Brad Jones
Encyclopedia
Bradley Jones also known as Brad (born 2 April 1960) is a retired Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n racing driver. Jones now acts as team co-principal with his brother Kim in the V8 Supercar
V8 Supercar
V8 Supercars is a touring car racing category based in Australia and run as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile regulations...

 racing team, Brad Jones Racing
Brad Jones Racing
Brad Jones Racing is an Australian motor racing team centred around brothers Kim and Brad Jones and is based in Albury, New South Wales. Presently the team compete in the V8 Supercar Series, which they joined in 2000. Recently they have also returned to the Australian Formula Ford Championship...

.

Motorsport career

Jones was born and grew up in the country town of Albury
Albury, New South Wales
Albury is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia, located on the Hume Highway on the northern side of the Murray River. It is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of Albury Local Government Area...

 in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

, where he still lives now. He has a range of experience in domestic and international racing that he puts to use in the V8 Supercar
V8 Supercar
V8 Supercars is a touring car racing category based in Australia and run as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile regulations...

 team he owns and runs with his brother Kim. Jones has driven with a number of manufacturers including Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...

, Holden
Holden
GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931...

, Lotus
Lotus Cars
Lotus Cars is a British manufacturer of sports and racing cars based at the former site of RAF Hethel, a World War II airfield in Norfolk. The company designs and builds race and production automobiles of light weight and fine handling characteristics...

, Volkswagen
Volkswagen
Volkswagen is a German automobile manufacturer and is the original and biggest-selling marque of the Volkswagen Group, which now also owns the Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, SEAT, and Škoda marques and the truck manufacturer Scania.Volkswagen means "people's car" in German, where it is...

, Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...

, Audi
Audi
Audi AG is a German automobile manufacturer, from supermini to crossover SUVs in various body styles and price ranges that are marketed under the Audi brand , positioned as the premium brand within the Volkswagen Group....

 and Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi Motors
is a multinational automaker headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. In 2009 it was the fifth-largest Japan-based automaker and the 17th-largest in the world measured by production...

 at domestic and international circuits in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

, Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...

 and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 as well as Australia and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

.

Jones started his racing career at the age of 14 doing motor cross racing from which he eventually progressed up to Formula Ford
Formula Ford
Formula Ford is a single seater, open wheel class in motorsport which exists in some form in many countries around the world. It is an entry-level series to motor racing....

 in 1980. In 1985 the Mitsubishi Ralliart
Ralliart
Ralliart was the high-performance and motorsports division of Mitsubishi Motors. It was responsible for development and preparation of the company's rally racing and off-road racing vehicles, as well as the development of high-performance models and parts available to the public...

 Team invited him to race in the two major Australian endurance races, the Sandown 500
Sandown 500
The Sandown 500 is an endurance motor race staged at the Sandown Raceway, near Melbourne in Victoria, Australia between 1964 and 2011. It was typically held in September, the month before Australia’s premier endurance race, the Bathurst 1000. The “500” was not run in 1966, 1967, 1999, 2000, 2008,...

 and Bathurst 1000
Bathurst 1000
The Bathurst 1000 is a touring car race held annually at Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia...

 in a factory Group A
Group A
In relation to motorsport governed by the FIA, Group A referred to a set of regulations providing production-derived vehicles for outright competition. In contrast to the short-lived Group B and Group C, the Group A referred to production-derived vehicles limited in terms of power, weight, allowed...

 Mitsubishi Starion
Mitsubishi Starion
The Mitsubishi Starion is a two-door, turbocharged four-cylinder rear-wheel drive four-seat sports car that was in production from 1982 to 1989. It was also marketed in North America as the Conquest under the Chrysler, Dodge, and Plymouth names; both the Starion and Conquest came to an end in 1989...

. This relationship lasted a few years. In the late 1980s Jones was called upon to drive for the Factory Holden Racing Team
Holden Racing Team
The Holden Racing Team is a Melbourne based motor racing team. HRT is the most successful V8 Supercar racing team in the history of the category, having won the drivers championship six times, and the series signature race the Bathurst 1000 seven times...

 in the endurance races. While he was with the factory team he was quite successful and gained many podiums at both Sandown and Bathurst.

