Transcript of the interview:
Sammy Jones: AndreaModa
Willi van de Bloedevotz: Klon
Tom Sutton: Pasta
Mike O'Kane: Atax1a
Willi van de Bloedevotz: Well, Mr. Jones, first off I am thankful for you joining us for this interview. Only a few weeks have passed since what appears to be your final F1RWRS race, the Baltic Sea Grand Prix, where you finished fifth after battling with young talents Yuka Katayama and Jordan Davies. Was that race the way you'd imagine your final race?
Sammy Jones: Well, if I'm honest, I still feel great, and I think I could compete for at least another two seasons. But I'm a realist, and I know what whilst I had success in F1, in these later years I've struggled somewhat for competitiveness. I had the chance to sign Rhys, and took it. Doing that was the best thing I've done for my team for a long time. He may be the same age as me, but he has a lot more to give yet, you'll see that for sure.
Tom Sutton: Some have called for a return to the wilder days of F1RWRS, with more open regulations and spats between drivers, most notable between yourself, McAllister and Morii, dominating the headlines. Do you echo these calls?
SJ: I don't think it's ever gone away really, there's been a whole host of incidents this year, and not all of them involving me. I think F1RWRS is as healthy as it's ever been, both on track and off. The rivalries are what make it so great, people want to see genuine people with genuine passions for racing, that's all it is at the end of the day. There are some arseholes in the paddock, but if there wasn't, it would be a lot more boring
WVDB: You just said that Rhys Davies has a lot to give. With him and Rosco Vantini, how do you see your team's chances for 2016? And who will be your strongest rivals for whatever goal you want to achieve?
SJ: It's definitely the best line-up we've ever had. Having Dagnall in 2011 and 2012 comes close, but here we've now got the blend of youth and experience. It's an old cliche, but these boys have it in them to win the title, we've seen that this year.....and Vantini, what can you say about the kid? He's blown everyone out of the water this year - put him in the MRT and he'd give Dagnall Jr a run for his money that’s for sure, especially now his daddy isn't around to wipe his arse.
TS: It has been 5 years since the unfortunate passing of your father, Harvey Jones. How much have decisions you've made been influenced by him, and if he were alive today, do you think he would be proud of the achievements of Jones Racing?
SJ: It was tough in 2011, I'd just set the team up, there was a whole load of shite going on, my performances on track were affected massively, I DNPQd so many times that year whilst Dagnall did all the work. He inspired me to go out there and make the bold decisions without having second thoughts. He was a man of conviction, and knew right from wrong, and whilst I've sometimes strayed from that belief at times since his death, I'd like to think I've done him proud in what I've achieved so far with my team, and what we'll go on to achieve in future. I always knew he wanted his own team, so I think for him to see me set my own up just before he died was the perfect present to him, and in a way, having supported my career his whole life, it sort of completed him. It made it easier for him to die, knowing that his son had achieved everything he'd wanted to himself.
WVDB: Speaking of your father: with him being a Formula One race-winner, it seemed obvious that you would try your hand at motorsport. What I am pondering is was just something that came "with the flow", so to speak, or was there a specific moment when you decided you wanted to do motorsport for a career?
SJ: Well I was born when Dad was starting out in F1, so for me growing up, I would always see pictures, and meet people who knew him from his racing days. He was such a racer himself that I think he always wanted me to replicate what he'd done, so I'd definitely say he nudged me towards competing, but at no point did he ever buy me a kart and point at the thing and say "I want you to drive this" or whatever. It was my choice to start out back in the mid 80s, I think it was 87 that I first started to dream of racing at the highest level, and that's when we started to take it seriously, and of course my Dad was there to support me at every opportunity.
TS: Is there any truth to rumours that Castrol are seeking to pull out of Jones Racing by the end of 2016?
SJ: This is an interesting one, I wasn't expecting a question like this because I thought we'd kept this under wraps but some shit-for-brains must have let it slip. What I'll say for the time being is that Castrol has been a superb partner for Jones Racing, their support got the team off it’s knees in 2013, and allowed us to jump right back into F1RWRS after Marlboro pulled the plug. They have stood by the team through some tough times image-wise and allowed us to maintain ourselves at the front of the grid. They are reviewing their global sponsorship commitments at the present time, and that includes their deal with us. There's no plans for any exit, but we're prepared if the decision to leave comes through. It's no sweat for us, as a top team we have a number of parters in line to replace Castrol if they choose to walk away - and we've already confirmed Marlboro will be returning to the team for 2016.
