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YOU’RE ONLY AS GOOD AS YOUR LAST RACE In an almost carbon copy of the corresponding race last year, where he scored the team’s first ever short circuit podium, Jones ably demonstrated the very same fighting spirit that makes Triumph Motorcycles such an iconic and beloved brand – the same ethos that qualifies ValMoto as one of the world’s premier Supersport race management companies. The only difference was that this time he was battling for the win. It has been a tough season for Triumph ValMoto. After a storming start in the first race at Silverstone, events conspired to rob the team of the glory that it so richly deserved. But today, the combination of Triumph Daytona 600, ValMoto expertise and Pirelli support proved utterly irresistible around the Leicestershire Grand Prix circuit. After only narrowly missing out on pole position, Jones was placed second on the grid for the final race of the season. This event traditionally sees riders go all-out for glory as they aim to secure contracts for the coming season. And with the 2004 title already sewn up by Karl Harris, no quarter would be given to any rival. But for Jones, the motivation was not money – it was pride. Nerves and a fierce desire to succeed saw Jones almost incur a jump-start penalty when the lights changed. Grabbing a handful of brake prevented him from adding ten seconds to his race time, but it also spoiled his launch and he was relegated to eighth place on the way out of Redgate. Nevertheless, he very quickly made his way back up the order. It was clear that Jones was not a man to be messed with. He confirmed this with a searing combination of clean and positive passing manoeuvres that put him in contention for a podium position. Knowing that everyone on the track had only one thing in mind, the 19-year-old Daytona 600 rider initially held back from the leaders before engaging them swiftly and without compromise. After smashing World Supersport supremo Paolo Casoli’s longstanding lap record, Jones fired into the frontrunners and stamped his authority on proceedings. From there on in, the action shifted up a gear as 250GP veteran Jay Vincent and TAS Suzuki rider (incidentally Jones’s old Junior Superstock sparring partner) Tom Sykes broke away with the Daytona snapping at their rear-sets. The pair did their utmost to hold off the Racing Yellow challenge, but it was to no avail and Jones smoothly slotted past one, then the other, to take the lead. The second phase of the race saw the advantage swap hands repeatedly on every lap. At times Jones found himself back down in third place, but countless beautifully planned and executed overtakes – invariably off-line and on opposite lock – showed everyone who was boss and propelled him back to the head of the race. It also generated huge cheers from the thousands of trackside spectators – regardless of what bike they might have arrived on. With the Ducati of Michael Laverty and Kawasaki of Pere Riba looming ominously, a single error would have proven very costly, but Jones did not make any mistakes. He was able to gain phenomenal drive out of corners where his adversaries could not, brake later than anyone else and – by sliding his Triumph sideways into every tight corner – he made sure that he was extremely difficult to pass. The British bike was not going to be beaten on speed either. And after slipstreaming, block-passing, out braking and riding around the outside of Sykes, Jones needed every ounce of available power – not to mention an enormous amount of skill and concentration – to hold off the competition for the remaining two laps. For the nail-biting finale, all eyes were focussed on the machine wearing a Union Jack with the number 18 in the centre. It tore down the straight and stampeded through the fast and flowing Craner Curvers, Schwantz and Coppice before reaching the tortuously tight final section. By riding defensively, its rider ensured that nothing had a hope of coming past through the Foggy Esses. It then proceeded to glide round the Melbourne hairpin and scream under the Dunlop Bridge. And as it rounded Goddards – with the chequered flag in sight – its four cylinders let loose their war cry for one final time as Jones pointed his Daytona toward its ultimate goal – victory in one of the most competitive series in professional motorcycle racing. At Donington Park, Triumph, ValMoto and a young man named Craig Jones showed what can be achieved when youth, experience, determination and passion meld in the intense heat of motorcycle racing. And while this particular chapter in history may now be closed, in the moment that the bike passed that fluttering black and white rectangle after the race of the year – its rider pressed flat against the tank and running ahead of his pursuers – the team compounded the accrued respect of its peers. The simple fact remains that – even after a relatively short period of development – the Triumph Daytona 600 has managed to occupy every step on the British Supersport Championship rostrum. Today’s momentous and timely result means that if the old adage “you’re only as good as your last race” is to be believed, then right now Triumph ValMoto is the best. Race result Championship points (final)
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