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Premier Profile

Jono Lester

Date of birth:	December 8, 1989 (22 y/o)
Races entered:	157
Wins:	15
Podiums:	41
Pole positions:	4
Fastest laps:	11
Race win percentage:	9.55%
(the above statistics are a summary of the data currently available on the Career details page.)

Jono Lester's biography

2011

- Team New Zealand Driver, World Time Attack Challenge
- Toyota Racing Series Debut, Taupo - 4th overall
- 1st Overall 4&Rotary Superlap Time Attack, Mitsubishi Evo
- 2nd Overall 4&Rotary Superlap Time Attack, Toyota Supra

By this stage, I'd been out of a regular drive for not far shy of two years, so I did everything I could to drive something. Anything!

Some more Time Attack racing yielded a 1-2 finish when I crossed entered in two different cars! But more importantly, I struck up a conversation with the organisers of the World Time Attack Challenge in Australia, who granted me entry into the event representing New Zealand.

While the Evo went through a massive overhaul to up the standard in taking on the world's best, I competed in the final round of the Toyota Racing Series at Taupo, finishing in fourth overall in my first real single seater race.

After so long with a roof over my head, it blew my mind just what I'd been missing out on in single seaters, and set my sights on having a proper crack at the championship in 2012.

The World Time Attack Challenge at Eastern Creek showed promise, but we were hampered by problems right from the first run of the weekend, meaning our only credited lap for the weekend was the lap I spent learning the circuit and figuring out which way the corners went!

2010

- Porsche Motorsport Talent Scholarship Winner
- 2nd Place 4&Rotary Superlap Time Attack, Toyota Supra
- Second successful completion of the NZ Motorsport Charity Trainathon
- Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup Debut, Monza - 13th (of 32)

Facing another season on the pit wall, I was pleasantly surprised to receive a letter from Porsche AG inviting me to Italy as one of 12 young drivers selected to take part in a shootout for a 'Porsche Motorsport Talent' Scholarship.

After the two day event pedalling the brand new MY2010 GT3 Cup Car and being tested on all other aspects of my package, I was awarded a Scholarship to assist with my competing in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup that coming year.

Unfortunately, despite the assistance it was impossible to raise the large budget from my base in New Zealand, so instead I was offered a round in the Porsche Factory Guest Car at the last round of the Supercup championship at the famous Monza Autodrome.

As one of 32 cars - the biggest Supercup field in seven years - I relished the opportunity to take part in such a competitive series, and despite limited testing and track time found myself improving from a 21st qualifying position to 13th at the finish.

2009

- Porsche GT3 Cup Car Development with Porsche AG, Bahrain Sakhir International Circuit
- Porsche Supercup testing with Lechner Racing, Hungaroring Grand Prix Circuit
- Hamilton 400 Trophy Winner, Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge
- Taupo A1GP Trophy Winner, Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge
- New Zealand Sports Car Series Taupo Winner, Juno SSE-NZ
- Successful completion of the NZ Motorsport Charity Trainathon
- Trainathon secures World Record for 'The World's Longest Gym Training Session' (40 Hours)

The Porsche series was fairly average in 2009. We had terrific pace at times, scored a number of race wins, the Taupo A1GP Endurance Trophy and the Hamilton 400 round win, but I was still lacking in consistency to string a championship together, and this really hurt my points haul.

I had success in Time Attack with another victory and spent some time developing the Juno SSV8 sports prototype from the UK.

Off the track, I put together a motorsport based charity fitness 'Trainathon' in conjunction with the World Vision 40 Hour Famine, where myself a bunch of other driver fitness trained for 40 hours solid at the NZ Academy of Sport facilities, raising $10,000 for child poverty. We completed the Trainathon for a second time in 2010.

Around this time, the global economic crisis was beginning to be felt down in New Zealand and facing another season on the sidelines, I packed my bags and headed to Austria to have my motorsport OE with the Lechner Racing Team in the Porsche Supercup.

Testing for Lechner at Hungary was incredible, and I spent two months travelling with them and gaining a real appreciation for the professionalism and intense racing Europe has to offer.

When I got home, I realised this was where I needed to be.

The first step to this was travelling to Bahrain late in the year to assist Porsche AG with component testing for the new MY2010 GT3 Cup Car, at the Bahrain Sakhir F1 facility.

2008

- Presidents Scholarship Recipient
- 1st place, Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, Taupo Round Three
- 1st place, Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, Taupo Race Three

In stark contrast to 2007, this season was tough for me.

It started well, with race and round wins at Taupo and a solid points position seeing me locked in a battle for second overall with Daniel Gaunt. Then came a massive blow to my body and mind when an accident at Timaru left me with a broken leg and a crushed ego.

This made my inauguration into the competitive Australian Porsche Carrera Cup extremely difficult, and we pulled the plug on the championship after a few mediocre rounds.

