ED RENDELL was ecstatic after claiming his first British Superbikes win at Assen.
The Chelmsford star made his first appearance at the Dutch track, and despite suffering an engine problem in Sunday's warm-up, he bounced back to take the win.
He had qualified second in his 125 class for the race in the Netherlands, but then had to go into the race with an untested engine after his technical problems.
However, the new engine proved to be more than up to the task and he held on to that second place, meaning he was in pole position to take advantage when leader Andy Reid was black-flagged on the penultimate lap.
Rendell said: "What a weekend.
"It's my first ever race win in BSB and what a team effort, no one saw that three hours before the race.
"We had a crank fail in morning warm-up and the team did a fantastic job to get my bike ready for the race. I couldn't be happier. Roll on Silverstone."
Rendell has fought back from serious injury to take his place on the grid this season, and his toughest challenge has been to get sponsorship to help him compete.
Last week he took to Twitter in a bid to receive donations of £10 to help him with tyres, and he is doing it again ahead of the next round, which is at Silverstone next weekend.
He added: "Two years ago I broke my pelvis, I didn't think I would walk let alone race again.
"This race win is also a credit to the medical staff that have mended my falls.
"My Twitter fans kindly donated towards my race winning tyres this weekend; every round is a financial struggle for me and I hope to replicate the same support for the next two rounds."
The win moves Rendell up to third in the Motostar Championship with two rounds – at Silverstone and then at Brands Hatch on October 19-20 – remaining.
Looking ahead to 2014, Rendell is desperately seeking business sponsorship to support his on-track success.
If you can help, please contact him via his website www.edrendell12.com, on Twitter – @edrendell12 – or by calling 07768 619700.
