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COLE JONES >>
The phrase “Keeping up with Jones’” couldn’t be more true when applying to Cole Jones and his crew, albeit in a more positive connotation than in in the midst of society. There are few riders and teams out there, who are willing to go all in like this camp from Pennsylvania, where their testament and motto is built on a basis of simply outworking their competitors. Whether it’s by travel, hours in the gym, or time spent at the racetrack, the Jones family is willing to put it all on the line in order to succeed at a high level. And it couldn’t have been more obvious than at the 2018 Moto- Playground Ponca City National.
Jones’ lines throughout practice brought much enthusiasm to his camp, as every lap, he could be found searching for a different path around this ultimate race- way. Shredding all throughout qualification duration, he lined up for the first moto ready to go. Luke Fineis, the man with a tar- get on his back, would hop out front, where Jones could see throughout his distant vision. He would use him as a mile marker, so to speak, always gauging his
48 MPG • NOVEMBER • 2018
distance. If he could just keep him in sight, then he knew he would be sitting in a good position once the race would conclude. Hovering in fourth for the first two laps, he wanted the third position from his com- petitors in a furious manner; therefore he would take it, sneaking up to the back of DJ Weber. Stalking Weber with spy-like intent, the move would be made on lap four, where he could finally check in on the blaz- ing fast Fineis. The distance would be too large to cover, however, he knew what would need to be done to secure a pleasant overall finish
at the duration of the second moto. A second place start would be all that was needed to start the second moto off in the correct manner; he would trail Fineis, nearly hitting the same lines as the leader, making
a mental note with each passage through these knee-deep ruts. All seemed to be well, until a sudden mistake would cost him dearly on lap three, pushing back to fifth place. He would gather his thoughts, regain composure, and then attack the raceway shortly thereafter; it was a top five ride for certain, as he crossed the white flag. Making a mad dash to the finish line on lap five, timing and scoring would register him in fifth place. He would wonder where exactly that would place him overall; but to much of his delight, he would be sound in the third place position on the podium. The trek back to Pennsylvania couldn’t be sweeter, as the number ninety-four would walk away with some definite hardware.