INTRODUCING harri jones
DRIVER BIO
Nationality: Australian
Date of Birth: June 2, 1999
Team: Porsche Centre Melbourne
Rank: FIA Silver
Born: Sunshine Coast, Aus
Lives: Gold Coast, Aus
CAReer STATS
253 Races
3 Championship Wins
58 Race Wins
108 Podiums
21 Pole Positions
47 Fastest Laps
Harri Jones is one of the most decorated Porsche drivers in Australian motorsport. The Queensland based twenty-five-year-old has had a tremendous rise in the sport and has proven himself time and again across a wide range of machinery at elite levels.
There is nothing conventional about Harri, especially when it comes to his motorsport career. Where almost every young driver begins their career in Karting championships, Harri started his on two wheels, competing at an elite level in Downhill Mountain biking. After some close call injuries, Harri made the bold move at the age of fifteen to switch to motorsport. Despite a later start than most, his rise in motorsport since then has been nothing short of meteoric. Starting in the Queensland Formula Ford Championship, he finished second in the overall series in his debut year, Harri then stepped straight up into the Australian Formula Ford Championship where he competed for the next two years. In 2018, he rose yet again into the Australian Formula 3 Championship, winning his first title at just 18 years of age.
Since that time, Harri has continued to establish himself as one of Australia’s bright young stars. In 2019, he joined forces with McElrea Racing to debut in the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge. It was a big shift converting from open wheelers to GT cars. However, with the help of the amazing team around him, Harri went on to win the Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge title, earning him a spot in the highly competitive Carrera Cup Australia Championship.
Porsche Carrera Cup Australia is where Harri began to shine. With two seasons interrupted by the COVID epidemic, Harri never lost sight of his goal got creative to continue developing his driving skills. In 2021, Harri placed third in the Outright Championship but in Season 2021, Harri left nothing to chance and claimed the Porsche Carrera Cup Australia Championship. It was a year that saw new cars, new tracks, and the most competitive field of drivers in the Carrera Cup history, Harri was able take his racing to the next level. Through relentless consistency and speed, he claimed 10 podiums, 4 race wins and the 2022 Championship.
In 2023 Harri packed his bags and moved to Europe to compete at the pinnacle of Porsche one-make racing worldwide. Racing with BWT Lechner Racing in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and Scherer Sport PHX in Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland, Harri’s driving skills and experience were catapulted to new heights. Across 20 race weekends, Harri raced alongside the Formula 1 at circuits like Monte Carlo, Monza and Spa-Francorchamps. In both championships he claimed Rookie Vice Champion.
Harri’s passion for Motorsport goes beyond just driving the car. In 2024, Harri is back in Australia running his own team, Jones Motorsport, in Porsche Sprint Challenge along with racing Carrera Cup with Porsche Centre Melbourne Motorsport. In a sport where opportunities are hard to come by, Harri plans to use his experience and skills to elevate the Motorsport Industry and help the next crop of young drivers their full potential by operating a highly professional and holistic race team.
“Racing is my passion. It gives me purpose and pushes me every single day to be at my absolute best. I’m determined to be a World Champion and willing to do whatever it takes to get there.”
Q&A
WHY DO YOU LOVE RACING?
Racing gives me purpose and drives me every day to be my best. As a driver, I love close quarter battles on track and the feeling of gratification after achieving my goals. I also love that racing enables me to connect, learn from and work with some incredible people with an array of skillsets. But if there is one thing I love most, it’s the feeling I get when I arrive at the track, because I know every day, no matter how it goes on track, I’ll learn something new, push myself and be surrounded by people who inspire me.
WHAT ARE YOUR TOP 3 CAREER HIGHLIGHTS SO FAR?
Winning the GT4 Category of the 2017 Bathurst 12hr was my first breakthrough in the sport. I was just seventeen at the time and had only been driving for two years. It was a crazy weekend with lots of highs and lows, but all the experiences over that weekend engrained my passion for the sport.
In 2022, winning the Porsche Carrera Cup Championship has to be my biggest highlight to date. We sealed the deal at the final round on home soil in front of all of my friends, family and supporters. So much hard work and sacrifice went into that championship, and it will forever be a great memory.
Last but not least my Porsche Sprint Challenge title victory in 2019 was also a great moment. It was a mighty team effort and during that year I really felt something clicked for me in the sport. Looking back, I think that year really shaped me as a driver.
ANY OTHER PERSONAL INTERESTS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE?
Before I started in Motorsport, I raced Downhill Mountain Bikes and fell head over heels in love with the sport. Needless to say, I enjoy getting back on the bike any chance I get. I also enjoy surfing, training and learning. I am an ambassador for my local hometown of the Sunshine Coast, and I love meeting new people and having the opportunity to represent the place I grew up in.
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE MOTORSPORT MOMENTS?
There are moments in this sport when you feel completely at one with the car. Every sense in your body is aimed purely on driving as fast as you can, and it almost becomes effortless. They are rare, but they are incredible.
WHAT IS YOUR ALL TIME FAVOURITE RACE CAR?
That’s a tough one, it’s between the Porsche 917/30 and the Mercedes CLK GTR. Look them up, you won’t be disappointed!