Karl Jones
Franklyn De Karl Jones (born 4 April 1957 in Llantwit Major, Wales) is a British former auto racing driver. He is best known for competing in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC)
| Karl Jones | |
|---|---|
| Nationality |  British |
| Born | 4 April 1957 Llantwit Major, Wales |
| British Saloon / Touring Car Championship | |
| Years active | 6 |
| Teams | Asquith Autosport Dennis Leech Ecosse Motorsport Techspeed Racing |
| Starts | 36 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Poles | 1 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Best finish | 26th in 1987 |
Career
Jones started racing in 1981, finishing third in his debut season in the Junior Formula Ford 1600 Championship. The following year he finished as runner-up, then champion in 1983 of Brands Hatch FF1600. In 1985 he competed in the BRSCC Production Saloon Championship, finishing as runner-up. He went on to be champion of the series in 1986, driving a Fiat Strada. He spent one more season in the championship, this time competing in a Ford Escort RS Turbo.
He stepped up to the BTCC in 1988, competing for two seasons in his Duckhams backed Class A Ford Sierra RS500.[1] During his time here, he managed two second-place finishes. He did not return in 1990 due to budget reasons. He did compete in the Willhire 24 Hour race that yearIn 1991 he competed in selected events of both the Renault Clio Cup and Ford Fiesta Championship. Jones made a return to the BTCC in 1992, with a BMW M3 for the independent Techspeed Racing team. A troubled season ended after round ten at Knockhill with no championship points.[2]
In 1993 Jones switched from touring cars to compete in the RS2000 rallysport series with a car owned by Blakes Ford of Liverpool. In 1994 he competed in the Ford Fiesta Championship entered again by Blakes and sponsored by Duckhams.
Racing record
Complete British Saloon / Touring Car Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position – 1988–1990 in class) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap – 1 point awarded ?–1989 in class)
| Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | DC | Pts | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Autocar Magazine with Marshall Asquith | Ford Escort RS1600i | C | SIL | OUL | THR | DON | THR | SIL | DON | SIL 18 |
SNE | BRH | BRH | SIL | 28th | 3 | 10th | |||
| 1987 | Asquith Autosport | Ford Escort RS Turbo | B | SIL | OUL | THR | THR | SIL | SIL Ret |
BRH DSQ |
SNE | DON | DON Ret |
SIL 10 |
26th | 6 | 7th | ||||
| Dennis Leech | Rover Vitesse | A | OUL 6‡ |
NC | |||||||||||||||||
| 1988 | Asquith Autosport | Ford Sierra RS500 | A | SIL | OUL Ret |
THR 10 |
DON Ret |
THR 2 |
SIL 9 |
SIL 10 |
BRH 6 |
SNE 6 |
BRH Ret |
BIR C |
DON 7 |
SIL DNS |
27th | 9 | 12th | ||
| 1989 | Asquith Autosport | Ford Sierra RS500 | A | OUL Ret |
SIL 11 |
THR 2 |
DON Ret |
THR 4 |
SIL 12 |
SIL 12 |
BRH 7 |
SNE Ret |
BRH Ret |
BIR DNQ |
DON 8 |
SIL 9 |
33rd | 7 | 10th | ||
| 1990 | Ecosse Motorsport | BMW M3 | B | OUL | DON | THR | SIL | OUL | SIL | BRH | SNE | BRH DNP |
BIR | DON | THR | SIL | NC | 0 | NC | ||
| 1992 | Techspeed Racing | BMW M3 | SIL 16 |
THR 13 |
OUL 16 |
SNE Ret |
BRH 12 |
DON 1 Ret |
DON 2 DNS |
SIL 13 |
KNO 1 Ret |
KNO 2 DNS |
PEM | BRH 1 |
BRH 2 |
DON | SIL | NC | 0 | ||
Source:[3] | |||||||||||||||||||||
‡ Endurance driver.
References
- "BTCC :: Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship". Archived from the original on 30 October 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2013. Official 1989 BTCC standings
- "BTCC :: Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship". Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2008. Official 1992 BTCC standings.
- de Jong, Frank. "British Saloon Car Championship". History of Touring Car Racing 1952-1993. Retrieved 28 January 2023.