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Grand Am
GRAND-AM: Utah Notebook
Davy Jones is back where he belongs -- behind the wheel of a prototype, Burke Harrison is loving AER/Brumos, and Jordan Taylor samples a Camaro.
Marshall Pruett  |  Posted September 11, 2010   Tooele, UT
Even with the passenger door ajar, Davy Jones quickly got up to speed in the No. 16 Dyson Racing/Godstone Ranch Motorsports Lola-Ford. A spin in qualifying means Jones will have to light the wick in the race. (Marshall Pruett)
20 Years in the Making

After years of battling each other in the IMSA GTP series, two former adversaries – Rob Dyson and Davy Jones – have come together at the GRAND-AM season finale in Utah to try their hand at rekindling the prototype magic both parties enjoyed two decades ago.

“It’s great to get to come back to racing prototypes with Rob,” said Jones, who famously led the TWR Jaguar driving team while Dyson spearheaded a formidable privateer Porsche GTP program. “We’re both from New York and have known each other for a really long time. We raced each other hard in the GTP days, but there was never any animosity or things like that.”

Sharing the No. 16 Dyson Racing/Godstone Ranch Motorsports with co-driver John McCutchen, Jones confided that despite his long allegiance to Jaguar, driving for his home state rival was always a personal goal.

“When you think of New York and sportscar racing, it’s Dyson Racing. They just go about things in a very cool way – it always impressed me how professional they could be while letting their character and personality show through. Driving for Rob has been one of those things I’ve wanted to do since we were in IMSA, so it’s kind of amazing to see that all these years later, we’ve finally made it happen.”

Jones, who suffered a staggering head injury while testing an IndyCar at the Walt Disney World oval in 1997, saw his career grind to a halt while undergoing a lengthy recovery process. Coming off an incredible 1996 season – one where he finished second at the Indianapolis 500 and won the 24 Hours of Le Mans – his crash dimmed the lights on a career that was ready to shift into high gear.

With Jones fully healed, he made his way back to sportscar racing early last decade in GRAND-AM, earning two prototype wins in 2003. Jones also tried his hand in the Continental Tire series, driving for the factory Subaru team in 2007, and he was reunited with Tony Dowe, his former TWR boss, during the Rolex 24 this year when he and McCutchen drove Leighton Reese’s Corvette.

While Reese has gone on to find success with the Corvette, winning the most recent Rolex GT race in Montreal, Jones and McCutchen started to search for a new opportunity in the series, and found it by partnering with Dyson Racing to field a Daytona Prototype this weekend.

Running with Dyson at the 2011 Rolex 24 serves as their primary goal, with the lessons they learn this weekend and over winter meant to provide the necessary momentum heading into Daytona.
Jones' smile was evident all day long at MMP. With his legacy as one of America's best prototype drivers, being back in the game with Dyson Racing and John McCutchen has made the ride even more rewarding. (Marshall Pruett)

Friday’s activities in Utah gave Jones a few positive indicators about where the program is heading.

“We’re still lacking top end speed on the straights, but so it the Krohn [Lola-Ford] so we know it’s not just us being off. The car has a lot of downforce, so we trimmed out the rear wing, but BOY did it get nervous at the rear…so we put the wing back in to make the car more stable for John and I. The Dyson guys have been great; our test at the Monticello track went great and they’ve been on top of the car here. There’s just a lot to learn in a short amount of time, so we’re not trying to solve everything at once. That’s just not possible in one weekend when everybody else has a full year head start.”

A minor problem in practice turned into a major nuisance during qualifying for Jones. The right side door on the Lola refused to stay shut during both practice sessions, and with the driver positioned on the left side of the car, Jones could not reach over and attempt to close it while buckled into his seat.

One his out lap for qualifying, Jones had a quick spin coming onto the front straight, but with the door ajar once again, the act of rolling backwards at speed managed to rip to errant door from the car, forcing Jones to complete the remainder of the session with a highly inefficient aero package. Jones’ best lap of 1:51.196 left him 13th and last in DP for Saturday’s race.

A win is out of the question, but for those who remember Jones’ swashbuckling days in IMSA and in open-wheel, watching Davy on a a charge at the start of the race could be the highlight of the event.

Utah Photo Gallery

Click the image below to view our gallery of 130 images of GRAND-AM action from Miller Motorsports Park.

Grand-Am Gallery


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