PORSCHE Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Champion Harri Jones has stood on the iconic Monaco podium in his Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup debut overnight.
Jones, driving a BWT Lechner Racing Porsche 992 GT3 Cup Car, finished 9th overall in the Supercup season-opener, and third rookie home – earning him a spot on the famous Monaco rostrum.
It was Jones’ second-straight podium appearance in International competition, having finished as top rookie driver in the opening round of the Porsche Carrera Cup Germany championship at Spa Francorchamps a few weeks ago.
Jones qualified 12th in Monte Carlo, just one second from pole, and slipped back two spots in the opening lap hustle.
He then was able to work his way forward through the field and back into the top-10, before a strong move up the hill through Beau Rivage on Supercup veteran Jaap van Lagen to secure ninth with a few laps remaining.
The race was won by Jones’ BWT Lechner Racing teammate, Harry King, who beat two-time champion Larry ten Voorde into turn one from second on the grid and was never headed from there. Bastian Buus, Jones’ other Lechner teammate, was third.
It’s a positive start for Jones, who embarks on his European career following a meteoric rise through the Porsche Pyramid in Australia.
He won the 2019 Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge and then the 2022 Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia championship – and represented Australia in the Porsche junior shootout – prior to heading overseas full-time this year.
The next round of Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup comes alongside the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring on 7-9 July, while the next two rounds of the German championship come in quick succession – with a trip to Hockenheim (June 9-11) followed by a round at Zandvoort in the Netherlands on June 23-25.
The Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Australia Championship returns at Darwin’s Hidden Valley Raceway on June 16-18.
HARRI JONES:
“It was an awesome race,” Jones said.
“I’m really happy with the result. We could have fought further forward if we had a few more laps but the Safety Car came out towards the end and we ended up finishing behind it.
“The Lechner Racing Team gave me a really good car this weekend. They ended up finishing P1 outright and P3 so they had a double podium so I’m really proud of the team and looking forward to Round 2 at the Red Bull Ring.”
