Moodie: Jones has done a brilliant job.

This weekend will be the second time that the British Supersport Championship has visited Oulton Park this season. Round four took place in May and despite unfavourable weather affecting their qualifying positions, Triumph ValMoto riders Jim Moodie and Craig Jones both put in great performances.

Jones's battling ride to a seventh place finish proved to be most spectacular and he hogged a huge proportion of TV coverage in the process. The 18-year-old lives in nearby Northwich and has already experienced the highs and lows of his local circuit.

"I always look forward to racing at Oulton Park," he said. "I first went there as a spectator when I was very young and it's also where I had my first ever win. I got first and second place finishes in the Junior Superstock races there last year and had a great ride on the Triumph ValMoto Daytona 600 earlier this season. However, in 2001, it was also where I had a bad crash that almost ended my career.

"I love the track itself but it's also good for me because I get a lot of support from my friends and family who are all from the area. Even though I only live five miles away, I still like to stay at the circuit but the fact that I can nip home if I need to makes it easier for me to relax.

"The team has been working very hard on the Triumph ValMoto Daytona 600s and my bike is getting better and better with every round. I'm confident of a good result - the question is just how good."

To the casual observer Moodie would appear to have been having a tough time this season. And while it is true that the veteran Scottish racer has not been particularly happy with his results, he knows that the valuable work he is carrying out on the bike is helping Jones challenge for results.

Ever the perfectionist, he and the ValMoto engineers have been kept extremely busy turning the Daytona 600 road bike into a racing machine capable of challenging for championship glory.

"I can't deny that it's been a little frustrating," said Moodie. "But we're definitely heading in the right direction. We've learned a lot about the bikes during the last eight rounds but it's just a shame that we had to do our research while everyone else was flat-out going for results.

"We've done a bit of testing recently and had some pretty encouraging results. At Cadwell Park I was able to keep up with Jason Vincent on the Virgin Yamaha Superbike and wasn't that far off the lap record - which is not too bad for a Wednesday night," he said. "Craig has done a brilliant job of showing what the Triumph ValMoto team is capable of and we're in a much stronger position than we were last time we raced at Oulton Park. I like the circuit and I'm hoping that this time I can concentrate a little more on the racing rather than trouble shooting."