Dirt
TRIBUTE
T.T.
Jones
[ 1956-2020 ]
By Nate Van Wagnen
The Pro Mod-style motorcycle
drag racing community lost one of its
biggest players on July 15 when William
“T.T.” Jones passed away at 63.
Jones was a veteran in the world of big-tire,
wheelie bar-equipped drag bikes. He competed
and won in a variety of Pro Mod classes across
multiple organizations, including AMA Dragbike
Pro Mod, Man Cup Pro Mod, ADRL Pro Extreme
Motorcycle, and most recently, PDRA Pro Nitrous
Motorcycle.
Jones passed on his love for drag racing to
his children. Chris Garner-Jones started racing
motorcycles alongside his father seven years ago.
Today, he’s a standout competitor in Pro Nitrous
Motorcycle aboard a Suzuki Hayabusa tuned by
his younger brother, William. The elder Jones’
actions in the sport inspired his boys while he was
racing with them, and that inspiration continues
in the wake of his passing.
“Well, of course he had a major impact on us,”
Garner-Jones says. “He was always at a disadvantage,
racing as a bigger guy, so he had to be elite
on the tree and he really was. So now that is the
biggest thing to me in racing; reaction time. He’s
also always helped out anyone. I know I’ve seen
him do a lot for a lot of racers and that is a big
thing to me because in the heat of competition
normally that doesn’t happen.”
The PDRA Pro Nitrous Motorcycle community
showed their support for the Jones family by
collectively deciding to sit out the PDRA Mid-
Atlantic Showdown just a few days after Jones’
passing. The organization applauded the tightknit
group’s move.
“That meant a lot to us in our time of need
while grieving,” Garner-Jones says. “To see the
support the guys and the entire PDRA organization
showed is a big thing.”
Along with his riding career, Jones was a promoter
and track owner. He and his wife, Angie,
bought the lease to Harvest, Alabama’s Huntsville
Dragway in 2010 after more than 30 years racing
at the legendary eighth-mile facility.
The family hosts a number of major events at
Huntsville, from big-money bracket races to the
popular Radial Fest races, but the one that means
the most to the family is the Lucky 7-11 King of
the Hill race. Run in late July for more than 40
years, it’s a historic motorcycle drag racing event.
Just a couple weeks after his dad’s passing,
Garner-Jones rode T.T.’s Hayabusa to victory at
the 44th running of the King of the Hill.
“That meant the world to me,” says Garner-
Jones, who’s won the event five times now. “I even
rode his bike to keep his legacy alive and that’s
what I’m going to continue to try to do. His legacy
and name is everything to me.”
Jones leaves behind his wife, seven sons and
three daughters. The family is determined to
carry on his work at Huntsville and on dragstrips
around the country. They believe T.T. wouldn’t
want it any other way. That includes continuing
the track’s 2020 season as scheduled, and for
Garner-Jones, it means pursuing his first PDRA
Pro Nitrous Motorcycle world championship.
He’s second in points going into the three races
remaining on the class’ now five-race schedule.
“I’m very motivated because I wanted it so bad
while he was here and we came so close a couple
times but fell short,” says Garner-Jones, who was
the championship runner-up in 2019. “So now
it’s pedal to the metal. To keep his legacy alive.” DI
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24 | Drag Illustrated | DragIllustrated.com Issue 159