• Indy Lights title protagonist impresses in maiden IndyCar test
• Dubai-based Brit gets to grips with extra power and downforce
• Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing laud ‘professional’ approach

Ed Jones firmly staked his claim to a future at the pinnacle of the Mazda Road to Indy ladder with an eye-catching Verizon IndyCar Series test debut for front-running outfit Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing at Sonoma Raceway.
 
The 20-year-old Brit has been a revelation this year – his maiden campaign stateside, following a promising formative career in Europe – and sped to a hat-trick of victories straight off the bat in the fiercely-disputed Indy Lights championship.
 
Belying his rookie status, Jones will enter the 2015 finale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca next month (12/13 September) as one of the leading three contenders in the chase for the coveted crown, just 18 points adrift of the top of the title table in his Carlin single-seater.
 
Beyond that, the Dubai, UAE-based ace’s goal is to take the next step up to the headlining IndyCar Series, and he was handed a golden opportunity to prove his mettle as part of a shared test day around the 2.38-mile, 12-turn Sonoma road course – intended to help IndyCar teams prepare for their own eagerly-anticipated season showdown in California at the end of August.
 
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver Graham Rahal currently sits second in that particular contest – a scant nine points shy of the championship lead – meaning Jones had a serious job to do behind the wheel of the Indiana-based outfit’s 600bhp Honda-powered Dallara.
 
Not only did he have to swiftly learn the car – a bigger, heavier and more powerful proposition than he has been used to – but he also needed to get to grips with the challenging Sonoma layout, which was uncharted territory for him. It was a task that the Williams-Harfield Sports Group protégé handled admirably, maturely and in his stride.

“It was an amazing experience to drive an IndyCar for the first time,” enthused Jones. “I have to thank Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing again for the opportunity – it was a pleasure to work with such a professional team that made me feel right at home from the beginning.
 
“The sheer level of downforce took me a little by surprise – that was the main difference from the Indy Lights car, I would say. The carbon brakes also mean you can brake a lot deeper and need to alter your technique slightly, but in terms of the power it wasn’t as big a jump as I had been expecting.

“Overall, it was a fantastic test and I feel I performed well. I took the necessary and logical steps on each run to improve whilst giving the team technical feedback to tune the car towards the circuit. The Verizon IndyCar Series is definitely where I want to be, and I am sure I have the capability to be successful in it from the get-go. I look forward to seeing what the future brings.”
 
Those sentiments were echoed by Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Team Manager Ricardo Nault, who was effusive in his praise for the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Rising Star and former European F3 Open Champion.
 
“Ed is a true professional,” Nault underlined. “He impressed us with his ability both on-track and during the debriefing process at Sonoma. Despite it being his first time at the circuit, he got up-to-speed quickly.
 
“We made some changes to the car and his feedback was excellent, which helped us to develop the set-up for Graham. Ed was only allotted one set of sticker tyres that he used at the hottest part of the day. If time and tyres were available, we’re sure he could have gone even faster.”

• Highly-rated Brit to make IndyCar test bow at Sonoma
• 20-year-old eager to truly grasp golden opportunity
• Bobby Rahal ‘impressed’ with Jones’ career to-date

Indy Lights title protagonist Ed Jones will make his Verizon IndyCar Series test debut with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing at Sonoma Raceway next week – and the 20-year-old Brit has vowed to ‘grab the opportunity with both hands’.
 
Having steered his burgeoning open-wheel career stateside this year, Jones has taken Indy Lights by storm, tallying a hat-trick of race victories straight off the bat with Carlin and heading into the season finale at Laguna Seca in September as one of the foremost contenders in the chase for the coveted crown.
 
The Dubai, UAE-based ace has been both a consistent front-runner and fast learner during a superb rookie campaign in the fiercely-disputed single-seater series – as evinced most markedly by his eye-catching progress on ovals. His potential has palpably been noted by Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, whose driver Graham Rahal strengthened his IndyCar championship credentials off the back of a second triumph of 2015 at Mid-Ohio last weekend.
 
