Declan Jones

Declan Jones (born 11 May 1995) is a British racing driver. He currently competes in the Ginetta GT4 Supercup Championship , driving for Rob Boston Racing in a Ginetta G55 GT4 sponsored by Whitley Neill Gin.

Career

Declan began his career in karting in 2005.

In 2013, at 17 years of age, Declan became one of the youngest ever winners in the British GT race series.^[3] Declan finished 2nd in the 2013 GT4 category.^[4]

Racing career

Declan began Karting in 2005. Moving into cadet karts. Winning 4 out of 5 novice cups available. In 2007 Declan became mini max Hooton Park Champion, and took multiple wins at local club rounds.

2008 Declan moved into Junior Max, becoming MBKC winter series champion at 3 sisters, Dragon Master winner at Gyg in Wales and gained 3rd in the Rotax Cup at 3 Sisters. Declan finished 2nd over all in the MBKC Championship.

2009 Declan joined Junior Max. finishing 14th in Formula Kart Stars. The same season Declan finished 2nd in Dragon Master Cup. Declan also gained multiple club wins around the country.^[5]

In 2010 Declan continued in Junior Max and became MBKC winter series winner at 3 Sisters and 2nd overall in the championship as well as Dragon Master Cup winner at Gyg. Declan also gained multiple wins around the uk. He gained 15th in Super One Championship and joint 3rd in Formula Kart Start Championship. Also that season Declan became Cumbria O Plate winner and won the last round of Formula Kart Stars at Ellough Park. The 2010 season also gave Declan a taste of the future in the form of the Ginetta junior scholarship. Getting through to the last 12.

2011 saw the eventual move from Karting. Joining the Ginetta Juniors and gaining multiple top 10 finishes. Ending a successful year in a very respectable 13th position in the championship.

In 2012 the ever confident Declan began racing in the VdeV Endurance Championship.^[6] The Dijon 2hr race saw a victory in his class, 3rd in prototypes and 6th overall.

2012 also witnessed Declan enter the Ginetta GT Supercup, The support race to the British Touring Car Championship. First time out at Oulton Park Declan put his car on pole by just over 7 tenths of a second and finished 3rd on the Sunday race. At Knockhill Declan finished 2nd and 3rd. At Rockingham Declan finished a 3rd and at Silverstone gained a 2nd and 1st. The last round at Brands Hatch saw Declan gain a 1st and 2nd and 3rd.^[7]

Ginetta GT4 Supercup 2017

For 2017 Declan signed up again with Century Motorsport to drive a Ginetta G55 GT4 in the Ginetta flagship championship with sponsorship from Whitley Neill Gin. So far in 2017 Declan has scored two 3rd place finishes at Donington Park.^[8]

Round 1: Brands Hatch

Declan Jones came close to putting his Whitley Neill Gin branded- Ginetta G55 on the podium in the opening round of the 2017 Michelin Ginetta GT4 Supercup. Declan then managed to finish eighth in the opening race, despite dropping to tenth at the start when he couldn’t engage second gear. He had then just got up to fourth in the second race, when two laps from the end a battle with a rival competitor ended with the 21-year-old punted into the pit wall. The race was red-flagged as a result. On Sunday, after fantastic overnight effort by Century Motorsport to re-build his car for the third and final race of the weekend that was broadcast live on UK television on ITV4, Declan battled his way through from the back to finish fourth only 0.835secs off the final spot on the rostrum.^[9]

Round 2: Donington Park

Declan battled his way through the field to fourth in the opening race on Saturday, despite starting in ninth after on-going niggles with the car.

Declan then went one better in the second race on Sunday, to equal his best-ever result in the Ginetta GT4 SuperCup, before another fine drive in the damp third and final race saw him again finish third – netting him his strongest overall weekend showing yet in the G55s. The results vault the Century Motorsport-Whitley Neill Gin team man up from ninth to joint second in the 2017 Michelin Ginetta GT4 SuperCup Drivers’ Championship with 110 points on the board.^[10]

Round 3: Oulton Park

Following Friday practice, Declan was fifth fastest in qualifying on the Saturday, less than a tenth off a place on the second row, despite very tricky wet slippery conditions. Declan then made a good start to the first race, before a little mistake on the second lap at Knickerbrook corner cruelly put him out. With his car fixed for the second race on Sunday, however, Declan kept his composure, hauling himself up from tenth to seventh and featuring heavily in the coverage broadcast live on UK television on ITV4. Seventh also netted him 16 valuable points for the Century Motorsport-Whitley Neill Gin team, leaving him sixth in the Championship.^[11]

Round 5: Snetterton

Declan Jones claimed his first outright Ginetta win in his Whitley Neill Gin branded-Ginetta G55 during round five of the 2017 Michelin Ginetta GT4 SuperCup.

Declan Jones switched to running with Rob Boston Racing for the second half of the season, began the event well and was fourth quickest overall in practice on Friday.

Declan then maintained that form in qualifying to secure a position on the second row of the grid, just 0.155 secs off third.

In the opening race, he fought back after a tricky start to bag fifth, before a brilliant performance in Sunday’s opener, race 2, saw him jump to third at the start and then proceed to claim victory.

Declan Jones First Win 2017

That result – combined with a seventh place in race 3 that was broadcast live on UK television on ITV4 – saw him pick up 71 points in total from the weekend, moving the Rob Boston Racing-Whitely Neill Gin team man back up to fifth in the Championship with 243 points in total.

Championship Points ^[12]

B: Brands Hatch Indy, D: Donington, OP: Oulton Park, C: Croft, Sn: Snetterton, R: Rockingham, S: Silverstone,

British GT Championship

For 2013, Declan Jones signed for Century Motorsport to compete in the British GT Championship, partnering Zoë Wenham, for the first 5 rounds, and Nathan Freke for rounds 6 and 7,in a GT4-class Ginetta G50. He finished 1st in the first two rounds at Oulton Park becoming one of the youngest ever winners in the series.^[13][14][15]

For 2014 Declan Jones again will compete in the Avon Tyres British GT Championship, running with ABG Motorsport and using a BMW GT4.^[16][17]

Declan Jones began the 2014 Avon Tyres British GT Championship with two fifth places at Oulton Park.^[18]

Championship Points History

Victories

Former Team-mates

References

External links

• Official website