Albury’s Macauley Jones is set to make his Dunlop Series debut at the Castrol Townsville 500 Driven by TAFE Queensland this weekend.

Jones, son of former V8 Supercars driver and current team owner Brad Jones, raced in Formula Ford for the past two years, following a successful stint in karting.

The Dunlop Series VEII Commodore will be run out of the Brad Jones Racing stable and feature sponsorship from Holden.

While stressing that it will be a challenging debut for Macauley, Brad Jones says it’s all about building for the future.

“Macca’s only had a day of testing but we think it’s better to get him into a car sooner rather than later,” he said.

“To make your debut on the streets circuit of Townsville is going to be tough but he needs to get a few events under his belt before Bathurst. He’s been successful in everything he’s done in motor sport and I don’t see this being any different, however, the depth of competition in the Dunlop Series is fierce, so neither of us underestimate the challenges ahead.”

The BJR Commodore was last raced by David Wall in the V8 Supercars Championship in 2012 and will feature prominent ‘Think Holden’ branding.

Holden Motorsport Manager Simon McNamara says the company is pleased to support the talented young driver.

“Holden has a long and proud history of supporting rising talent, from the legendary Peter Brock through to modern day champions Craig Lowndes, Jamie Whincup and Garth Tander” McNamara said.

“With Brad a former factory Holden driver, we are delighted to be able to use the father/son rule to draft Macauley and add his name to a long and distinguished list of drivers who have made their V8 debuts driving Commodores.”

After spending much of the year preparing the car, Jones can’t wait to get out onto the track.

“I’m really pumped to be starting in the Dunlop Series in Townsville,” he said.

“It’s going to be a pretty steep learning curve but I’m ready for the challenge. I want to thank Holden for getting behind us. I can’t wait!”

After watching Macauley develop his skills in karting, Formula Ford and the Toyota Racing Series, Brad Jones knows how significant this step will be for his son.

“This is an exciting time of Macauley’s life, it’s the start of a brand new challenge,” Jones said.

Jones’s ‘Think Holden’ Commodore will also be sponsored by Wilson Security and long-time supporters Drillpro, Payce and EBA Hire

Round 4 of the Dunlop Series starts on Friday with two practice sessions, followed by a race on Saturday and Sunday.