2015 – Jordan Boys

CONSISTENCY has been key for Jordan Boys, with the 17-year-old set to climb higher on the world stage after a stand-out racing season last year.

Boys put the tumultuous end to his 2013 season behind him to win the Rotax Pro Tour in the DD2 class.

His win sent him to the Rotax World Final as part of the Australian team, an opportunity he missed in 2013 thanks to a bingle.

He didn’t waste any time once he got there, flying through a field of 72 competitors to ultimately finish in third place in Valencia.

Finishing only three seconds behind the eventual winner, Boys’ efforts helped propel Australia into a second-placed finish in the team standings.

While his potential in motorsport is perhaps yet to be realised, the Murray High School student knows where he wants to go.

“I want to drive in the V8 Supercars,” Boys said.

“I’d love to stay local and race in our national series, but I’ll go anywhere I can to race.”

The year 12 student admits he has a long way to go before he makes it on the big stage, but for now is happy to have achieved some goals he set for himself at the start of the season.

“Obviously getting over for the world final was a huge goal, especially after just missing out the year before,” Boys said.

“Things fell into place throughout the season, I did all the right things and I got the results I was after.”

Driving on the world stage was an eye-opener. Let alone finishing on the podium.

“It was a huge learning experience, everybody was so professional,” Boys said.

“Everybody there was in the top-three driver for the their country, so to come home with a podium finish is huge for me.

“I’m looking to go back again this year, but in saying that, there are a lot of other things I’m looking at at the moment as well.”

Boys is looking to take the next step in his career by moving from karts into cars, specifically the burgeoning Formula 4 class of open wheelers.

F4 will replace the traditional Formula Ford racers this year, and Boys has his fingers crossed he can secure the sponsorship needed to secure a seat in the new series.

The new category will be boosted by its place as a support event for the V8 Supercars, a prospect that Boys is keen to be a part of.

“F4 will really take off and be a good platform for younger drivers I think, so I’m really love to have a crack at it, and keep developing my driving,” Boys said.

“It’s another step towards driving the Supercars, so I’m desperate to get behind the wheel and give it a go.”

As it stands, there’s only one complete F4 car available to drive in Australia, with a further 20 to be produced by French manufacturer Mygale.

CAMS is pushing the new category as a bridge between young drivers, particularly those from a karting background such as Boys, and taking the next step in international motorsport.

The main advantage to the F4 class is that it is an FIA standard class, meaning there will be F4 competitions worldwide.

For Boys, the excitement lies in knowing he can take his racing as far as he can.

“I haven’t made any huge decisions on what I want to do in the long term,” Boys said.

“For all of the talk of moving into different categories and things, for now I’m still focused on the Rotex series this year, and making it back to the World Finals,” Boys said.

Studying science, engineering and geography as part of his HSC, Boys said the opportunities available to him through Supercars outfit Brad Jones Racing were also exciting.

“It’s really encouraging having a top-flight team like BJR based locally,” he said.

“I’m not sure about what I’ll do post-high school yet, but I’d love to work for that team and learn more about racing from pit lane, doing something like being a mechanical apprentice would be incredible.

“That’s a long way off happening, even if it did happen, but I’m excited about where this could go.”

This is Jordan’s third successive Young Achiever nomination.