Sonoma: UAE-born and based racing driver Ed Jones reflected on his IndyCar Rookie of the Year Award success after the final race of the series on Sunday.
“It’s been a great year for us and it’s an honour to receive this award,” said Jones, who also won the IndyLights Series last year.
The 22-year-old British Dale Coyne Racing (DCR) driver had already confirmed the $50,000 (Dh183,650) prize with two races left, and went on to finish 13th and 19th in those events at Watkins Glen and Sonoma. Overall he recorded five top 10 finishes, including one podium, a third-place finish at the Indy 500 in May, to finish 14th out of 37 drivers over the 17-stage season.
“There are so many drivers in the past that have won it as rookies and moved on to be champions or won a lot of races, and I’m hoping I can be part of that story. I feel like as a driver, I got stronger as the season progressed. Early on, I had some great results and while I was driving well then, a lot of things also fell my way. Now, I think I’m better both as a driver and in terms of my bond with the team.
“I want to thank Dale [Coyne] and the whole DCR team for the opportunity they gave me this season, to work alongside a great group of engineers which has allowed me to progress quickly and secure some of the results we did. It’s been a fantastic year, and I hope we can do it again in 2018.”
America’s Joseph Newgarden won the overall series with nine podiums, including four wins.
