N°305 Car CAN-AM FACTORY TEAM

AUSTIN JONES

(usa) 1.82m / 79kg

Hobbies

Motorcycles, friends

Sponsors

Red Bull, Can-Am

2023: 1st T3
2022: 1st T4
2021: 2nd SSV
2020: 8th SSV (2nd rookie)

2023: Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (2nd T3) / Sonora Rally (2nd T3) / Desafio Ruta 40 (6th T3) / Rallye du Maroc (20th T3). W2RC: 3rd T3
2022: Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (3rd T4) / Andalucia Rally (4th T4) / Rallye du Maroc (54th, 16th T4). W2RC: 3rd T4
2021: Kaskahstan Rally (1st SSV) / Rallye du Maroc (6th SSV). FIA World Cup: 1st SSV
2020: Qatar Cross-Country Rally (Ab.), Vegas to Reno (17th) / Andalucia Rally (1st SSV)
2019: SCORE International (3rd) / San Felipe 250 (1st) / Baja 500 (4th) / Baja 400 (4th) / Silk Way Rally (5th) / Andalucia Rally (9th SSV) / Rallye du Maroc (4th SSV)
2018: Parker 425 (1st) / SCORE International (1st) / San Felipe 250 (2nd) / Baja 500 (1st) / Baja 1000 (1st) / Baja Aragon / Rallye du Maroc (ab.)

Interview

“We’re consistent and always there at the finish”

Off-road runs in Austin’s blood. ‘AJ’ as he’s known on the bivouac, spent his childhood learning the ins and outs of racing, although it was only in 2018 that he got behind the wheel himself, after spending a year as his dad’s co-driver. In his first full season, Austin took the SCORE International championship by storm, claiming victories at the Baja 500 and Baja 1000 in the Trophy Truck Spec class. Austin took his first steps in rally-raid towards the end of 2018 by entering the Rallye du Maroc. Second on the 2021 Dakar (SSV class), he followed that up by competing in the World Cup for Cross Country Rallies, taking three wins, including the final in Abu Dhabi to lift his first world title -and then going on to win his first Dakar at the beginning of 2022. Throughout the American has relied on his Brazilian co-driver's even more impressive record of achievements. Gustavo Gugelmin has seven Dakars under his belt. In 2018, with his compatriot Reinaldo Varela, he won the SSV category and followed that by winning the 2019 world cup in their category. Ten years ago, the Brazilian won the FIA World Cup in the T2 category. After their 2022 Dakar win and the marathon status points it gave them, the Jones / Gugelmin pairing were logical favourites to take the inaugural 2022 W2RC championship. Except a run of bad luck stopped them from making the break from rivals Mareck Goczal and Rokas Baciuska and going into the final round in Andalusia the three were separated by just 2 points! In the end Austin finished the race in fourth place to take third in the championship. The 2023 Dakar saw Austin and Gustavo move up to the fiercely competitive T3 class for lightweight prototypes but clearly they were not intimidated by the experience, winning their class first time out. They went on to compete in all the remaining rounds of the W2RC in that category, going into the last round, the Rallye du Maroc, neck and neck with Seth Quintero and Mitch Gutherie. Unfortunately Morocco didn’t go their way and a 20th place saw them finish the W2RC on the last step of the podium once again.


A.J.: “For sure 2023 started perfectly with the Dakar win and then it didn’t finish so well in Morocco. We were having a good race and then the trailing arm broke and with it went our chances of winning the W2RC. But that’s racing and now we’re fully focused on the main event. I’m expecting the 2024 Dakar to be a hard one. Every year so far in Saudi Arabia has been harder than the one before and I don’t think the next one will be an exception. Sometimes when you are actually racing the level of difficulty can be a pain but at the same time that is what it supposed to be and what gives it its notoriety. And also I think it is good for us. We might not win every special but we’re consistent and always there at the finish. Whether we’ll be able to win three in a row is altogether another question. It would be really amazing if we could manage it but statistically it becomes less likely every year… I’ll let you know if we can manage it at the end of the race!”

Vehicle

CAN-AM FACTORY TEAM

CAN-AM MAVERICK XRS TURBO
CAN AM FACTORY RACING TEAM

  • CAN-AM
  • MAVERICK XRS TURBO
  • Red Bull Can-Am
  • Red Bull Can-Am
  • T3.1: Lightweight Prototype Cross-Country

Ranking 2024

All news of A. Jones

Reactions - 17/01 17:25 [GMT +3] - Car

Austin Jones: "I guess this just isn't our year"

Austin Jones, a two-time Dakar champion in the lightweight prototype category, has seen better days. The American finished a disappointing seventh in stage 10 and dropped another haul of more than 8 minutes to the winner. Two days from the finish, the Can Am driver is fifth overall, 1 h 27 behind the leader but just 5 minutes from Rokas Baciuška...

Summary - 10/01 19:20 [GMT +3]

"Quintafondo" and "Nasser Al Attack"

FOCUS

As the name suggests, the Empty Quarter is not exactly teeming with conventional architectural or cultural tourist attractions. Yet, for rally-raid enthusiasts, it is a staggering treasure trove with dunes that stretch as far as the eye can see. Millions? Billions, perhaps? Who knows, it is hard to count while in the throes of sand fever. The riders and crews were...

Summary - 09/01 18:24 [GMT +3]

Cornejo like a boss, Loeb back to winning ways

Focus

The thermometer only read five degrees in the early morning on leaving the tents at the bivouac in Al Salamiya to head towards the city of Al Hofuf, next to one of the country’s biggest oases, home to three million date palms. In between the two, the total distance to be covered measured almost 700 km, but the riders, drivers and crews “only” did...

Newsflashes - 06/01 17:45 [GMT +3] - Car

Jones surges

When Austin Jones went through the first time check in fourteenth place, he was down but not out. The reigning champion is now second at the 367 km mark, 2′46″ behind Michał Goczał.

Newsflashes - 06/01 11:49 [GMT +3] - Car

Go, Go, Go-czał!

The winner of the prologue, Eryk Goczał, who is making his Challenger debut after winning the SSV race last season, will inaugurate the stage. His uncle Michał will get going 10 minutes later. The reigning champion, Austin Jones, will start in 24th place. The American is not concerned about this late start because yesterday's times do not count towards the...

Newsflashes - 05/01 14:01 [GMT +3] - Car

Things always come in threes?

Austin Jones, who won in the SSV category in 2022 and then in the Challenger class in 2023, as well as finishing third in the W2RC, is aiming for a hat-trick this year. “It would be really great if we managed to do it, but statistically it’s becoming less and less likely each year,” points out the North American, who should nevertheless be battling...

News - 05/01 12:21 [GMT +3]

Dakar 2024 - Prologue | All the results

QUADS | ARGENTINA TAKES THE UPPER HAND

Francisco Moreno has beaten his countryman Manuel Andújar, the winner of the Dakar in 2021, by 28’’. The double title holder Alexandre Giroud achieved the third best time, 1’14’’ behind the day’s winner. As a result, on his 3rd Dakar, Moreno has picked up his 3rd stage...

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