Alan Jones, the second Australian driver to win the Formula One World Championship, and the first to win the title with Williams, has died.

Son of Stan Jones, winner of the (non-championship) 1959 Australian Grand Prix, it was inevitable that Alan Stanley Jones would following his father into motor sport.

While working in his father's garage, Alan began his racing career with a Mini and then a Cooper. As with most Antipodeans, he realised that in order to progress he needed to be in Europe, but upon arrival soon discovered he simply didn't have the budget.

He returned to the UK a couple of years later and along with fellow Australian Brian McGuire, and kiwi Allan McCully, formed the grandly named A.I.R.O. (Australian International Racing Organisation).

After two seasons in F3, Jones finished runner-up in the 1973 British Formula Three John Player European Championship with DART, and the following year finished runner-up in the British Formula Atlantic Championship driving for Harry Stiller.

Stiller also prepared an F5000 car for Jones, with which he contested one race, and while the Australian enjoyed one outing in the World Sportscar Championship, plans to drive for Stiller again in F5000 fell though.

Instead, in 1975 Jones contested 9 rounds of the European Formula 5000 Championship with RAM, but despite two wins finished ninth in the championship.

Meanwhile, Stiller had purchased a Hesketh 308B with which Jones contested the ill-fated Spanish and Monaco grands prix. When Stiller opted to move abroad, Rob Walker took control of the team, Jones contesting the Belgian and Swedish grands prix in the Hesketh.

The Anderstorp race saw the Australian take the flag for the first time, albeit down in eleventh, but he was subsequently signed to replace the injured Rolf Stommelen at Graham Hill's team. In four outings his best result was 5th in Germany.

In 1976 he raced for Surtees, where he scored a brace of 5ths, while in 1977 he joined Shadow, where, in Austria, he stood atop the podium for the first time. Another podium at Monza saw Jones finish 7th in the standings.

For 1978 he was signed to Williams, however it was a disappointing season with his best result being a second at Watkins Glen.

1979 was altogether different however, with Jones scoring four wins and finishing the season third.

He remained with the British team in 1980, and bookended the season with wins in Argentina and Watkins Glen, with three further victories in between. At season end he was champion, following in the footsteps of three-time champ Jack Brabham.

In 1981 he once again bookended the season with victories, ironically at Long Beach and Las Vegas, but for the most part it was a tough season, finishing third overall to Nelson Piquet and (Williams teammate) Carlos Reuteman.

At season end, Jones announced his retirement though he subsequently claimed to have been approached by Ferrari following Gilles Villeneuve's death at Zolder. Happy to be back in his homeland, Jones stalled the Italian team for a time, a move he later admitted to regretting, for while the Maranello outfit turned to Mario Andretti, had he taken the seat Jones - who was now looking to return to racing again - may have been offered the drive in 1983.

Though there was no F1 in 1982, Jones did contest and win the Australian GT Championship, driving a Porsche, while in 1983 he made a one-off appearance at the United States West Grand Prix driving the Arrows, In 1984 he contested the Le Mans 24 Hours with (1983 winner and countryman) Vern Schuppan and Jean-Pierre Jarier, finishing the classic in sixth.

Other than the Australian Touring Car Championship, 1985 saw Jones contest three grands prix with Haas (no relation), returning a year later for a full season with the American team, but with little success. Other than struggling with its superior-powered rivals, the American outfit was struggling financially and when it quit at the end of 1986, Jones followed suit.

Back down under, Jones continued to race until 2002, with full seasons of the Australian Touring Car Championship between 1992 and 1998.

Other than a unsuccessful attempt to contest the Grand Prix Masters he was involved in running Australia's entry in A1GP, and had success as an F1 pundit with Channel Nine, between 1987 and 2002, and subsequently Network Ten.

Jones, like most of his contemporaries, would look totally out of place on today's F1 grid. He didn't suffer fools and didn't hold back if he thought someone was taking the Michael.

However, that says more about the modern era, for Jones was an out-and-out racer, there would be no time for tweets, selfies and posing for the sponsors.

To his wife, Amanda Butler-Davis and their children, Pitpass and its readers offers its sincere condolences. Alan, truly deserved the epithet 'legend'.