By Carly Rathmell
June 6 2005

Northpoint Honda Racing rider Craig Jones extended his lead in the British Supersport Championship as he took a fantastic third place. His team-mate, Cal Crutchlow, had to sit out on the sidelines after a huge crash on the Saturday left him with ripped ligaments and torn tendons in his left arm. Jones, who also suffered two crashes during the damp qualifying sessions on Saturday, still managed to qualify his Northpoint Honda onto third on the grid. Feeling very sore and bruised on race day, Jones put on a valiant effort to gain the podium spot as he was locked in a fierce battle with main championship rival Tom Sykes.

The damp conditions did not stop a bumper crowd appearing to watch the best riders in the country dicing it out against each other. Once again it was Jones that gained the hole-shot of what was set out to be a frantic race. As the four front runners began to leave the chasing pack in the distance, Jones got his head down and worked hard to fight off the hounding Sykes.

Crutchlow made an attempt to ride in the race but, after the warm up lap, it was decided that he was in too much pain to carry on. He will be seeing doctors and specialists this week in order to try and get his injuries mended before the next race at Knockhill, in two weeks’ time. Speaking with a disappointed Crutchlow, he said, “This is the last thing I needed. It was a fairly big high-side that I suffered, and I got trapped underneath the bike. I knew I had done some damage instantly as the pain was so intense. Originally they thought I might have broken my shoulder blade or my arm. I’m aiming to get things sorted out as soon as possible, and hopefully get back on my bike for Knockhill.”

Jones said, “It’s been a tough weekend in general, and the weather conditions played a huge part in both Cal and I crashing on the Saturday. Luckily I did no serious damage, but I still didn’t feel 100% on race day. I’m pleased to have got a podium and gained at few more points over Tom. The bike felt great and the team worked really hard once again to make sure everything ran right.”

Team Principal Gary Ekerold commented, “It’s been a difficult weekend for the team, and obviously the crash that Cal sustained was a blow to us all. Craig once again ran at the front and gained another podium, and moved us closer to taking the British Supersport title. He worked extremely hard throughout the weekend and, if we can continue with this consistency, it will help us achieve our main goal. It’s unfortunate for Cal as he really was making progress in his riding, and was clawing his way up the championship tables. Hopefully the injury won’t hinder him too much, and we’d like to see him back on the bike as soon as he is fit enough.”

The next round of the championship is at Knockhill on 26th June.