At this time he was also having great success in the AUSCAR series in which he eventually won 5 consecutive times in his self run team, Coopertools Racing, with help from his brother Kim and also won the 94/95 Australian NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...

 series. In 1995 he switched from the Holden Racing Team
Holden Racing Team
The Holden Racing Team is a Melbourne based motor racing team. HRT is the most successful V8 Supercar racing team in the history of the category, having won the drivers championship six times, and the series signature race the Bathurst 1000 seven times...

 to the Wayne Gardner
Wayne Gardner
Wayne Michael Gardner OAM is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and touring car racer. His most notable achievement was winning the 1987 500 cc Motorcycle World Championship, becoming the first Australian to win motorcycling's premier class...

 Coca Cola Team for whom he drove in both Sandown and Bathurst for 1995 and 1996 in a Holden Commodore
Holden Commodore
The Holden Commodore is an automobile manufactured since 1978 by the Holden subsidiary of General Motors in Australia, and, formerly, in New Zealand. In the mid-1970s, Holden established proposals to replace the long-serving Kingswood nameplate with a smaller, Opel-based model...

. Once he lost the contract to drive with HRT he had to wait another year to get a contract to drive with the Mitre 10 Larkham Motor Sport
Larkham Motor Sport
Larkham Motor Sport was a motorsport team contesting the V8 Supercar Championship. The team ceased operations at the end of 2005, with the owner Mark Larkham selling the team to WPS Racing.- History :...

 Ford Team. In the late 1990s he set up a highly successful Audi Super Touring team for the Australian Super Touring Championship
Australian Super Touring Championship
The Australian Super Touring Championship was a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title for Super Touring Cars.-History:Super Touring was introduced into Australia in 1993 when CAMS replaced the existing Group 3A Touring Car category with a new two class Group 3A...

 and won that twice. He also won the 1994 Australian Super Production Car Series in a Lotus Esprit.

In 2000 the Jones brothers agreed that it would be a good decision to move to V8 Supercars full time with their own team, the OzEmail
OzEmail
OzEmail was a major Internet service provider in Australia, until it was acquired by the iiNet ISP on February 28, 2005.-History:In the early 1980s, Sean Howard was the editor of the Australian Personal Computer magazine and was running a small electronic mail service called Microtex...

 Racing Team. In just the second year after the team was established, Jones and co-driver John Cleland
John Cleland (racing driver)
John Cleland . is a retired Scottish auto racing driver. He raced autocross and hillclimb in the 1970s, before achieving success in British Production Car and Thundersaloon championships, before joining Vauxhall for the 1989 British Touring Car Championship...

 finished second at the Bathurst 1000
Bathurst 1000
The Bathurst 1000 is a touring car race held annually at Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia...

Off and racing after fighting Mark Skaife
Mark Skaife
Mark Stephen Skaife OAM is an Australian motor racing driver. Skaife is a five time winner of the V8 Supercar Championship Series, including its predecessor the Australian Touring Car Championship. He is also a six-time winner of Australia's most prestigious domestic motor race, the Bathurst 1000...

 right to the end of the 1000 kilometre race with a gap at the end of only just over 2 seconds after a 6 hour race.

In 2002, Brad Jones Racing returned to the Mount Panorama Circuit
Mount Panorama Circuit
Mount Panorama Circuit is a motor racing track located in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. It is the home of the Bathurst 12 Hour motor race, held each February, and the Bathurst 1000 motor race, held each October...

 with a two car team, Jones teamed up with John Bowe
John Bowe (racing driver)
John Bowe is an Australian racing driver, presently racing a 1969 Ford Mustang in the historic series, Touring Car Masters....

 and led the race for the first 59 laps, setting the fastest ever race lap time in the history of the event at the time. In 2003 BJR didn't finish well but that took a turn in 2004 when the team took 3rd at the mountain.

In 2005 there was a change of team sponsor and the team was now called Team BOC
Brad Jones Racing
Brad Jones Racing is an Australian motor racing team centred around brothers Kim and Brad Jones and is based in Albury, New South Wales. Presently the team compete in the V8 Supercar Series, which they joined in 2000. Recently they have also returned to the Australian Formula Ford Championship...

