Kiwi’s lessons from world challenge
Rally star Zeal Jones says he has taken some valuable lessons from his experience in the final shootout for the 2024 Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC Challenge in Finland.
The New Zealander fought his way through two rounds of testing in Japan to make the final stages of the competition but fell short of winning one of the top two spots and a place as a Generation 4 driver in the official Toyota Gazoo World Rally programme.
“Ultimately, I lacked the consistency of the two drivers that were chosen – Kanta Yanaguida and Rio Ogata,” he says.
“There are so many different areas you’re tested on as a driver, an amount that you can’t prepare for everything. So it's hard to pinpoint any specific but consistency is a key in this competition.”
Despite his disappointment at missing out on a spot in the programme, Jones, pictured, was happy with his efforts given his young age and his unfamiliarity with the Japanese conditions.
“I was pleased with my overall performance. In our downtime, I was thinking, what else could I have done with my level of experience on the snow, with the cars, and in that environment?
“I couldn’t have done anything more. So, I was pleased I left it all out on the table to display my skill.
“Ultimately, it wasn’t enough this time, but still, being one of the youngest in the selection, I know there will be more opportunities to come.”
Jones adds one of the biggest things he learnt from taking part in the contest was patience.
“Coming from a Rally 2 background in 2024, the cars I drove in Finland were slower, so I had to adjust my aggression to more standard cars with the reduced level of grip and power as well as other significant differences.
“So, I think looking back now to my 2024 NZ Rally Championship campaign, I can see where I went wrong and could make easy time up, so that’s a huge learning from the competition.”
He says the experience provided a glimpse into other aspects of rallying globally and has provided him with a new perspective on how to attack things physically and mentally when competing.
As for the future, Jones says he is still in the planning stage but for now is looking forward to a well-earned break.
Nicolas Caillol, Toyota Gazoo Racing New Zealand motorsport manager, says Jones has a bright future ahead and the organisations is keen to be part of it.
“We are proud of Zeal’s achievement in being able to go up to the final stages of just six drivers from an initial 100. That is extremely impressive regardless of anything else,” adds Caillol.
“Zeal demonstrated what we have seen in him here in New Zealand and despite not being one of the two drivers selected, he does have a great future and we are working together to see how we could support him in his future endeavours.”
