Jeff Jones Racing debuted their new LS Equipped 370z which was completed only a few days prior to the event. Jeff and his team went into RD1 confident but unsure what to expect as with any new build, there's a learning curve to work through. Given the short time frame from completion to the first day of RD1, Jeff was unable to get much seat time and had to work with only 1 testing session prior to event load in. During official Formula Drift practice, they had to get used to the different aspects of the lighter, more powerful monster. Unfortunately during practice Jeff made wall contact requiring all hands-on deck to get the car ready to battle in competition.
Jeff's first qualifying run resulted in an incomplete after making contact with the wall again and straightening out. This put Jeff and his team into the "last chance bracket" which Jeff and his team have never experienced. Thanks to the hard work of the team, Jeff was able to get back out there and was able to put down a qualifying run, making it into the top 32.
The next match up for Jeff was against the 1st place qualifier, Ryan Tuerck. This is when the team discovered Jeff was down a cylinder just before the battle with Tuerck, which pushed the team to use their "5 minute competition time out". Despite being down a cylinder, Jeff went out and put down 2 respectable runs, but being down on power, Tuerck would advance into the top 16. Team Jeff Jones Racing finished Round 1 in 32nd place.
Team Jeff Jones Racing is preparing to make a comeback in RD2 in Atlanta, GA on May 6-7. With a strong fanbase and team behind him, Jeff is optimistic on a strong weekend.
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"This was definitely a wild event, I can't believe we were able to even put down a qualifying lap after I put it into the wall 2 times on the driver side. I've never had 2 hits back to back like that. Huge thank you to the crew and my partners for getting us to Rd 1. I am getting back to work, get this car dialed and ready to rock at Rd 2 Atlanta next month." – Jeff Jones |