By Carly Rathmell
April 25 2005

It was a fantastic weekend for the Northpoint Honda Racing team at the third round of the British Supersport Championship, at Mallory Park. A spectacular third and fourth place for riders Craig Jones and Cal Crutchlow was a massive confidence boost for the two youngsters and the team. Jones qualified fourth on the grid, with Crutchlow sat behind him in eighth, and the two certainly pulled out all the stops and gained their impressive results, which they can certainly build on as they move to Oulton Park next week.

A huge pile up into Edwina’s chicane on the first lap saw the race red flagged and stopped, much to the disappointment of Jonesy, who had taken control and was leading the race at the time. The riders regrouped on the grid and had to mentally prepare themselves for battle again. Jonesy and Crutchlow were on a mission from the start of the restart, and the pairing were soon sat comfortable in third and fourth. They looked strong and very confident for the whole race, and have certainly made heaps of progress. Crutchlow rode a fantastic race and gained his best result in the Supersport class to date.

20-year-old Jones, originally from Northwich near Chester, now living in Peterborough, commented, “It’s been a fantastic day today. Of course I would have liked to have been higher up the podium today, but I’m still extremely happy with third, and it’s a great confidence boost for me as I head to my local round next week at Oulton. The bike and all the team are working great to move us in the right direction.”

19-year-old Crutchlow, from Coventry, backed up his comments by saying, “I’d like to thank the team for working so hard, and also I’d like to personally thank Nokia for all their support and backing this season. I had a few problems with grip throughout the race, but I know that the Metzelers are good round Oulton, and we are trying a new compound at Mondello Park. I can’t complain at all about today, and I’m feeling strong as we head towards the next round next week.”

Team Principal Gary Ekerold commented, “Craig and Cal have done a fantastic job this weekend, and the team are finding consistency, which will keep us in the hunt for the title - our only objective.”

Jonesy is now lying fourth in the overall championship standings, with Crutchlow in eighth. The next round is Oulton Park, Bank Holiday Monday, 2nd May.