JONNY KANE: REACHING THE VERY TOP IN SPORTSCARS
Jonny Kane has taken on and beaten some of the biggest names in motorsport. The 1997 British Formula 3 champion has left drivers like Mark Webber and Scott Dixon trailing in his wake.
After his European single-seater dream stalled at Formula 3000 level in 1998, Kane crossed the ocean and tackled the Indy Lights series for two seasons as he tried to maintain the momentum, but Uncle Sam was not kind to him and there was no graduation to Champ Car despite impressing as a rookie.
From there, he followed the sportscar route and became a mainstay of the factory MG and Spyker GT attack before a six-year spell with the Strakka Racing team, partnered with Danny Watts and gentleman driver Nick Leventis.
It took him racing around the world and the plucky Strakka underdog crew scaled the heights at Le Mans in 2010 with LMP2 victory and fifth place overall. The memory of climbing onto the rostrum at La Sarthe is something that the Northern Irishman cherishes to this day.
In recent times, Kane’s experience has been put to use as the driving standards advisor within the Ginetta single-make series, passing on his knowledge to a whole new generation of races.
Question: How did you get the motorsport passion?
Rhys Mainwaring Via email
Jonny Kane: “It was in the family. My grandfather and his two brothers started fixing and selling bicycles, and when cars became more popular, they started fixing and selling those instead. So the family business in Northern Ireland was a car dealership – Kane of Comber.
“My dadAndrew raced before I was born. He raced Minis and MGs, although only in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
“The family business actually had the distributorship in Ireland for the Downton Mini parts.Another one of the guys who worked at the dealership raced as well. That meant, from the first day I remember, I was always surrounded by cars and racing.
“My brother and I had a fun kart from when we were no age at all and we were into motocross as well.And then, eventually, I got my first proper kart when I was 14. We had left school for the summer holidays and one of my dad’s friend’s sons raced karts and he asked if I wanted to have a go. I went to Kirkistown one night and had a run and I did well.
“The first kart we bought was called a Chariot kart, a Northern Irish chassis, which was designed by Frank Weir, who was a lecturer at Queen’s University and his brother George fabricated the chassis. We bought the chassis and engine, a set of wet tyres on rims and a set of slicks on rims for £350 and away I went.”
Who was your motorsport hero then? Who was the poster on your bedroom wall?
