Porsche champ clarifies Supercars silly season position

Jones will make his Supercars debut at The Bend next month, teaming up with Anton De Pasquale in the #20 Team 18 Camaro.

The opportunity comes off the back of a sparkling career in one-make Porsche racing for Jones, who is a two-time Australian Carrera Cup champion and has raced as high as the F1-supporting Porsche Supercup.

Now he’s looking to make a full-time Supercars switch, Jones very clear on the fact that a main game seat for next season is his goal.

“100 percent – a main game seat in Supercars next year, full-time, that’s my number one priority right now,” Jones told Speedcafe.

“I’m just sticking one foot in front of another, but hopefully after the enduros there’s going to be some serious discussions and some opportunities to join the grid full-time next year.”

Jones banishing Porsche trait with crucial Supercars miles

Jones has been a factor in silly season speculation already, with talk that he is in the frame at Team 18 should the squad decide against picking up its option on David Reynolds.

Other teams with either vacancies, or potential vacancies, include PremiAir Racing, Matt Stone Racing, Erebus Motorsport and Blanchard Racing Team.

While not full-time, there is also the Supercheap Auto-backed, Craig Lowndes-led wildcard program that will switch from Triple Eight to Team 18 next year.

As for the upcoming enduros, Jones says he’s eager to use them as an audition, although understands that nailing the co-driver brief is the priority.

“I think I’ve definitely proven myself in a Carrera Cup car, both locally and abroad,” said Jones. “But obviously teams want to see Supercars experience.

“Come enduro time, it’s going to be important for me to deliver and be fast and be reliable as co-driver.

“At the end of the day, I know I don’t need to go out there and try and beat every single main driver. I just need to stick to my job and help Anton deliver good results.”

Jones has been banking valuable Supercars miles in recent weeks, starting with the all-in pre-enduro test at Queensland Raceway which was followed by a full evaluation day at Winton yesterday.