Jones will climb into the cockpit of the Indiana-based outfit’s 600bhp Honda-powered Dallara at the 2.2-mile Sonoma road course on Thursday, 13 August – and the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Rising Star and former European F3 Open Champion is determined to stake his claim to a successful future amongst the Mazda Road to Indy elite.
 
“I’m really looking forward to the opportunity and can't thank Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing enough for giving me this chance to show what I am capable of,” he enthused. “One of my childhood dreams was to at least drive a racecar at the pinnacle of the sport, and I am now well on my way to doing that, which is amazing.
 
“Of course, when an opportunity like this comes up you have to grab it with both hands and I am working extremely hard to prepare myself for the test. The car is going to be quite a step-up from Indy Lights, however in the past I haven't had a problem moving into higher categories. My main aim is to give the team as much feedback as I can and learn as much as possible in the available time.” 
 
"Ed's pedigree from Europe is quite good and of course he won the first three races in Indy Lights, so obviously he is a young, talented driver,” reflected Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing co-owner, three-time IndyCar Champion and 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal. “He still has a lot to learn yet, but we thought he would be a good guy to test.
 
“When we met, we were impressed with Ed as a driver and a person and while we aren't looking for him to set a new track record, we feel he can provide value and help develop Graham's car. We're looking forward to working with him at Sonoma."
 
Ahead of the test, Jones also received a vote of confidence from his current team principal Trevor Carlin, who tipped the Williams-Harfield Sports Group protégé to turn heads when he takes to the track in California.
 
“We’re very pleased that Ed’s performance this year has brought him to the attention of a top-line IndyCar team,” he affirmed. “We have no doubt that he will conduct himself well at the test and we’re very proud that another one of our drivers has been recognised at the highest level.”

• Indy Lights front-runner fights hard for scant reward in Ohio
• Standout rookie denied fourth victory by mid-race collision
• 20-year-old Brit closes on championship lead ahead of finale

 

Ed Jones continued to narrow the gap to the top of the 2015 Indy Lights standings in the penultimate outing at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, despite cruel misfortune costing him a potential fourth victory of a sensational rookie campaign.

 

After getting to grips with the technical Mid-West circuit in opening practice, the 20-year-old Brit improved significantly in FP2 to annex second position on the timing screens behind the wheel of his Carlin single-seater, but set-up issues in qualifying restricted him to just tenth spot on the grid for race one – an immediate drawback around a track where overtaking is famously at a premium.

 

No sooner had the green flag dropped, however, than things began to look up as chief title rivals Jack Harvey and Spencer Pigot tangled, sending both scurrying for the pits. Gifted a golden opportunity, Jones wasted no time at all in taking full advantage, fighting his way up to sixth and going on to chase down Juan Piedrahita in fifth.

 

Unfortunately, there was contact as the Dubai, UAE-based ace made his move, which transpired to be the unforeseen catalyst for an inspired strategic call. With little to lose and the championship battle in-mind, Jones darted for the pits to bolt on a new set of tyres, with the intention of posting a quick lap time to earn a prime starting spot for the race two grid.

 

The tactical masterstroke paid off richly, as the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Rising Star and former European F3 Open Champion – now down in ninth – made good use of his fresh rubber to record the second-fastest lap on the final tour and in so doing secure himself a front row berth for the next day’s contest.

 

Lining up alongside championship leader Harvey, the scene was set for an enthralling duel and for the first half of the race that was exactly what the two drivers delivered. Jones got the jump at the start and thereafter artfully staved off his countryman’s advances, withstanding intense pressure until the second of two comings-together between the pair sent the Williams-Harfield Sports Group protégé spinning.

 

Following a second unscheduled pit visit in as many races, Jones returned to the track and overhauled Harvey six laps from home to flash past the chequered flag in ninth place again – scant reward for all the pace he had displayed. Nonetheless, the Mazda Road to Indy rookie still closed to just 18 points adrift of the top of the table with only one double-header remaining at Laguna Seca in California on 12/13 September.

