Jack Le Brocq's #4 Matt Stone Racing Camaro might not have been the expected headline act at The Bend Motorsport Park, but Jack Le Brocq and his team had reason to smile after a standout performance from substitute driver Jack Jones. Jones, a late call-up to the enduro seat after Cameron Crick fell ill, started the race from 15th position. However, a tricky start saw him drop to 23rd by Turn 1. Undeterred, he charged through the field to break into the top 10 within just four laps, eventually finishing a remarkable fourth.
Speaking to Speedcafe, Jones described the race as thoroughly enjoyable. "It was pretty fun to be honest, those sorts of races are really enjoyable," he said. He explained that the start was difficult due to the slippery conditions. "I knew the start was going to be difficult because even when we rocked up to the grid after the first out lap and I hopped out of the car, I had three different painted lines within the grid box. So I was so tentative on the start, just trying to pull it away like I'm at the traffic lights, but no matter how much throttle I put in the car, it just burst into wheelspin straight away," he added.
Jones saw the possibility and felt frustrated as he felt he was going nowhere and getting swamped left and right. "It was a pretty incredible first few laps. There were things going on everywhere and a few cars firing off, but I was pretty comfortable and confident in the car that was underneath me and just able to move forward and make some cool passes and also just learn where the grip is on the circuit," he explained.
On the restart, Jones was fourth when Tim Slade's Grove Racing Mustang broke into wheelspin at the front and nearly spun off. However, Jones was unaware of just how close the leader had come to disaster. "Even though I was still only P4, the mist just from those first three cars was enough to basically blind me at that point already," he said. "I saw Tim as he was recovering and he was slower, and I was also aquaplaning on that front straight. When you see a slow car just appear from the mist, your natural instinct is to react and swerve. But that can send you into a spin at that point, so you sort of have to panic slowly in those sort of situations and just gently move the car aside, make the move and roll out of the throttle instead of releasing the throttle instantly."
The battle between Jones and Slade was intense in the early corners, and Jones eventually made the pass stick into Turn 4. "It was pretty wild and it was just such a fun race, every single restart there were things going on," he recalled.
Jones' achievement was made even more special given he joined the enduro squad as a late replacement in August for the unwell Cameron Crick. The two-time Porsche Carrera Cup Australia champion also had limited track time after a brake failure ended his Queensland Raceway pre-enduro test prematurely. "The weekend was pretty unbelievable to be honest," Jones said. "It was a late call-up for me to come into the enduro seat this year with Matt Stone, and..."
Jones' performance at The Bend demonstrated his adaptability and composure under pressure, marking him as one to watch in the enduro scene. With this result, he not only helped his team score valuable points but also proved he deserves a shot at the top level of Supercars.
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