, which bunched the field together. At the re-start, the 21-year-old Brit then found himself a sitting duck as two of his adversaries benefitted from the tow down the long main straight to draft past.
 
What followed was a dramatic sequence of corners, and as the two new leaders went wheel-to-wheel into Turn Seven, Jones read the situation impeccably, pulling off a stunningly opportunistic overtaking manoeuvre to undercut them both. Thereafter, he checked out to become Indy Lights’ first double winner of the campaign.
 
The former European F3 Open Champion produced another excellent start in race two the next day – gunning the throttle at precisely the right moment and protecting the inside line into Turn One – but a mistake on cold tyres subsequently saw him slip to seventh, more than eight seconds adrift of the lead. Grittily fighting back, he reduced that deficit to barely three seconds by the chequered flag, lapping consistently quickest on the track to salvage fourth position in the final reckoning.
 
Notwithstanding the disappointment of narrowly missing out on the podium, Jones’ results more than quadrupled his advantage at the top of the title standings from five points to 21, and next on his calendar, it’s the big one – the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway at the end of May.
 
“We felt positive going into the weekend because we’d been fast around the Indianapolis Grand Prix Circuit last year, and we were on the money again from the outset,” reflected the Williams-Harfield Sports Group protégé. “The team and I worked together really well to fine-tune and improve the car in every session, and the pace we had in qualifying was pretty incredible, to be honest.
 
“Despite the constant pressure, I had everything in-hand in race one and whilst I knew Stoneman was behind me, I was able to keep him at arm’s length. Then of course the safety car appeared, and it was always going to be tricky to defend at the re-start with such a long run down the pit straight and the slipstreaming opportunities that presents, and I guess everybody used their push-to-pass.
 
“To have done all that hard work and then be shuffled down to third so close to the end was tough, but I remained patient, because the key to this championship will be consistency and not taking unnecessary risks. When I saw my chance to reclaim the lead, I grabbed it and having grown up watching so many races at Indy, it was an amazing feeling to win at such an historic track.
 
“Conditions cooled significantly overnight, and some drivers spun on the warm-up lap ahead of the second race because of difficulty getting heat into the tyres. I made a good start and managed to establish a small gap, and I was pushing hard when I locked the front-left tyre at Turn Seven and went straight on. It was driver error and in hindsight, I should probably have taken it a touch easier at that early stage given the drop in temperature and restricted grip.
 
“The most frustrating aspect was that our pace was really strong again – we were clearly quick enough to win – but the mistake meant that from then on, it was all about damage limitation and to rescue fourth position in the circumstances was a solid result.
 
“It wasn’t quite the perfect weekend because it should have been two wins, but we take a lot of encouragement from it nonetheless and the Carlin boys did a fantastic job as ever – I really can’t thank them all enough. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway will certainly be a challenge, but it’s one that I’m relishing. I struggled there a little last year because it was my oval racing debut, so whilst I’ll go back with a bit of a point to prove, I’ll also return with a lot more confidence and experience under my belt. I think we’ll be in with a decent shout.”

• Sweet taste of success for Dubai-based Brit in Alabama
• Carlin ace stretches current podium streak to three
• WH Sports Group protégé kick-starts title bid in style

Ed Jones blasted his way into title contention as the 2016 Indy Lights campaign sped into Barber Motorsports Park for the Legacy 100 last weekend, with a commanding triumph vaulting the talented young Dubai, UAE-based ace to the top of the championship standings.
 
Jones travelled to the scenic Alabama road course in determined mood, fully focussed on fighting back from a mixed start to his sophomore season in the fiercely-disputed Mazda Road to Indy series. Buoyed by a new partnership with BLOC Eyewear, the 21-year-old Brit topped the timesheets during free practice amongst the 16 high-calibre contenders.
 
Behind the wheel of his 450bhp Carlin-prepared single-seater, Jones proceeded to annex a double pole position in qualifying – extending his Indy Lights total to five – and in the opening encounter, a textbook getaway when the green flag dropped saw him establish an early margin over his pursuers.
 
Although that advantage was soon nullified by a full-course yellow for an accident further down the order, the former European F3 Open Champion rapidly reasserted his supremacy when the action resumed. Artfully withstanding late-race pressure from team-mate Félix Serrallés, Jones controlled the pace consummately – and his reward was his first victory of the year and the fourth of his Indy Lights career.
 
The Williams-Harfield Sports Group protégé looked set to double up the following day, but an overnight change in temperature and wind direction left him grappling for grip somewhat, and he sagely conceded to a do-or-die challenge from a charging Santiago Urrutia. Thereafter, he concentrated on consolidating second place, in the knowledge that it would be more than enough to earn him the championship lead.
 