 

“It was a tough weekend for us when we deserved much more, but that's racing!” he reflected. “We made a lot of progress from the first practice session when we were a bit on the back foot, and after the incident midway through race one, we sacrificed a couple of positions to try and improve our qualifying time for race two which obviously worked out well.

 

“I got a really good start and led until Harvey made a couple of over-optimistic moves, the second of which took us both out. Nevertheless, we head into the last weekend of the season very much in the running and given that nobody expected us to be in contention to win the title in our first year, I have nothing really to lose. Mid-Ohio wasn’t the ideal weekend by any means, but I believe we have a great chance to take the championship at Laguna and that will be my sole focus.”

• Indy Lights rookie overcomes oval challenge for podium finish
• Runner-up spoils see Brit close the gap in chase for the crown
• 20-year-old Dubai-based ace revved-up for title showdown

Ed Jones slashed the deficit to his two title rivals in the fiercely-contested 2015 Indy Lights campaign at Iowa Speedway, belying his lack of oval racing experience and rookie status to snare a superb second place and home in on the championship lead.

Having steered his burgeoning open-wheel career stateside this year, Jones has firmly established himself as an Indy Lights front-runner, and the 20-year-old Brit travelled to the 0.875-mile Mid-West oval sitting third in the chase for the coveted crown.

After enjoying plenty of track time during testing – lapping less than a quarter-of-a-second off the pace – Jones maintained his strong form during practice before upping the ante in qualifying to secure a front row grid slot in his Dallara IL-15 single-seater, a scant six hundredths adrift of the outright benchmark in an incredibly closely-matched field.

A solid start to the Iowa Corn Indy 100 saw the Dubai, UAE-based ace settle into second position, right in the wheeltracks of Carlin team-mate Max Chilton. Having shadowed the ex-Formula 1 driver throughout the race’s opening half, Jones boldly snatched the top spot at mid-distance as lapped traffic disrupted the flow.

The intervention of backmarkers – a real issue around such a short lap – allowed the pursuing pack to latch onto the rear of the pace-setting Carlin duo, transforming a healthy advantage into a nose-to-tail five-way scrap for supremacy in barely the blink of an eye.

After 13 laps in front, Jones conceded the lead to Chilton once more, and with a tyre vibration subsequently affecting the handling of his car, the Williams-Harfield Sports Group protégé had little choice but to ease off the gas and focus on preserving his position.

Maturely managing the situation whilst continuing to pull away from his adversaries behind, the runner-up spoils saw Jones significantly out-score his chief championship competitors – even lapping one of them along the way – and in evidence of his scintillating raw pace, he set fastest lap into the bargain.

That enabled the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) Rising Star and former European F3 Open Champion to reduce his gap to the top of the title table from 29 points to just 20 with four races remaining, beginning at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in a fortnight’s time.

“Iowa is a very different oval from the others we have raced at,” he reflected. “Steep banking creates a unique challenge along with some big bumps, which unsettle the car. Throughout testing, we worked hard on every aspect to ensure we had a good package for both qualifying and the race.

“In qualifying, I made a big step in myself but we went a bit too conservative on the downforce level, which cost me pole. We could probably have got away with running a little less wing, but it was great for the team to lock out the front row.

“In the race, I felt really comfortable and was able to look after my tyres while staying behind Max. Once the backmarkers came into play, I took advantage and stole the lead. I thought maybe I had a chance at the win for a few laps, but unfortunately, I lost the lead again when Max understeered on the inside, which meant I had to lift to avoid hitting the wall.

“We were still in a good position, but 25 laps from the end I picked up a vibration in the car from a tyre – very similar to what had happened at Indianapolis. As a result, the team decided it was best for me to back off and consolidate second place.

“Obviously that was frustrating, but I was still very pleased overall. To come here and do what we did was a big team effort – I think it shows how much we have improved – and it gives us more confidence on ovals going forward. It's great to be back at the front and have the momentum on our side heading into the last two weekends.”