Jones’ rookie title chance still in reach

By Timothy Neal

Date posted: 28 August 2023

Harri Jones’ first season in the world’s premier one-make Porsche category will culminate with a rookie title showdown at the Temple of Speed.

In a field full of world class GT3 drivers, Jones has gone from Carrera Cup Australia champion to rookie contender in the Formula 1 exclusive Mobil 1 Supercup.

The BWT Lechner Racing driver took on the wet and tricky Zandvoort track in the Netherlands for the first time in a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992), finishing the double header in tenth and twelfth, which was one of his poorer results all year.

Aside from a DNF in Austria, the Race 7 result was the first time he’d finished outside the outright top ten, although that still netted him a P3 on the rookie podium.

Jones has had plenty of visits to the Supercup podium in 2023, but is yet to get his breakthrough win

The 24-year-old Queenslander is in a direct battle with 21-year-old French talent Alessandro Ghiretti who sits 7th in the outright whilst Jones in ninth, but the pair head up the rookie title.

Jones went into the round sitting second on the rookie table, trailing Ghiretti by 7 points, whilst his nearest challengers Benjamin Paque and Huub van Eijndhoven both finished below Jones across both races in Zandvoort – except for Paque finishing P6 in Race 1.

After seven races it all comes down to a final showdown at Monza this coming weekend, where Jones will need a strong result to overcome Ghiretti, which may ultimately come down to superior qualifying and finally breaking through for that maiden rookie win.

“Not exactly the results we hoped for, but still scored decent points and managed a Rookie Podium in Race 7,” Jones said.

“One last showdown next weekend at the Temple of Speed (Monza). All to play for in the Rookie Championship, let’s do this.”

Just like the F1 and F2 field at Zandvoort, Jones had to negotiate Zandvoort’s slippery twists and turns

Jones is also deep in the scrap for the rookie title in the German Carrera Cup, which is considered the second rung on the International Porsche GT3 one-make ladder, where he competes for the Nurburgring based, Scherer Sport PHX team.

He’ll be hoping to add to his debut rookie victory at the three remaining rounds after the Supercup wraps up at Monza, with visits to the Sachsenring, Spielberg, and the Hockenheimring in September and October.