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Second-generation racer Macauley Jones broke through for his maiden State Championship victory in the Southern Cross Motorsports Queensland Karting Championships in Gympie at the weekend.
Jones, the son of former V8 Supercar driver and current Team Owner Brad Jones, has run inside the top five at virtually every major meeting this season in the class. Today the Albury driver grabbed a debut blue plate ahead of Brock Plumb and Shannon Holley.
Jones led the majority of the final half of the race but he was rarely more than a kart-length ahead of Chris Farkas, Plumb and Shannon Holley. At one stage late in the race the top ten karts were nose-to-tail.
As the field crossed the line entering the final lap it was Plumb who was leading the way but Jones used all of his ever-growing experience to take over the front running with half a lap remaining and win the race to the flag.
“It is just an amazing feeling to break through for my first state title,” said Macauley.
“Going into the last lap I really didn't think I was going to be able to find a way back into the lead but I never gave up and found a way through.
“Dad has always tried to tell me not to get too nervous before a big race but I was pretty nervous before the start of today's race but the nerves soon went away when the green light went on.”
Plumb got the better of the rest to finish runner-up ahead of Holley, Farkas, who led on several occasions, and Nicholas Ellen.
Behind the lead pack, Australian Champion Darsey Kondopirakis was a notable DNF, involved in a crash at Turn 3 on the opening lap.