By Carly Rathmell
October 15 2005

It was a stunning end to a fantastic season for the Northpoint Honda Racing team, with riders Craig Jones and Cal Crutchlow finishing second and third respectively in the final round of the British Supersport Championship, at Brands Hatch at the weekend. Jones earned himself second in the overall championship in his début year for the Nokia N-Gage backed team, with Crutchlow finishing in equal third position in the title standings.

In front of a packed crowd of over 25,000 people in baking hot sunshine, the Northpoint team certainly put on an inspiring display. The two young riders proved their talent and raw ability, displaying to the race fans the next generation of British hopefuls.

In a thrilling race, Jones, who qualified in fifth position on the grid, once again gained a phenomenal start and was right up with the front runners by the first corner - and was dicing for the lead on several occasions. Crutchlow also secured a strong start from fourth position, and was into second as they hit Paddock Hill Bend.

Jones knew that he had to push for the win if he was going to be in with a chance of the championship title, and that he did. He fought tooth and nail on every lap with Ducati rider Stuart Easton, but was unable to find a suitable passing manoeuvre on the young Scot. With Easton taking the win it hoisted him to joint third in the championship standings with Crutchlow.

20-year-old Jones from Peterborough commented, “It’s been a fantastic season, with the championship going down to the wire. It was a tough race as I knew what I had to try and do, but I gave it my all and I’m still very content with finishing second overall. It was a completely new bike for me this year, and I had my work cut out to adapt to it. The team effort has been great, and they’ve helped me get this far.”

His fellow team-mate, 19-year-old Crutchlow from Coventry, backed up Jones’ comments, saying, “I’d also like to thank all the team and the sponsors for all the effort and hard work that has been put in over the season. I managed to take two wins during the year, which is a true credit to all the people that have backed me and supported me throughout the year. Once again the Northpoint Honda team put a fantastic package together for me, and we’ve certainly been a team to contend with. I was a bit gutted that I finished the year in fourth, but I was equal points with Stuart, and he got third by taking the most number of wins and second positions.”

It has been a stunning year for the Northpoint Honda team. Gaining 13 podiums, two race wins, three fastest laps, six front row starts and four pole positions has been a true credit to the dedication of the team, riders and sponsors - proving that they are certainly a Championship Winning Team.