Kirkham and Jentin join forces - January 20th 2006

After a long lay-off due to injury and the withdrawal of his team's title sponsor last season Jon Kirkham will be making a welcome return to the British Superbike paddock with Jentin Racing.

The young Derby rider had a difficult 2005 as his teams title sponsor Sendo withdrew its support due to financial reasons after the Croft round of the championship which came at the same time as a major crash left one of his fingers virtually unusable. Corrective surgery and plenty of training since then has left Kirkham in a buoyant mood and he is itching for the new season to get underway with Jentin Racing as he explained.

"Its fair to say last year was a disaster compared to the season before when I fought with James Ellison and Jentin all the way to the finish in the Superbike Cup. They too had a tough 2005 so the two of us coming together and having so much in common feels right. The way I see it we both now have a point to prove and I for one am looking forward to the challenge."

Jentin Racing ran several riders last season with limited success having previously taken MotoGP rider James Ellison to the Superbike Cup title in 2004 in which Kirkham ironically finished second. The new partnership sees both parties contributing infrastructure and resources with Kirkham contesting the Superbike Championship on a Suzuki GSXR which is due for delivery in the coming weeks.

As is now something of a tradition for both outfits it will be a fairly low key affair initially with all concerned looking to build momentum as the season unfolds. Kirkham explained that offers of support would be most welcome.

"Both ourselves and Jentin Racing are used to running a small, tight knit team with an emphasis on hitting above our weight which is something I think we have both proven we are more than capable of. I think we represent a really nice, attractive package for any company looking to get into the sport initially in a small way who then want to go on to bigger things so we're open to any offers of support! You can get in contact with us via my email address at jk@jonkirkham.co.uk."