Photo Credit: IndyCar
It was announced on November 14 that Ed Jones, the reigning Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires Champion has been signed to Dale Coyne Racing as their second full time driver. He will be piloting the No. 18 Honda during the 2017 Verizon IndyCar series season, joining veteran Sebastien Bourdais for the complete 17-race schedule.
“I’m hugely excited about stepping up to the Verizon IndyCar Series next year with Dale Coyne Racing,” stated Jones. “To reach an agreement as early as we have done is great news as it gives me plenty of time to settle into the team and get to know everybody properly so we can prepare as well as possible for the season ahead.”
Jones, who hails from the United Arab Emirates and is of English decent, started his racing career in lower-level European open-wheel series including becoming the youngest European F3 Open Champion when he was just 18 years old. He left Europe behind to join the Indy Lights series in 2015 where he obtained immediate success, winning the first three races of the 2015 season where he ended up finishing third in the points standings for Carlin.
Jones returned to Carlin in 2016 wining two races, collecting eight pole positions and finishing on the podium eight times as he claimed the championship. Along with his title he also won the $1 million Mazda Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tired scholarship to be applied toward any ride he would receive in the IndyCar Series
“INDYCAR has been my goal ever since I left Europe to come and race in America,” Jones added. “It’s crazy to think I’ll be joining the grid just two years after moving Stateside. Together with my management team and sponsors, I’ve worked so hard for this opportunity and I fully intend to grab it by the scruff of the neck and make the most of it. Although we spoke to a few teams, Dale Coyne Racing always stood out as the best option and Dale worked hard to make the deal happen.”
With the addition of Jones Dale Coyne Racing legacy by assisting talented young drivers like Paul Tracy in the early 90’s. Dale Coyne was impressed with Jones championship run but most importantly he was impressed by the season-ending doubleheader weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
“Ed had a couple of remarkable seasons in Indy Lights and we’re very excited to have him join our team for his rookie INDYCAR campaign,” Coyne said. “I attended the season finale at Laguna Seca and Ed demonstrated a lot of poise, maturity and determination while under pressure, knowing that the championship was on the line. Those are all qualities that will serve him well in INDYCAR. I was very impressed with what I saw.”
Veteran race engineer Michael Cannon will serve as Jones race strategist. Coyne has also added to their engineering department this off-season by adding veterans Craig Hampson and Oliver Boisson who will work with Bourdais who is a four-time IndyCar champion who has 35 all time wins leaving tied for sixth.
“He’s one of the best teammates I could ask for during my rookie season as I get used to everything,” Jones said of Bourdais. “He has a wealth of experience in the sport that I can draw upon and he seems like a really open and approachable guy. Not only that, but he will be an excellent benchmark, too, as he is still clearly one of the fastest drivers in the series. So for me, it’s the ideal scenario and I’m sure we’ll establish a strong working relationship to really drive the team forward.
“Whilst I’m aware I have a big learning curve ahead of me, my plan is to absorb as much information as I can and get onto the pace as quickly as possible,” Jones added. “And as a former driver himself, Dale understands what it’s like inside the cockpit, which will be hugely beneficial when it comes to talking about set-up and discussing feedback.”