WVDB: You said Castrol helped you immensely in 2013. Generally, that year must have been a rather challenging one for you with the not-quite withdrawal of your team, the return with a win at the third race of the season and a driver change shortly before the end of the year. Would you say 2013 was the toughest year of your career as a team owner?
SJ: Arguably yes, but 2011 when we set the team up was hard too. The thing with 2013 was the upheaval with the rules. The commission left it so late, we'd already developed a car, and when everything came through, we needed more money from Marlboro, and they weren't interested and pulled out. As soon as that happened, we lost the contract for the Renault engines as we couldn't pay the bill, and it spiralled from there. I kept it hushed at the time because the team had enough trouble as it was without speculation is going to be wound up on top of it too. Fortunately, the search for a new sponsor didn't take too long, Castrol came in and we were good to go for Mexico. Signing Lon to the team was fortuitous, but he'd had enough of Kamaha, so we grabbed the opportunity with both hands and he had nothing to loose. The issues later on in the year were a real shame. I think with Lon still young, even now, we could have really built a team around him and gone from there. But things were getting out of hand with the allegations, I had Nabisco on my back threatening to pull the Oreo sponsorship, and the bastards did in the end anyway. We had a deal with Embassy to come in, and the bad press was enough to put them off, so in the end, I felt I had no choice but to cut loose and start afresh.
TS: Jones Racing Group have arguably dealt with a lot of young talent in it's existence, but the most notable has to be Danny van Rijkens. Having raced for Jones Racing's RoLFS operation, would you be pleased to work with van Rijkens again in F1RWRS?
SJ: Definitely. I saw Danny during a trip to South Africa, and he's a really impressive kid. He's done great things in the Tropico car, and he's really grabbed that opportunity with both hands. If he continues to improve, and the opportunity arises, then I'd definitely like to see him back in a Jones Racing car.
WVDB: Before van Rijkens's success, however, the one driver of your squad tipped for a great future was Terry Hawkin. However, you removed him from your Formula 2 squad and moved him to the IFRC. Some pundits fear that this could hurt his career with it being difficult to proceed from that series to F1RWRS. Would you consider those fears irrational?
SJ: Definitely. The way I see it, F2RWRS is on a slippery slope. We've seen it all the time with the feeder series below the main championship - Formula 2, F3000, GP2, all have fallen away to be shadows of what they once were, and I think F2RWRS will go the same way. Terry is still very young, my original plan for him was to have him compete for two years in F3RWRS, but he almost took the title despite missing a whole race weekend, and he really impressed in his stints for Gillet, and the Jones Italia, don't get me started on that bathplug, so I felt it was only right to give him a full time drive in F2RWRS in 2015. But it's clear the apparent "parity" between engine suppliers is virtually non-existent, and the racing itself is very poor. The IFRC is a fresh start for that series, and I think it's got massive potential. We've seen many drivers come through it's predecessor, least of all van Rijkens who we've already spoken about, and I think in a year or two we'll be mentioning Hawkin in the same breath. The IFRC is a steady ship, it's run by people who know what they're doing, and I think that's vital when you have young drivers' careers on the line. bathplug it up for them is so painfully unfair, and that's why I don't want Hawkin in F2RWRS anymore.
WVDB: If'd you have to give someone who is currently in a junior series, maybe Formula Ford like you were, one critical piece of advice: what would it be?
SJ: To not take shite from anyone. Get yourself someone to back you up, on the same wavelength as you, and push to the limit. People will try and kock you down at every turn, and the important thing is, every time, dust yourself off and come back harder. It's the only way you'll ever shut them up.
Mike O'Kane: Whilst driving for you, Rosco Vantini was a massive success. However, his former championship rival Mitchell Macklin floundered somewhat. Do you feel that the talent in F2RWRS is a bit hit and miss?
