Jordan Hone is the latest rising star to join the British Rally Championship, with the 23-year-old set to pilot an Opel ADAM R2 in the Junior BRC.
The Northern Irishman is relishing the opportunity to fight for supremacy in Britain’s premier rallying series and is ready to enjoy the experience and lap-up the opportunity. So what is Hone looking forward to this year?
“Probably the competition. The series has the best cars and best drivers at our level, so I had to jump at the chance to join in. It has become more attractive to the Irish competitors and having two rounds this side of the water is excellent.”
The ADAM R2 driver will undoubtedly be a dark horse in 2019 as Hone has the speed to take on the established names at the very top. An amazing display on the Ulster Rally showed he has the pace to fight for Junior BRC honours, but the Irishman knows a one-off showing is no substitute for a season-long campaign.
“We are going to take it round-by-round and get to the finish of every event as points mean prizes. I am confident we can take the fight for wins come the end of the season and I hope we can get to that level as quick as possible. On the Ulster Rally last year, we were right at the sharp end and the top R2 result was brilliant ,but there will be pressure of being registered for the BRC this time. It won’t be that easy. I do have to remember I don’t have much experience of any of these events and places like Ypres are going to be real eye openers.”
With a level-headed approach ahead of 2019, the Opel driver has a great set-up around himself for the step-up into the BRC.
“I have Aileen Kelly in the car this year. That is going to be a massive help as she has a lot of experience of the BRC and will bring a lot to the car. The car itself has really proved itself at this level as Callum [Devine] won the series two-years ago in it, so I have no excuse and have all the tools at my disposal.”
With the excitement building ahead of the new season, Jordan cannot wait to get stuck into the six-round series.
“West Cork and the Pirelli are the two I have always wanted to do. West Cork is a legendary event in Ireland with brilliant roads while the Pirelli is a real challenge on gravel. I have done bits of Kielder but I can’t wait for the day-long action on the really quick roads. Unlike most Irish drivers I have a love for gravel over Tarmac. I have done well in Group N in the Irish Forestry series and won the 1400 class in the BTRDA series, so I think my experience on the loose will really help me.”