. The team started on a high when Jones and Bowe placed first and second in the V8 Supercar support races at the Australian Grand Prix
Australian Grand Prix
The Australian Grand Prix is a motor race held annually and is held to be the pinnacle of motor racing in Australia. The Grand Prix is the oldest surviving motor racing competition held in Australia having been held 76 times since it was first run at Phillip Island in 1928. Since 1985 the race has...

 when they were the only team to choose dry slicks while the others took wet tyres in changing weather conditions. It then swiftly changed for the worse at Bathurst when Jones and the team could only manage 26th qualifying position and on race day were wiped out while charging through the field within the first 10 laps.

In 2006 there was new hope for Jones and the team as they had a new engine supplier, Stone Brothers Racing
Stone Brothers Racing
Stone Brothers Racing is an Australian motor racing team competing in the International V8 Supercars Championship, formed in 1998 by experienced New Zealand-born motorsport veterans, Ross Stone and Jim Stone after buying out their partner in their previous racing team...

, and staff changes. But the SBR engine pack lacked reliability and power, which made the engine famous and the team struggled, especially after one of their codrivers (Mark Porter) was killed in an accident at the Bathurst 1000 km round. At the end of the season, long time driver John Bowe left the team and moved to Paul Cruickshank Racing
Paul Cruickshank Racing
Paul Cruickshank Racing was an Australian motor racing team that competed in several Sports Car and Touring Car categories.-V8 Supercar Championship:...

. Jones' nephew, Andrew Jones joined the team after his two years at Garry Rogers Motorsport
Garry Rogers Motorsport
Garry Rogers Motorsport is an Australian motor racing team presently competing in V8 Supercar.-The early years:Garry Rogers Motorsport has its origins in Garry Rogers' own exploits in Sports Sedans during the late 1960s and the 1970s. In the mid-1970s Rogers got more serious, running a BDA Escort...

 in 2005 and Tasman Motorsport
Tasman Motorsport
Tasman Motorsport was a V8 Supercar racing team. It was formed in 2004 out of what was Lansvale Racing Team V8 Supercar team and is associated with Greg Murphy Racing as a satellite operation....

 in 2006.

Jones announced his retirement from full-time racing after the 2007 New Zealand round. His car was driven for the rest of the season by Simon Wills. Jones continues to appear in media roles regularly having taken on guest commentator roles with TV broadcasts over ten years ago, and today co-hosts with Neil Crompton
Neil Crompton
Neil Crompton is a well-known V8 Supercars presenter and commentator for Australia's Channel Seven, having previously worked in a similar role at Network Ten...

, The Panelbeaters which is presently hosted by internet provider Telstra Bigpond as part of their V8 Supercar package. Jones continued to drive for his team in an endurance co-driver role, finishing third in the 2007 Bathurst 1000. After running as high a third in the 2009 Bathurst 1000 and a career spanning 109 ATCC/V8s races spanning 24 seasons, Jones retired from competitive racing.

Career results

Season Series Position Car Team
1981 TAA Formula Ford 'Driver to Europe' Series
Australian Formula Ford Championship
The Australian Formula Ford Championship is a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title for drivers of Formula Ford racing cars. It has been held annually since 1970, originally as a national series, and later as the 'Driver-to-Europe' series...

6th Elwyn 002 Ford Bradley Jones
1985 Australian GT Championship
Australian GT Championship
The Australian GT Championship is a CAMS-sanctioned national title for drivers of GT cars, held annually from 1960 to 1963, from 1982 to 1985 and from 2005. Each championship up to and including the 1963 title was contested over a single race and those after that year over a series of races...

7th Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC - Chevrolet
Chevrolet Small-Block engine
The Chevrolet small-block engine is a series of automobile V8 engines built by the Chevrolet Division of General Motors using the same basic small engine block...

