Meet star of the future
Rising rally star Zeal Jones has secured a place in the final of the Toyota World Rally Team’s WRC challenge programme.
The Kiwi secured a top spot after an exhausting series of assessments by rally icons Mikko Hirvonen and Jouni Ampuja.
Six made it through the semifinals held in Japan and a seventh driver, who qualified by winning the Morizo Challenge Cup, will now prepare for the final shoot-out in Finland in December.
All will be tested physically and have their skills on ice and snow evaluated before one is signed up for the WRC challenge programme run by Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) as a generation-four driver.
“It was genuine relief when I found out I had secured a spot,” says Jones. “I wasn't overly pleased with my runs, so I wasn’t sure at all until they announced the result an hour after we finished especially as the gymkhana-style evaluation was a familiar format to the other drivers.
“However, after making the semis we were told the results wouldn’t just be based on times like the quarter-finals, so I left it all out there. I just tried my best to demonstrate I can be an all-round driver capable of more than this style of racing, which the instructors acknowledged.
“The gymkhana-style course was challenging as I’ve never done that style of racing. Being in New Zealand, we are blessed with the best roads in the world. Even the instructors told me that.
“With the incredible opportunities I’ve had so far in my career, I have been able to advance quickly through the New Zealand rallying ranks, kind of skipping the entry-level learning, which is autocross and gymkhanas.
“In Japan, this style of racing is more prevalent especially on the tarmac so some of the boys had done the same track, but in a different configuration in previous trials when TGR was on its search for generation-three drivers last year.”
Before heading to Japan, Zeal had undergone an intensive day of preparation behind the wheel of Toyota’s GR models under the tuition of Kaleb Ngatoa.
Jones, pictured above in the centre with other successful drivers, says: “That preparation with TGRNZ proved vital and probably pivotal for me as without the training on track in the GR range with Kaleb, I wouldn't have been able to apply my skills nearly as well.
“We were in the GR Yaris, which was as expected. However, they trialled us in an automatic and no use of paddle shift. This made the circumstances different to what I tested in New Zealand with the manual.
“It made it difficult to use the power, so I had to adapt. It’s now eyes forward to the final and I have to thank the TGRNZ team. When it comes to supporting young drivers like myself wanting to succeed, it goes the extra mile.”
Only open to Japanese drivers, Jones’ mother is Japanese making him eligible to compete. He is the youngest driver ever to become the NZRC Rally Challenge champion and is the 2024 NZ Rally junior champ.
Nicolas Caillol, TGRNZ’s motorsport manager, was delighted with Zeal’s progress on the world stage. He says: “We are very proud of his achievement in making up to the final trip to Finland.
“We had a hunch he might be pretty good, but he is already exceeding everyone’s expectations. He fits perfectly with our philosophy of finding New Zealand’s next world champion.”
