The Honda-supported Pata European Junior Cup returned to action at Silverstone in the UK today with New Zealand rider Jake Lewis taking victory and opening up a 10-point lead in the series.

It was another thrilling EJC encounter with no fewer than eight riders taking turns in the lead in the opening laps and countless others swapping positions as the first fifteen Honda CBR500R- mounted riders crossed the line covered by just three seconds.

The race was red flagged one lap early with Lewis taking his second victory of the season on a count-back to the previous lap. He was joined on the Silverstone podium by British rider James Flitcroft, who finished second, and Hungarian Richard Bodis, who was less than a second adrift of Lewis.

Javier Orellana from Spain was visibly disappointed to be awarded fourth - missing the podium by just three hundredths of a second but finishing ahead of French rider Robin Anne and Spaniard Augusto Fernandez, who finished sixth.

“It was a difficult start to the weekend,” said Lewis after the race, “but we made a few changes and got faster and more confident in each session. I felt really good for the race and got a good start to stay with the leading bunch. I just kept pushing and it was good to get another win to go with the first round at Aragon. I think we know we can run a good pace at any race now, so I just have to stay consistent.”

2013 Pata European Junior Cup, round five

Silverstone, UK – 5.902km, 5 laps

Race result:

1 Jake Lewis (NZL)

2 James Flitcroft (GBR)

3 Richard Bodis (HUN)

4 Javier Orellana (ESP)

5 Robin Anne (FRA)

6 Augusto Fernandez (ESP)

Championship points after five of eight rounds:

1 Lewis 66, 2 Guillaume Raymond (FRA) 56, 3 Anne 56, 4 Michael Canducci (ITA) 55, 5 Fernandez 46, 6 Flitcroft 45, 7 Bodis 36

Next round: Nurburgring, Germany – 30 August – 1 September

Ducati has reached an agreement with Cal Crutchlow that will have the Briton campaigning the 2014 and 2015 MotoGP race seasons with the Ducati Team.

Crutchlow will race alongside Andrea Dovizioso. The British rider and the Italian, who were team-mates in 2012, will work on developing the Desmosedici and growing Ducati’s MotoGP project.

The 2009 World Supersport champion and 2011 MotoGP Rookie of the Year, Crutchlow is presently enjoying his strongest GP season to date, sitting fifth in the championship points standings. He has posted four podium finishes in the first nine races, and he earned his first MotoGP pole position at the Dutch TT.

The end of the 2013 season will also mark the completion of Nicky Hayden’s five-year professional relationship with the Ducati Team. Ducati would like to thank Nicky for his contributions during that time, and everyone on the team and at Ducati Corse looks forward to giving him and Andrea their full support over the second half of the 2013 season.

Cal Crutchlow

Race number: 35

Age: 27 (born in Coventry, UK, on 29 October 1985)

Height: 1.68 metres (5’6”)

Weight: 66.68 kg (147 lbs.)

GP starts: 43 (all in MotoGP class)

First GP: Qatar GP, 2011 (MotoGP)

GP podiums: 6 (all in MotoGP class)

First GP Pole: Dutch TT, 2013 (MotoGP)

World SBK starts: 30

World SBK wins: 3

World SBK podiums: 11

World SBK poles: 6

World Supersport starts: 17

World Supersport titles: 1

World Supersport wins: 5

World Supersport podiums: 10

World Supersport poles: 10

Notable Achievements:

• 2011: MotoGP Rookie of the Year (Tech3 Yamaha)

• 2009: Supersport World Champion (Yamaha)

• 2006: British Supersport Champion

• 2001: Aprilia RS 125 Challenge Champion

With both Pata Honda World Superbike riders' wives expecting babies in the very near future - Olivia Haslam is due any day now and Tatia Rea next month - the team took the opportunity at the Silverstone WSBK round to present to the prospective parents two baby-grows, or baby-suits, that replicate Leon Haslam's and Jonathan Rea's racing leathers.

The suits carry all the sponsor logos that adorn their 'full-size' Dainese and Alpinestars leathers and even each rider's butt patch, so that, whether the babies are boys or girls, they can start to emulate their illustrious fathers from an early age.

The suits were presented at the end of a media Q&A session in the Paddock Show at Silverstone today, ahead of this weekend’s ninth round World Superbike Championship event at the UK circuit.

The latest Department for Transport drink-drive statistics released today show an increase in the number of drink-drive casualties.

• Provisional estimates for 2012 show that 290 people were killed in drink drive accidents in the Great Britain, an increase of a quarter compared with 2011.
• There was a 5 per cent decrease in seriously injured drink drive casualties in 2012 to around 1, 200.
• 220 fatal drink drive accidents in 2011 resulting in 230 deaths, the lowest number of deaths since reporting began in 1979.
• Since 1979 (when reporting began), there has been an almost six-fold reduction in the number killed in drink drive accidents.

IAM director of policy and research Neil Greig said: “The number of people killed or seriously injured by drink drivers is the real indicator of success in dealing with those who present the biggest danger on our roads.   The IAM is concerned that despite continued police campaigns the message does not seem to be getting through to a minority of drivers.”

“This increase shows the critical need for the DfT to reverse cuts in publicity funding and continue to ram home the message that drink driving kills.”

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