After a hectic week the tree is up and I am ready for Christmas. I hope you are all gearing up for the holiday season and getting ready to enjoy it. I sure am and as a result this will be my last post until mid January as I’m taking a holiday.

I started last week with our awards dinner. Unfortunately I didn’t pick up any award, but it was a good night nonetheless. While everyone had a good time it was an early night for most as many of us had ride days on the Tuesday, as I left I noticed there were plenty of revellers on the dance floor., Tthankfully I didn’t have to show off my moves at any time.

I was off to Calder Park early with Neil Crompton and enjoyed taking all our sponsors who allow us to race all year around the track. There were actually quite a few teams out there including SBR and the Ford Rising Stars duo of Michael Caruso and Grant Denyer. SBR had five cars on the track so it was pretty hectic.

Then Mish and I came up to a grey looking Sydney for the Summit Fleet Leasing Christmas party on Friday night. It was a great night out on the harbour, we had dinner out near Taronga Zoo, played some games with the hosts and headed back in to King Street Wharf. I lived in Melbourne for two years and didn’t experience anything as spectacular visually so Sydney gets a thumbs up from me, despite the weather.

We then did some Christmas shopping on the Sunday and it was pretty packed but we had a good time. Mish hopped on a plane on Monday morning, and I got ready for my second ride day in a week. This time it was at Oran Park alongside Christian Murchison, as Neil wasn’t there. He’s studying for a pilot’s test and I wish him good luck in that.

We put close to 100 people through and while we try and make it as safe as possible we do really push the cars at times. Once again there were a few teams out there and by the end of the day due to the high level of tyre wear at Oran Park, there were a few spins, but that sort of experience is also a big part of the fun of the day. I didn’t hear anyone who wasn’t happy with their experience.

From V8s to F1 and it’s good to see Fernando Alonso back ‘home’ at Renault. I’d be interested to know how that deal came about because he left McLaren for a deal which wasn’t put together by his manager and Renault team boss Flavio Briatore.

I’m quite sure Flavio could have made things difficult for Fernando had he have wanted, but at the end of the day they needed each other and I think it will be a rejuvenated Alonso with a different attitude in 2008.

It also appears Ralf Schumacher may be gone from F1, but he has had a good, long career and made a lot of money.

Looking at the V8s and the driver changes have come thick and fast, but the big moves are obviously Garth Tander and Todd Kelly, with Ford announcing their driver lineups tomorrow. I think Todd will be very good for Jack Daniels Racing, but I’m not sure how much tinkering he will be doing under the bonnet as some reports have suggested he will. Honestly I don’t know him well enough to make that judgement, but I do know he and Rick are very mechanical and interested in that aspect of cars.

I also thought I would do a brief recap of my season.

Favourite race: Bathurst – it always is and despite it ending badly we had top ten speed all weekend and qualifying on green tyres was awesome, as was standing on the grid with the crowd noise and anticipation building. Just awesome!

Worst moment: Winton – when I was in virtual first place in the wet during race one and Dean Canto hit me from behind, turning me around. This was also my worst accident, purely because of what it cost me.

Most improved driver: Lee Holdsworth - showed us all his talent in 2007.

Most improved team: Dick Johnson Racing

Biggest rival: Simon Wills – I think your teammate is always your biggest rival because you have the same equipment and are equal in that respect.

The one thing I have taken out of the year is my growing confidence which I think will stand me in good stead in 2008 and is something you always need in motorsport.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to the blog this year, I’ll be keeping busy with the BJR Christmas party this Friday before heading off on a bike ride to Falls Creek on Saturday.

Have a safe and happy holiday season, travel safe and don’t be in a hurry to get anywhere.

Jonesy

I am often asked about driving a V8 Supercar at high speeds around the best circuits in this country. Ultimately it is a big thrill to drive in the best motorsport category in Australia, but there’s more to it, including a lot of hard work behind the scenes from people who don’t always get the credit [...]

The weekend started off with the highly anticipated Kart race. As defending champion I felt I had a point to prove but unfortunately I was outdone by those crafty Kiwis Jason Richards and Greg Murphy. I really enjoyed it though.
 
The setup of the Kart track and the Swiss built chassis’ they have are certainly top [...]