INDY LIGHTS: Jones rejoins Carlin for 2016

Triple race winner Ed Jones will return to Carlin Racing for his sophomore outing in Indy Lights. The Dubai-based Briton was a revelation during his American debut last season as he and Carlin made an immediate impact with the new Dallara IL15-Mazda chassis and engine package.

Jones opened his account with three consecutive wins and closed the 16-race championship with three poles, three fastest laps, and seven podiums on his way to third in the standings. The 20-year-old European Formula 3 graduate also participated in his first Verizon IndyCar Series test with the Rahal Letterman Lanigan team in August (BELOW) and, despite his desire to graduate after one season of Lights, he's chosen to spend another year learning in IndyCar's top training series.

"Continuity isn't something that you get to enjoy too often in junior motor racing, but for sure it is a help," Jones said. "Both the team and I know one another very well, I have established a good understanding with the Carlin engineers and I feel we work well together. The team knows my driving style well and how I push the car, so we can develop the car really efficiently. We all have a season under our belts now and we have all raised the bar and will be pushing very hard for more success in 2016."

Carlin was impressed with the pace and poise Jones demonstrated, and expects his driver will make a stronger bid for the championship in 2016

"We're delighted that Ed remains with the team for the 2016 season," he said. "He showed great faith in moving over from Europe with us for our first season in Indy Lights, and demonstrated to everyone how competitive he was in winning the first three races of the season.

"In his rookie season in the U.S. and having never visited most of the tracks before, Ed did a spectacular job to still be in contention for the championship going into the final round. With a season of Indy Lights behind us, there are undoubtedly things that team and driver have learnt together and we aim to put these lessons to good use in 2016 with the title clearly being the aim."

Like his team boss, Jones has a singular focus with their return to the Mazda Road To Indy.

"The goal is to win the Indy Lights championship," he said. "I learned a huge amount in 2015 and feel that I have a great base to go for the title next season. I have a great relationship with Carlin and believe in them completely. As a team, they have achieved a great deal but they haven't won a championship in U.S. motor racing and I want to be the driver who delivers that."