Jon heads to France this weekend in a bid to resume his Formula 3 Euroseries challenge at the stunning street circuit of Pau in France. The teenage BRDC Superstar, who drives for ART Grand Prix, is competing in the same series that set Formula One championship leader, Lewis Hamilton, on the path to Grand Prix stardom.

After narrowly missing out on the 2007 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Championship, this weekend’s event will see Jon aiming for his first victory, following on from a superb pre-season test performance. Many of his rivals are in their second or third season in the series, in a class that has been marked as an established stepping stone to Formula 1. Nevertheless, and even as a 'rookie', the Leeds-based Multiflight-supported driver has regularly outpaced his opposition in both testing and qualifying.

So far 2008 has not quite gone to plan. In the season opening rounds in Germany, Jon qualified a sensational sixth and had clearly been hopeful of a strong finish, before a dramatic accident in race one, captured on Sky television, sidelined him. And then the last time out at Mugello in Italy, mechanical gremlins ruined his chances of capitalising on his rapid pace in wet testing.

Since Mugello Jon has had to endure a lengthy four-week break, which means he is now eager to put the bad luck of Italy behind him, look forward to the Pau round in France, and make a determined bid to win his first Formula 3 race.

“I just can’t wait to get back in the car, put all this bad luck behind us, and get some points on the board,” Jon this week. “The track of Pau is an amazing circuit. I have never driven there before, apart from in a Legend car last week in the wet, which wasn’t the best situation, but it looks and feels like an amazing place to drive.

“It will also be the first street race of my short career, so I am really looking forward to the challenge. I believe that we have a very good chance of taking our first victory this weekend as there is only one hour of testing, and I learn tracks quickly, so for me this will be a great weekend!”

Jon will be on track on Friday for testing, followed by qualifying, with one race on Saturday, and the second race on Sunday.