 
Chevrolet Monza
Chevrolet Monza
The Chevrolet Monza is a subcompact, four-passenger automobile produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors for the 1975–1980 model years. The Monza is based on the Chevrolet Vega, sharing its wheelbase, width and 140 CID inline-4 engine...

Thomson-Fowler Motorsport
1986
1986 Australian Touring Car Championship
The 1986 Australian Touring Car Championship was the 27th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began on 2 March 1986 at Amaroo Park and ended on 13 July at Oran Park Raceway after ten rounds....

Australian Touring Car Championship
V8 Supercar
V8 Supercars is a touring car racing category based in Australia and run as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile regulations...

26th Mitsubishi Starion Turbo
Mitsubishi Starion
The Mitsubishi Starion is a two-door, turbocharged four-cylinder rear-wheel drive four-seat sports car that was in production from 1982 to 1989. It was also marketed in North America as the Conquest under the Chrysler, Dodge, and Plymouth names; both the Starion and Conquest came to an end in 1989...

Team Ralliart Australia
1989
1989 Australian Touring Car Championship
The 1989 Shell Ultra Australian Touring Car Championship was the 30th running of the Australian Touring Car Championship. It began on 5 March 1989 at Amaroo Park and ended on 9 July at Oran Park Raceway after eight rounds...

Australian Touring Car Championship 10th Ford Sierra RS500 Advantage Racing
Holden Dealer Team
The Holden Dealer Team was Holden’s semi-official racing team from 1969 until 1987, primarily contesting Australian Touring Car events but also rallying, rallycross and sports sedans during the 1970s...

1989/90 Australian Superspeedway (AUSCAR) Series 1st Holden VL Commodore
Holden VL Commodore
The Holden VL Commodore and Calais were a range of mid-sized cars manufactured between 1986 and 1988 by the General Motors Australian arm, Holden...

Brad Jones Racing
Brad Jones Racing
Brad Jones Racing is an Australian motor racing team centred around brothers Kim and Brad Jones and is based in Albury, New South Wales. Presently the team compete in the V8 Supercar Series, which they joined in 2000. Recently they have also returned to the Australian Formula Ford Championship...

1990/91 Australian Superspeedway (AUSCAR) Series 1st Holden VN Commodore
Holden VN Commodore
The Holden VN Commodore was the sixth model of the Holden Commodore, a full-size car produced by the Australian automotive marque, Holden. It is essentially made out of an Opel donor body mated to either a Buick V6 or Holden V8, depending on the model, with slight tweaks to the front and rear ends...

Brad Jones Racing
1991/92 Australian Superspeedway (AUSCAR) Series 1st Holden VN Commodore Brad Jones Racing
1992/93 Australian Superspeedway (AUSCAR) Series 1st Holden VN Commodore Brad Jones Racing
1993/94 Australian Superspeedway (AUSCAR) Series 1st Holden VP Commodore
Holden VP Commodore
The Holden VP Commodore is an automobile which was produced by Australian automaker Holden from 1991 to 1993. It is the seventh generation Holden Commodore....

Brad Jones Racing
1994 Australian Super Production Car Series 1st Lotus Esprit
1994/95 Australian Superspeedway (NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...

) Series
1st Chevrolet Lumina
Chevrolet Lumina
The North American Chevrolet Lumina sedan , coupe and minivan were first introduced in 1989 for the 1990 model year as a new range of vehicles from the Chevrolet brand of General Motors to replace the Chevrolet Camaro, Chevrolet Celebrity sedan, and the Monte Carlo coupe. The Lumina was an answer...

Brad Jones Racing
1995 Australian Super Touring Championship
Australian Super Touring Championship
The Australian Super Touring Championship was a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title for Super Touring Cars.-History:Super Touring was introduced into Australia in 1993 when CAMS replaced the existing Group 3A Touring Car category with a new two class Group 3A...

3rd Audi 80 Quattro Brad Jones Racing
1996
1996 Australian Super Touring Championship
The 1996 BOC Gases Australian Super Touring Championship was the fourth running of a touring car series in Australia under the Super Touring Car regulations...

