by Alan Jones
On top of the 1980 World Championship, I came down to Calder Park in Melbourne where I had so many of my early races, and won the Australian Grand Prix. It was a great honour to join Dad on the winners list, and we’re still the only father and son to have won that race. (Autopics)
Patrick Head, Frank Williams and I were a pretty good combination. Frank organised the money and ran the team, while Patrick engineered and designed the cars. Patrick was the perfect engineer for me, and the understanding between the two of us was one of the reasons we were successful. (LAT Photographic)
Running a season with the number 1 on my car was something I had always dreamed about, and while I never won at Monaco and I didn’t like the place, I would dearly have loved to have added it to my list of wins. (LAT Photographic)
Patrick and Frank’s final attempt to keep me in Formula One at the end of 1981 was the six-wheeled car. I felt it had potential but it wasn’t enough to keep me in England. I went straight from this test to Heathrow and flew home to Australia. For me, at that time, my career was over. (LAT Photographic)
No longer a driver but a farmer. I was breeding Simmental cattle which I felt at the time was going to make me a fortune. It didn’t take long to work out I wasn’t a farmer.
Christian enjoyed the farm, though; the space allowed him to explore his own love of machinery. Being around for him was one of the reasons I quit F1, but I was still being drawn into motor racing.
This Porsche 935 was a bit of a weapon and I used it to dominate the Australian GT Championship in 1982. I was challenged by people like Peter Brock, but I won every round of the series. (Autopics)
In 1984 the World Sports Car Championship came to Melbourne and I drove a Porsche for the factory team. I made a silly error in qualifying and should have been on pole. After a couple of niggles in the race I ended up eighth with Vern Schuppan. (Autopics)
This is the race in which the world first truly noticed Ayrton Senna. Mercedes lined up an impressive list of world champions for a race at the new Nürburgring track in Germany; Senna got a late call-up and won the race, but only after my car failed while I was leading. Senna’s car is still on display at the Mercedes-Benz museum – I would have liked that. (LAT Photographic)
Part of the reason I returned to Formula One was because Adelaide had won the right to run the first-ever Formula One World Championship race in Australia. The race and track were magnificent and set a new standard for grands prix, but my Beatrice was not so good and my two seasons with the team were very frustrating. If I wasn’t getting paid so well, I’d have wished I never did it. (LAT Photographic)
My year with TOM’S Toyota in Japan was also interesting. We won a couple of races, but only when we got the rear wing in its effective spot, rather than keeping the car pretty. (LAT Photographic)
I did win Bathurst, albeit the 12-hour race in a Mazda. I still find it frustrating that a lot of race fans in Australia don’t love Formula One in the same way they love Bathurst. (Autopics)
Racing touring cars with Glenn Seton’s team was enjoyable, and we were pretty successful too. We only got 52 laps done in this car in 1994, but the year after we nearly won the race. Second remains my best result at Bathurst in a touring car. (Autopics)
In 1996 I started Pack Leader Racing with support from Philip Morris. A lot of people think I did the dirty on Glenn Seton at the time, but both he and I know nothing is further from the truth. Owning the team wasn’t a great experience, though, and eventually I sold the team to Ross and Jim Stone. (Autopics)
Meeting Amanda was one of the best things to happen to me. We have such a great relationship and we have a terrific family with the twins and her daughter. (LAT Photographic)
Amanda was brave enough to head onto the track with me at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. I’m not sure about the lack of helmet or glasses, though. (LAT Photographic)
These days I spend my time working with the Ten Network on its Formula One coverage and keeping my hand in the sport by working as a steward at some grands prix each year. My involvement with Lexus also keeps me busy, and I attend most of their drive days to ‘entertain’ the guests with stories and to take them on the track in the stunning LFA.
I am so honoured to have won the World Drivers’ Championship but I also wish someone else could have joined me and Sir Jack Brabham for this photo. With Sir Jack’s passing a couple of years back, we won’t be able to have him join me with Australia’s next world champion for a photo. (LAT Photographic)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrew Clarke is a writer and journalist and lives in Melbourne. This is his 19th book.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted by any person or entity, including internet search engines or retailers, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including printing, photocopying (except under the statutory exceptions provisions of the Australian Copyright Act 1968), recording, scanning or by any information storage and retrieval system without the prior written permission of Penguin Random House Australia. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
Version 1.0
AJ
ePub ISBN 9780143783848
First published by Ebury Press in 2017
Copyright © Alan Jones and Andrew Clarke 2017
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
An Ebury Press book
Published by Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd
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Addresses for the Penguin Random House group of companies can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com/offices.
National Library of Australia
Cataloguing-in-Publication entry
Clarke, Andrew, author
A J / Andrew Clarke with Alan Jones
ISBN 978 0 14378 384 8 (ebook : epub)
Jones, Alan, 1946 November 2–
Automobile racing drivers – Australia – Biography
Autombiles, Racing – Australia
Formula One automobiles
Other Creators/Contributors:
Jones, Alan, 1946 November 2– author
Cover design: Luke Causby/Blue Cork
Cover photographs: photo of Alan Jones by Bob Thomas/Getty Images; photo of Williams FW07B by National Motor Museum/Heritage Images/Getty Images
Ebook by Firstsource
