Biography
Born in Crewe, Cheshire Craig grew up in Northwich and remained there until later in his career he moved to Peterborough. Jones was a successful racer in the lower ranks of the British motorcycling ladder winning the 1996 British Junior Mini-Moto Championship, the 1997 British Senior Mini-Moto Championship and the 2002 British Junior Superstock Championship before moving up to the British Supersport Championship.
In 2002 Jones rode in trials at the Isle of Man TT Races for the Triumph Motorcycles/Valmoto team on a Daytona 600. Jones subsequently stayed with this team to compete in the 2003 and 2004 seasons of the British Supersport Championship, with Jones taking the team's only win in its final race, at Donington Park. Jones finished the 2004 season eighth in the overall standings.
In 2005 Jones has his best year in the British Supersport Championship riding for the Northpoint Honda team, achieving seven podium finishes and second overall in the title contest behind Leon Camier. Jones' riding that year earned him wildcard entry into the two British rounds of World Supersport, where he performed impressively. Jones qualified on the front row at Silverstone and was contesting the lead when he pulled out of the race with clutch problems, and he finished eighth at Brands Hatch. Jones was also called up as a stand-in rider for the prestigious Ten Kate Honda team at Brno, where he finished sixth.
Jones moved up to the Superbike World Championship for the 2006 season on the uncompetitive Foggy Petronas FP1. A solitary thirteenth place at Imola was his only points finish in the championship.
In 2007, Jones returned to the Supersport World Championship category for his first season as a full-time supersport rider, riding with the Reve Ekerold Honda team. Jones suffered many technical problems early in the season, and crashed out of the lead at Brands Hatch, but a took podiums at Brno, and in the season's final two rounds Vallelunga and Magny-Cours. At Vallelunga he was leading when the red flag was thrown, but lost the race to Kenan Sofuoğlu as the Turkish rider was leading the last completed lap. The podium at Magny-Cours moved him up from 7th to 5th in the final standings.
For 2008, Jones remained in Supersport, with his team now managed by Simon Buckmaster, and added three more podiums including the season-opener at Losail and again at Valencia after an intense battle with Fabien Foret. Despite missing the Monza race with a hand injury, and despite the race at Brno (where he was at the front of the race until he had technical problems, just two laps before the end of the race), he was sixth in the championship before his ultimately tragic home round at Brands Hatch.
Read more about this topic: Craig Jones (motorcycle Racer)
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