My efforts were still recognised at home, and I was awarded a Presidents Scholarship to spend time with Dr. Kerry Spackman, a world renowned neuroscientist specialising in high performance sport and the effects of the brain on human emotion and logic.

It couldn't have come at a better time, and Kerry got me back on track and ready for action heading into 2009.

2007

- Steel Trophy recipient for top junior (under-21) driver in New Zealand
- 2nd place, Elite Motorsport Academy
- 4th place, Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge
- 1st place, Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge, Timaru Race Three (youngest worldwide winner at 17 y/o)
- 1st place, NZ Performance Car Superlap Time Attack, Mitsubishi Evo VIII
- New Zealand's Best Presented Driver, XtraMSN Motorsport Awards

When I eventually got back in the seat, I was hungry for success. I joined the Porsche GT3 Cup as a 16-year old, which provided a massive step up for me in all aspects of driving, technical demands and profile.

My debut season was just incredible. Running as a privateer with support from Blackwoods Paykels, we finished in fourth overall, scoring a number of podiums and becoming the world's youngest Porsche Cups race winner, not long after I turned 17.

My performances granted me entry into the Elite Motorsport Academy, and I was also awarded the Steel Trophy recognising the top junior driver (under-21) in New Zealand for the year. It was a great honour, given my father and aunt both had their names on the trophy as well!

The Elite Motorsport Academy was a real week to remember, and after a week in the snow in Dunedin learning about all things motorsport, sponsorship, fitness, nutrition, mental preparation and a plethora of other activities, I finished in second place overall and was a member of the winning 'team' for the week's challenges.

2007 also marked my first experiences in Time Attack racing, where I won the inaugural New Zealand event behind the wheel of the EVO88U Mitsubishi Evo 8.

2005

- 3rd place, Formula Challenge Winter Series
- Best Presented Car, NZ Formula First Championship

The higher profile of the Formula Challenge Winter Series was next, and I spent the entire championship battling with former Vee team mate Mark Russ and Australian visitor Damian Assaillit.

Despite winning half the races in the series, some inconsistencies in my performances meant I just missed out on the series and finished in third overall.

At this point, my family and I were weighing up options on the next step. All signs pointed to Formula Ford, but the budget was unattainable and I ended up having to spend the season watching from pit wall.

As tough as it was, it gave me the motivation to prepare myself out of the car, and I became hooked on fitness, nutrition, and building a marketable brand around my motor racing exploits moving forward...

2004

- 2nd place, HQ Holden Series, Manfeild
- 1st place, Formula Challenge Summer Series
- Competed in New Zealand Grand Prix, Formula Ford
- Competed in North Island Endurance Series, Honda Civic EK4 ATCC
- Alex Elvy Memorial Trophy recipient, NZ Formula First Championship

Whilst continuing on with my Formula Vee racing, I drove anything I possibly could to gain further experience in diverse machinery.

Early in the year, I competed in the New Zealand Grand Prix in a bumper Formula Ford field of over 30 cars in an RF92 Van Diemen, then another Winter Series and subsequent National championship in Formula Vee.

We scored three podium finishes in the first two events, but engine problems plagued us thereafter and we ended up missing a number of races because of it.

I also did a few races in a two tonne HQ Holden, some Endurance racing in an ex-Team Petronas ATCC Honda Civic EK, and won the Formula Challenge Summer Series with four wins from six races.

2003

- 2nd place, Manfeild Winter Series, Formula First

Bypassing the traditional go karting pathway, I started my journey in Formula Vee, with Dennis Martin's Sabre Motorsport team.

As a chubby 13-year old boy, I hadn't had much interest in driving a race car up until this point. I was never pushed into it by my family, but was always assured that if and when the time came, I'd have their full support.

After my first drive, I was hooked, and went on to finish in second overall behind Josh Hart in the Manfeild Winter Series, before a baptism of fire in the 2003/04 New Zealand Formula First Championship.

Early days

It was always going to happen...

With my family so deeply involved in motor racing, I attended my first race event as an infant - just two weeks old - on the weekend where my father Richard finished second in the 1990 New Zealand Grand Prix.

In 1973, my grandparents Rob and Wendy built the Manfeild circuit and operated it until their retirement in 2003. During that time, Pop became a multiple New Zealand champion in Formula Vee, winning his last championship at 59 years old.

More importantly, their efforts allowed my father Richard and Aunt Debbie to carve successful domestic paths in both single seater and saloon car racing; namely Formula Ford, Formula Pacific and endurance touring car racing.

Dad went on to make a living as a driver coach, working with drivers who have gone onto successful careers in Formula One, V8 Supercars and European Touring Car racing.

And then came my turn.

This profile page was last modified 2012-05-07 07:47:48 by Jono Lester
Modification: Super Taikyu Series - GT3 2012