SJ: Undoubtedly. It's one of the big flaws of F2RWRS, hence why I don't want Hawkin in it. Look at Alberto Cara for example - top driver, massive potential, and yet he's been left to flounder without a chance in F1RWRS where he deserves to be. The same thing can be said of Marie Simon. She was shafted by MRT who threw the title to Macklin like you'd throw a bone to a bathplug dog, and she came through it with an offer from me on the table for 2015. She never returned my calls though, so we went for Vantini instead once Melrose didn't want to play ball. And instead she's rocked up at Revolution, which is a good team, and I think she's been given a hard time by some sections of the press, but she can definitely take that team somewhere in future.
TS: With several teams now lodging entry applications, although a space has not yet opened up, who out of the hopefuls would you most like to see on the F1RWRS grid?
SJ: To be honest, right now it's hard to say. I like the look of the Nebula/Fusion set-up, it's a bit complex from what I understand with them, but I think from what they've achieved in the lower series, they can be a good team for F1RWRS. Plus One are another well run team, though I despise the "Good Call" marketing ploy. Whoever thought of that idea needs to be shot. Good Call is 2012 vintage! Luke Knight is a bit too arrogant as well, I think he'll find himself on the wrong side of a few of us next year, least of all because he likes getting too cosy with that scumbag Linari.
WVDB: Well, the media has talked a lot about who is your wrong side but one thing that, well, kind of is unknown to most: who does Sammy Jones consider friends on the grid? Does the sport allow for friendships at all or are the competitive spirits too hard to handle?
SJ: No absolutely, I've always had a good relationship with Rhys, it made it so much easier signing him to the team. And all of the drivers I've worked with I'd like to think they see me as I see them, mutual friends all enjoying what we do. I've always been good mates with Chris Dagnall as well, right from when I drove alongside him at Arrows in Germany in 1999. He's an absolute legend, a credit to motorsport.
WVDB: You hired a lot of former Formula 1 drivers for your team, not only Chris Dagnall but Daniel Melrose as well. You have driven against both during your own Formula One career, mostly against Daniel Melrose though - he won many F1 championships a few years ago. Would you say that you could have been a F1 world champion if not for him?
SJ: Yes, I've no doubt about that. I made some poor career choices back then as well, but yeah Melrose was around at precisely the wrong time for me. I've heard a lot of rumours that he and his team broke a lot of rules back then, which explains why he did so well. It always seemed to good to be true, and maybe the truth will come out one day I don't know. But I won races, and enjoyed a lot of success in F1, and made a lot of friends as well. There was a crop of us in F1 that moved to F1RWRS when it started up, and in a way, although we've had our differences, it's been like being in a class at school, going through things with the same people around you. That shouldn't be forgotten, we all wanted the same thing, success and glory, and we've all worked damn hard to try and achieve that.
TS: Spanning 16 years, you've driven many different F1 and F1RWRS cars. However, is there a car you haven't raced in that stands out in the history of either F1 or F1RWRS as a car you'd love to drive?
SJ: I'd have loved that MRT last year! You could have put a monkey in that car and it could have won the title, only the genius of Dagnall stopped Melrose's boys from sweeping the titles, and even then he eventually won the title in a bathplug MRT. Funny how the world works. But aside from that, I would have liked to have been teammate to Melrose in F1, just to see how good I would have been directly up against him. And I would love to have a drive in one of my Dad's cars. Maybe his 1980 Lotus, he had some great drives in that.
WVDB: One more question: what does the future hold for Sammy Jones?
SJ: The future? Well team ownership is where it's at, some say it's a bit dull, but I'm loving it. Not driving is going to be tough to get used to but it had to happen at some point, and now I have the opportunity to put all my efforts into making Jones Racing the best motorsport organisation in the world. We have some big plans for chassis building, the start of which is being seen in F3RWRS. When F2RWRS opens up, we'll be tendering there, and we'll no doubt be examining other options in future as well. America has always been somewhere I'd like to try out, so maybe a move over there perhaps, but for now, my main focus is knocking MRT and that smug bastard Melrose off the top of his perch, and make Jones Racing the best team in the F1RWRS.
TS: Thank you for your time, Mr Jones.
SJ: It's been a pleasure. Thank you for attending!