Australian Super Touring Championship 1st Audi A4 Quattro Brad Jones Racing
1997
1997 Australian Super Touring Championship
The 1997 Australian Super Touring Championship was a CAMS sanctioned motor racing title open to Super Touring Cars. It was the fifth national title to be run in Australia for that class and the third to carry the Australian Super Touring Championship name...

Australian Super Touring Championship 4th Audi A4 Quattro Brad Jones Racing
1998
1998 Australian Super Touring Championship
The 1998 Australian Super Touring Championship was the sixth running of a CAMS sanctioned motor racing series in Australia under the Super Touring Car regulations and the fourth to carry the Australian Super Touring Championship name. It began on 5 April 1998 at Calder Park Raceway and ended on 30...

Australian Super Touring Championship 1st Audi A4 Quattro Brad Jones Racing
1999
1999 V8 Supercar season
The 1999 Shell Championship Series was a motor racing series for V8 Supercars which began on 28 March 1999 at Eastern Creek Raceway and ended on 14 November at the Mount Panorama Circuit after 13 rounds...

V8Supercar Championship Series
V8 Supercar
V8 Supercars is a touring car racing category based in Australia and run as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile regulations...

60th Ford Falcon AU Larkham Motor Sport
Larkham Motor Sport
Larkham Motor Sport was a motorsport team contesting the V8 Supercar Championship. The team ceased operations at the end of 2005, with the owner Mark Larkham selling the team to WPS Racing.- History :...

1999
1999 Australian Super Touring Championship
The 1999 BOC Gases Australian Super Touring Car Championship was the seventh running of a touring car series in Australia under the Super Touring Car regulations...

Australian Super Touring Championship 3rd Audi A4 Brad Jones Racing
2000
2000 V8 Supercar season
The 2000 Shell Championship Series was an Australian motor racing series open to V8 Supercars. The championship, which was the second Shell Championship Series, began on 11 February at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit and ended on 19 November at the Mount Panorama Circuit after 13 rounds...

V8Supercar Championship Series 24th Ford Falcon AU Brad Jones Racing
2001
2001 V8 Supercar season
The 2001 Shell Championship Series was a motor racing competition for V8 Supercars. The championship, which was the third Shell Championship Series, began on 25 March 2001 at Phillip Island and ended on 2 December at Sandown after 13 rounds...

V8Supercar Championship Series 18th Ford Falcon AU Brad Jones Racing
2002
2002 V8 Supercar season
The 2002 V8 Supercar Championship Series was an Australian based motor racing series for V8 Supercars. It began on 15 March 2002 at the Adelaide Street Circuit and ended on 1 December at Sandown International Raceway after 13 rounds...

V8Supercar Championship Series 15th Ford Falcon AU Brad Jones Racing
2003
2003 V8 Supercar season
The 2003 V8 Supercar season was the 44th year of touring car racing in Australia since the first runnings of the Australian Touring Car Championship and the fore-runner of the present day Bathurst 1000, the Armstrong 500....

V8Supercar Championship Series 20th Ford Falcon BA Brad Jones Racing
2004
2004 V8 Supercar season
The 2004 V8 Supercar season was the 45th year of touring car racing in Australia since the first runnings of the Australian Touring Car Championship and the fore-runner of the present day Bathurst 1000, the Armstrong 500....

V8Supercar Championship Series 16th Ford Falcon BA Brad Jones Racing
2005
2005 V8 Supercar season
The 2005 V8 Supercar season was the 46th year of touring car racing in Australia since the first runnings of the Australian Touring Car Championship and the fore-runner of the present day Bathurst 1000, the Armstrong 500....

V8Supercar Championship Series 21st Ford Falcon BA Brad Jones Racing
2006 V8Supercar Championship Series 25th Ford Falcon BA Brad Jones Racing
2008 V8Supercar Championship Series 33rd Holden VE Commodore Brad Jones Racing
2009
2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series
The 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series was the eleventh V8 Supercar Championship Series and the thirteenth series in which V8 Supercars have contested the premier Australian touring car title...

V8Supercar Championship Series
V8 Supercar
V8 Supercars is a touring car racing category based in Australia and run as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile regulations...

57th Holden VE Commodore Brad Jones Racing

External links

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