After his fantastic win at Cadwell Park two weeks ago 19-year-old Cal
Crutchlow got a taste for the Champagne as he took his second win on the
trot at Oulton Park at the weekend with the strong Northpoint Honda Racing
Team. Crutchlow was dominant throughout the weekend and was looking the hot
favourite for the win leaving his nearest rivals in the distance.
The youngster from Coventry was impressive over the whole weekend in the
miserable conditions and was fastest in every session that he competed in,
stamping his authority and proving that he is an exceptionally talented
rider. Once again he gained Pole Position, the race win and he smashed the
lap record by nearly a second, this earning him the Bennetts British
Superbike Rider of the Day award.
His team-mate Craig Jones suffered mixed fortunes at the 2.7 mile track,
qualifying in 7th position on the grid. Jones gained a fantastic start and
was in second position by the first corner. Struggling with grip early on in
the race the 20-year-old from Peterborough put up a strong fight to gain a
creditable 4th position. A battle with Leon Camier, Pere Riba and Stuart
Easton soon loomed on him as his tyres began to wear.
Jones remains second in the Championship with Cal in third proving that the
Northpoint Honda Racing Team are certainly a force to be reckoned with and
have gained consistently good results throughout the season. Two rounds
remain now of the series and no doubt the fraught displays of racing will go
down to the wire.
A delighted Crutchlow said 'It really has been a fantastic weekend, all my
family and friends were here to cheer me on and give me support and it
certainly worked once again. I must thank the whole team for working so hard
for me this weekend and the results go to prove it. I felt so comfortable
with everything and it all worked in my favour. I'm made up to get another
win it's a great feeling. I certainly hope to end the season on a high and
if I can carry on this form then I will.'
A reasonably disappointed Jones said 'I'm not sure what happened in the
race, I got a good start and was running with the front runners. I started
to struggle for grip early on in the race and had to settle for 4th place.
The tyre I chose was too soft and this caused me problems. I knew I was
losing time on the people behind me as I was watching it on my pit board but
it took me a little by surprise when they all arrived at once. We got locked
up into the chicane with a number of back-markers and I was desperate to try
and get on the podium but Tom (Sykes) beat me to it. I'm looking forward to
the next round at Donington as it's one of my strongest tracks.'
The next race is at Donington Park, Leicestershire on the 25th September.
