Rewind back to this stage of 2017 and Dubai’s Ed Jones was looking to parlay championship victory in the junior Indy Lights series into a solid opening campaign from North America’s premier level of open wheel racing.
Achievements beyond even his wildest dreams followed.
The now 23-year-old placed an outstanding third in the iconic Indianapolis 500 and was named Rookie of the Year after earning 14th spot in the fiercely competitive IndyCar rankings.
These exploits granted him the opportunity of a lifetime for this season, swapping the breeding grounds of Dale Coyne Racing for the elite Chip Ganassi Racing.
Under this banner, competitors such as Jimmy Vasser, Alex Zanardi, Juan Pablo Montoya, Dario Franchitti and his new team-mate Scott Dixon have all gained legendary status. In total since 1996, it has achieved 11 championship titles.
Jones came into 2017 with little expectation. Ahead of this year’s opening race on Sunday at Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, he’s now expected to contest for glory – and even a debut race win.
Quite the ascent for the former Dubai English Speaking College and Dubai College pupil, who first got behind the wheel of a kart aged five in Jebel Ali.
Speaking to Sport360° before the green light in Florida, Jones reflects on a remarkable journey – one which no other budding racer from the Middle East has ever come close to achieving.
He says: “It is crazy, really. It was 2010 that I finished my racing in go karts at Dubai Autodrome, so it’s only eight years ago.
“It is not that long. I’ve just turned 23 in February. I cannot believe that I’m already here. I’m very fortunate with the way things have gone.
“I have been lucky with the right timing. Of course, I’ve done well and produced great results.
“A lot of things have gone my way and I’ve just got to make sure I make the most of it.
“I am really excited to see what I can do now in the coming years.
“I served a lot of time with the smallest teams, I did it all with my dad and had a guy from England who was a mechanic for me.
“It was always just learning about the driving. We never just went with the biggest or best team.
“You want to win races in go karts, but no one really cares about how you did there when you step in the cars. It’s just about learning your craft and being as fast as possible.
“That was the thing. Staying humble and trying to learn everything I could.”
.@Edjonesracing will make his first official debut in the @NTTDATAServices No. 10 this weekend @GPSTPETE! Be sure to give him & @CGRindycar a follow for all the 411. 😉#INDYCAR | #NTTDATARacing | #FirestoneGP pic.twitter.com/PIiDkB1b0g
— Chip Ganassi Racing (@CGRTeams) March 7, 2018
Upon leaving the UAE, Jones won the 2013 European F3 Open Championship and competed alongside Red Bull’s Formula One daredevil Max Verstappen in the FIA European Formula Three Championship.
He has not looked back since making the permanent switch to Miami three years ago.
Rather than Dubai Autodrome, he can now be seen tackling tight street circuits such as the historic Long Beach or reaching speeds of 230mph/370kph in the Indianapolis 500.
A burgeoning reputation is now his. When Chip Ganassi decided to halve his team from four to two cars, it wasn’t just success at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway which swayed him towards Jones.
There’s more to him than that. The Englishman’s four top-10 finishes were gained courtesy of a high racing IQ, ability to avoid costly mistakes and a burning determination to reach the top.
Yet these achievements didn’t make the process of becoming a Chip Ganassi racer any less harrowing. Jones describes it as “the worst 24 hours of my life” after contact was initially made last October about a multi-year deal.
He says: “The process was within 24 hours of him calling me. It was probably the worst 24 hours for me and my parents.
“You just check your e-mail every five minutes for the return contract to come back.
“It felt like it took way too long. We were in Dubai, so with the time difference there was a lot of waiting.
“It was great to be with my parents at the time. They gave up a lot for me and made many sacrifices to help me achieve my dreams.
“It was my dad’s passion. He wishes he could have done it when he was younger.
“I am very grateful and I want to prove to him it was the right thing to do, by winning some races and championships.”
Strong Phoenix test, driving for @CGRindycar, has @Edjonesracing eager for #INDYCAR season to begin via @NBCSports #NTTDATARacing https://t.co/dHLNBjaWaR
— NTT DATA Services (@NTTDATAServices) February 15, 2018
After a short period over the winter building fitness levels in Dubai, pre-season testing has gone well in the new 720-horsepower Dallara-Honda car. At a major test in Phoenix last month, from a total of 283 laps his 12th-fastest average speed of 187.696 mph was less than one-tenth of a second behind lauded four-time IndyCar champ and CGR team-mate Dixon.
What are the expectations for his first race of 2018?
“You never know until you get to that first qualifying session in St. Petersburg,” Jones says.
“I’ve just got to get the maximum out of everything there with the car I have. If I can do that, then I’m sure the results will come.
“We’ve got to get a solid base at the first race an work from there. Obviously, I want to be at the front.
“But, we’ve got to see how things play out. more than that.”
With the rapid speed at which he’s progressed thus far, it cannot be too long before the chequered flag falls for Jones.