“What a fantastic weekend for both myself and the team!” enthused Jones, whose third consecutive podium finish leapfrogged him five points clear at the top of the title table. “We knew how critical qualifying would be, given how tricky it has historically been to overtake around Barber. It’s a really demanding track with a lot of undulation and high loads through some of the corners and as expected, the session was extremely tight, but I exploited the peak tyre performance to nail two quick laps.
 
“I focussed on conserving my tyres to begin with in race one, because degradation was greater than anticipated. Félix put me under some pressure towards the end, but I knew that as long as I kept hitting my markers, I would be able to manage the gap and keep him behind me. It was a bit of a chess game in that respect – all about second-guessing his next move.
 
“We’ve been working so hard, and it had been so long since we’d last had a win – we’ve had the speed pretty much everywhere, but for whatever reason, the cards hadn’t fallen our way until Barber, so it was fantastic to be back on top again and awesome for the team to come away with a one-two. The Carlin boys did a brilliant job and the result was a real shot in the arm for them all.
 
“In race two, we never quite had the ultimate pace; with the change in conditions, it seemed like some of the other guys found the sweet spot better than we did and I was sliding around a bit. Urrutia made quite an ambitious move, which forced me to take avoiding action – I had already turned into the corner and had to swiftly turn out of it again, as he effectively gave me the choice between jumping out of his way or colliding!
 
“One significant lesson I learned in 2015 was that it is far more important to take the points than risk scoring nothing at all, so I let him go and turned my attentions towards defending second place. The level of competition is so high in Indy Lights this year – with five different winners from the first five races – that it will all come down to consistency in the final reckoning. On the days when you can’t win, you need to make sure you score as well as possible – and that’s what we did on Sunday.
 
“It was great to leave Barber with the points lead following our slow start to the season. It’s the Indianapolis Road Course up next and we were really strong there last year, so hopefully we can keep this form going...”

• Dubai-based Brit kick-starts title tilt in Arizona
• 21-year-old Carlin ace masters oval challenge
• Indy Lights sophomore vaults up points table

Ed Jones has kick-started his 2016 Indy Lights title bid by speeding to the runner-up spoils around the ultra-fast Phoenix International Raceway, flashing past the chequered flag barely a second shy of victory following a resolute pursuit.
 
Heading into the weekend in optimistic mood, Jones was determined to bounce back from a troubled St. Petersburg curtain-raiser three weeks earlier. In evidence of that, he was quick out-of-the-blocks behind the wheel of his 450bhp single-seater as he confidently led the Carlin charge.
 
Lapping right up at the sharp end during free practice, the 21-year-old Brit also survived a sizeable sideways ‘moment’ that obliged him to draw upon all of his car control to avert a hefty impact with the unforgiving wall. Undeterred, Jones went on to qualify a close second at an eye-watering average speed of 167.5mph, thereby earning himself a front row start for the race.
 
Maintaining the same position when the action got underway, the talented Dubai, UAE-based ace kept the leader honest throughout. Rarely more than a second adrift, Jones’ sustained pressure saw him narrow the gap slightly after the midway stage, but with overtaking opportunities at a premium, there was no way past.
 
Nevertheless, second place represented a significant points haul and enabled the former European F3 Open Champion to claw his way back into contention for the coveted crown, vaulting from tenth up to fourth in the standings amongst the 17 high-calibre protagonists in the fiercely-disputed Mazda Road to Indy series. The next outing will take place on 22-24 April at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama, where Jones was on fine form during testing last month.
 
“Phoenix was a really positive weekend,” the Williams-Harfield Sports Group protégé enthused. “We rolled out with a pretty strong package straight off the bat, and then worked hard to refine it. We managed to put everything together in qualifying and extracted the maximum out of the car, but the circuit had evolved more than we had expected and in hindsight, perhaps we went a touch too conservative on the set-up.
 
“That was actually the biggest challenge at Phoenix – the changing track conditions as the IndyCar rubber went down and the temperature rose and fell. Every time we went out, it was a case of having to adapt the car and my driving style to suit the situation because it was always different. Staying on top of that was key.
 
“It’s a short oval with not much banking, and it’s easy to make a mistake – 90 laps of constantly turning left in the race was both mentally and physically draining, and it was a fairly processional affair, in truth. Once everything settled down, the leader essentially dictated the pace.
 
“Overtaking was virtually impossible; even though I was in the slipstream of the driver ahead, every time I got close enough to think about attacking, the aerodynamic effect upset the balance of the car – running in clean air was such a big advantage.
 
“We were hoping we might get a chance in lapped traffic, but due to the caution period, the backmarkers never came into play. Tyre preservation didn’t transpire to be as important as we’d anticipated, either; I looked after mine in the early stages expecting them to fade later on, but they held on really well.
 
“Still, second place was an excellent result and gets our season back on-track – it was a timely tonic after a difficult weekend in St. Petersburg. Now we need to take this momentum forward with us and run with it.”