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Northpoint Ekerold Honda
After finishing second in the Yamaha R6 Cup, this coming 2004 season I will be competing in the highly competitive British Supersport Championship for a team that are very impressed with what I have done so far in my career, Northpoint Ekerold Honda
I've had a good relationship with the Northpoint team over the last few years which has allowed them to see what I'm capable of, and it also made it clear to me that they were a team that I wanted to ride for. I'm so pleased to have joined the team that I always wanted to be a part of.
Northpoint ran a British Supersport team of their own in 2003 and were known as one of the best in the paddock, on and off the track. Ekerold Racing also ran a team in the same championship and is renowned for being a well-respected team in British racing.
It became apparent to both teams that they wanted to join forces. With the infrastructure already in place with the Northpoint team, and Ekerold's strong link with Honda, the two teams combined to create what is going to be an exciting project together, and hopefully a very successful year – not just for myself but for all of the Northpoint Ekerold Honda team.
The team will be running Honda CBR600RR. These bikes will be in line with the bikes of the official factory Honda team, as we are now recognised as the only other team in the racing paddock to get factory support from Honda.
The Northpoint Ekerold Honda team members already know each other well and have a great working relationship. The team consists of 9 people:
Steve Buxton – Team Principal
Pete Jennings – Crew Chief
Gary Ekerold – Team Principal
Darren Oldham – Team Co-ordinator
Derek Crutchlow – Team Co-ordinator
Stuart – Team Mechanic
Paul – Team Mechanic
Alan & Alison Lamb – Team Sponsors
I am very excited and am looking forward to a great season with the new team. It's a great career move for me especially having the opportunity to work with my new Crew Chief Pete Jennings. I'm really grateful for all of the support given to me from the team, Honda and all of my personal sponsors. Hopefully this will be a successful year and I will come out of it having learnt a lot. I will be trying hard that's for sure!
Cal Crutchlow # 35
PETE JENNINGS , CREW CHIEF, NORTHPOINT EKEROLD HONDA
“I'm looking forward to working with Cal this season, I think that by the end of the season we will have a package of Team, Rider, Machinery and Tyres that will be able to run at the front of the British Supersport field. I have 10 years experience racing in British and International championships and am used to being at the front and that's where I want my riders to be. After many ups and downs, highs and lows, the benefits I can pass onto Cal are immeasurable. Cal already has a good career behind him and now he's ready to progress to the next level, taking his new found maturity with him”.
STEVE BUXTON, TEAM PRINCIPLE, NORTHPOINT EKEROLD HONDA
“I cant wait for this season to get started. We have a great rider, and he knows he has a great team behind him too. The whole package has come together through hard work and working alongside Honda with factory backing can only be a good thing. Northpoint has worked with riders in the past such as David Jefferies and Tom Sykes, and now we are very excited to work with Cal Crutchlow, who we think is a great talent. We want to start a relationship with Cal for the future and we have started with a very good package with our bikes, sponsors, backing and a good infrastructure.”
GARY EKEROLD, TEAM PRINCIPLE, NORTHPOINT EKEROLD HONDA
“My dad is Jon Ekerold (1980 350cc Moto Grand Prix World Champion, 1 of only 3 men in the history of Grand Prix racing ever to win a World Championship as a privateer) and my brother is Jonnie Ekerold (World Superbikes 2000 for Honda Switzerland). I originate from Pietermaritzburg in South Africa and moved over to the UK in 1999.
I've been involved in motorcycle racing my whole life and in 2001 I joined Honda UK - Cars, as the Senior Management Accountant. Last year, 2003, I took on the challenge of setting up my own team and brought Jonnie out from Germany (where he'd been racing for the previous 6 years) to ride for me. We signed John Crawford as well and entered the British Supersport series using Bridgestone Honda's.
This was Bridgestone's first season in the UK and we knew it was going to be a development season for us. A new team, on foreign tracks, with new tyres, we had a lot to learn.
This season I've joined forces with Steve Buxton from Northpoint Racing to form a new team called NorthPoint Ekerold Honda. You've obviously agreed to ride for us and we're going to have a great season. Our machines will be the best you can get and with Bridgestone investing in Gary from Pirelli we're sure to make dramatic steps forward to the front of the grid”. |
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