Team Member - Jon Bartholomew
Name: Jon 'Beezy' Bartholomew
Nationality: English
Car Driven: Mazda Rx7 FC
Driver Website: n/a
Driver Biography:
Jon has been active in motorsport since his late teens, however he started off on 2 wheels and was a regular competitor in MotoX events up and down the UK.
In early 2007 Jon found drifting with his best friend and fellow Drift Republic team member Dan Chapman. Starting out in a Nissan 200sx Jon honed his skills and soon began to realise the limitations of his car. So during the middle part of 2007, as the Drift Republic began to form, Jon took the decision to up his game and invested in the 2007 EDC car previously driven by Peter Barber. The Mazda Rx7 FC had proven its capabilities, taking Pete into the Top16 on numerous occasions.
In November 2007 Jon entered his first competition, a team drift event with Dan Chapman. The pair turned on the style and fought through to the final, meeting the experienced Irish pairing of Ian & Mark Coyne, both Pro licensed drivers!!!
They were unable to beat the experience of the 2 drivers from across the water but were pleased to have shown their talents and spirit and took home 2nd place.
Just over 2 weeks later Jon travelled with his Drift Republic team mates to Rosegreen, Tipperary Ireland for his first flavour of International competition at Prodrift K-Sport Cup. The weekend was difficult for Jon and he failed to demonstrate the skills he had shown previously, but this was largely attributed to the issues with his, it was down on power and the extreme weather was hampering his grip.
The JDM Allstars is a Pro level competition, and Jon was invited to take part as a wildcard. He was assessed for his Pro license during the competition and with some awesome driving and displays of immense car control - saw him qualify 9th in the Top 16 and secure his Pro license. Unable to continue due to brake failure Jon's looking forward to the Prodrift European Series and the next JDM Allstars event.