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Davy Jones

“If it has wheels, I can drive it and win with it…” In 1996, Davy’s last full season of active competition, he drove for two of the sport’s most highly regarded teams. He placed 2nd at the Indy-500, for Galles Racing Int’l, in what is the 3rd closest finish in the 500’s history. Davy had qualified on the front row for that race, while being the first driver that year to shatter the one and four-lap records (at 233.064 and 232.882 mph). The old records had previously stood for three years! Two weeks later, at the wheel of the Joest TWR-Porsche, he and Alexander Wurtz and Manuel Reuter, won the grueling 24 Hours of Le Mans. He set track records here as well… He fell short by 0.0695 seconds of becoming the only driver after A.J. Foyt to win both of these great events in the same year. In June, Galles appointed Davy as his team’s full-time driver, replacing former World Motorcycle Formula-1 Champion, Eddie Lawson. In his 18-year career, Jones had 5 starts at Indy, his best finish so far obviously being his 1996 accomplishment. Other highlights of his career are a 3rd place finish in the ‘83 British Formula-3 Championship, behind multi-year Formula-1 World Champion, Ayrton Senna, and Martin Brundle a good friend and a regular co-driver with Davy, during their years at TWR-Jaguar. In 1986, Davy pulverized every track record, on the way to his initial IMSA-GTP victory, driving the BMW factory-backed McLaren team. At the 1987 Indy-500, Davy was quickest of all rookie-qualifiers, driving for A.J. Foyt. He was relegated to 28th overall, due to engine failure. In 1988, Jones was selected to represent Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) and Jaguar Cars, in international sports car racing. The relationship would become one of the most successful the sport has known. From 1988 to 1992, TWR and Jones racked up the following results: 1988: Twelve top-10 finishes, in 13 starts. 1989: Seven top-10 finishes, in 9 starts. 1990: 3rd at Le Mans. 1991: 5 GTP wins, 2nd at Le Mans and 2nd in Jaguar XJR-15 race in Monaco. 1992: 3 GTP wins; 2nd at Daytona 24-Hrs; 2nd in IMSA-GTP Championship. All in all, 60 top-10 finishes, in 73 starts, a staggering 81%… In addition to the above success, Davy was returning to Indianapolis: 1989: Antonio Ferrari’s Euromotorsports: Started 31st - Finished 7th 1993: Andrea Moda: Started 28th - Finished 15th 1994: Enlisted by Kenny Berstein’s team to qualify a second car, for Scotty Goodyear, who had failed to do so. With track temperatures around 135º F, within 70 laps, Davy cracked off the 9th fastest time of the month, just a hair under 224 mph! He then stepped aside, to allow Goodyear to compete. 1995: While running a solid 12th late in the race, overflowing liquids put Davy in the wall. He was classified 23rd. In 1995, Davy was also invited to drive the #77 Jasper Engines/US Air Ford Thunderbird, entered in NASCAR’s Winston Cup. His best results with the young, under-financed team, would be a 13th place, at the Daytona 500. Davy was also invited to compete in the International Race Of Champions (IROC), in both 1992 and 1993. Asked back into the famous made-for-TV series in 1997, Davy would be unable to answer the bell, due to major injuries he sustained during official practice for the inaugural IRL event of the 1997 season, in Orlando, Fla. During his rehabilitation program, Davy worked as a TV reporter, for Speedvision at the 1997 and 1998 24 Hours of LeMans. Again for Speedvision, Davy covered the 1998 Petit LeMans race, in Atlanta, Georgia and the FIA GT Championship’s season finale, at Laguna Seca, California. 1999 Davy would make he’s return to competition at the 12 hours of Sebring driving for Porsche. Running as high as 3rd in GT2 class, mechanical problems put the team behind, but still were able to finish the famed event. This gave Davy the confidence that with a competitive team, he will be back on the victory podium before long. 2000 Opened Davy Jones KartZone an indoor karting and conference center in Houston, TX 2002 Formed the IKA (Indoor Karting Association)

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