Llangrove, Herefordshire, June 2009
Sunday June 14, 2009 saw BRP's Team Can-Am™ travel to Llangrove on the Welsh Border for more QRA ACU British Quad Cross Championship action. With news of BRP's appointment as senior partners to the QRA and sponsors of the 2009 QRA ACU British Quad Cross Championship, the pressure was on for Team Can-Am to perform up to their usual high standard.
The Llangrove venue provided a mix that tested riders of all abilities, with the track comprising a challenging mixture of fast open sections, wooded areas and some river and stream crossings.
With two of the five-strong team forced to sit out the meeting, (Iain Johnston still recovering from injuries sustained at the opening meeting and Shaun Gunther unfortunately left without a ride after his ATV was stolen just prior to the event), the remaining trio travelled to the Herefordshire venue focused on delivering outstanding results for the team. After three fast and furious hours of action, all three individuals put in a superb display despite difficulties throughout the day. Justin Reid and Beverley Barnes eventually took 3rd and 4th in their respective classes, with Chris Cooper being robbed of a possible podium after running out of fuel at half distance.
Beverley Barnes
As the flag dropped to start the Clubman class race, Beverley uncharacteristically stalled twice off the line which resulted in a 20th position after the opening lap. Quickly finding her rhythm and settling down to a fast pace in the opening stages, Beverley used the excellent power and handling of the DS 450™ X mx and began to charge through the field, making up an amazing seventeen positions for 3rd at the halfway point. Beverley battled valiantly for the remainder of the race to take the chequered flag after eighteen gruelling laps for a fantastic fourth place finish.
“I’m a little disappointed that I lost my 3rd place in the closing stages after fighting so hard to come back from dead last. I don’t know exactly how I managed to stall twice off the line, but once I got going I quickly got into the track and was able to really attack", said Beverley. "The long fast straights were perfect to leverage the power of the standard Can-Am DS 450 X mx, and after walking the track earlier, I made a few suspension adjustments which worked perfectly around the entire circuit. I’ve had a really bad head cold during the week, which began to take it’s toll in the last hour and I dropped off my original pace slightly, but I dug deep in the closing laps and was able to hold on to fourth so I’m happy with that”, she concluded.
Chris Cooper
Getting a fantastic drive off the line for the start of the Pro class race, Chris led the field on the opening lap of the three-hour moto. A slight mistake near the end of the opening circuit saw Chris riding side-saddle as he battled to regain control after hitting a rut. Team-mate Justin Reid slipped past as Chris regained his composure.
Chris had pulled a thirty second gap to 3rd as the race approached half distance with the “fuel next lap” board being shown from the pit crew. But just two corners in to the lap, his ATV began to show signs of low fuel which forced him to ease his pace. Nursing his bike around the circuit while running out of fuel halfway around the lap, took Chris out of the competition.
Chris commented after the race “I had such a good time racing with Justin. We showed what a good product the Can-Am DS 450 X mx is today. I made a mistake which hurt my position but thankfully Justin passed me and I managed to stay with him. I’m really happy with the power and handling of the ATV and I’m feeling very confident about the rest of the year. It’s just a shame we couldn’t get a Can-Am 1-2”, he concluded.
Justin Reid
A fantastic start to the three-hour Pro class race saw Justin slot into 2nd around the first corner as the field headed out on the opening lap. After gradually increasing his tempo, Justin passed team-mate Chris Cooper near the end of the first lap and the duo battled for position in the early stages as they pulled a half-minute gap to 3rd.
Maintaining his lead as the race approached half distance, Justin maintained a blistering pace on the last lap before his scheduled fuel stop when his bike cut out near the start of the lap. He quickly realised his fuel level was low and wisely backed off in order to get back to the refuelling area. Losing valuable position and time as he nursed his machine around the long circuit, Justin quickly refuelled and set off to make up time. He charged through the field in the latter stages of the race bringing the Can-Am DS 450 X mx home in a fantastic third place, the result of which takes to him to 7th in the series, tied for sixth in overall points.
“The first hour and twenty minutes went perfectly to plan but the circuit was very fast here so we used more fuel than expected; it cost us dearly. My ‘in lap’ took about 2 minutes more than would a normal lap which undid all the advantages we had gained" quotes Reid. "I’m still pretty new to this discipline of racing so I’m learning every race but today was a harsh lesson! On the positive side my DS 450 was performing flawlessly and I think that Chris and I proved today that the ATVs have the pace to win” he added. .
PHOTOS COURTESY OF PETE COBBE of www.endurophotos.co.uk .
Results
Pro Class
Winner – Paul Winrow, 2nd – David Baldwin, 3rd – Justin Reid, 4th – Jason Wildman,
5th – Martin Benbow
Clubman Class
Winner – Jamie Hall, 2nd – Sam Barrett, 3rd – Christian Bye, 4th – Beverley Barnes,
5th – Elizabeth Price
Championship Standings (after 3 of 6 rounds)
Pro Class
1st – Paul Winrow 75, 2nd – Jason Wildman 62, 3rd – David Baldwin 52, 4th – Stefan Murphy 49, 5th – Martin Benbow 45…7th – Justin Reid 38, 8th – Chris Cooper 37
Clubman Class
1st – Jamie Hall 72, 2nd – Christain Bye 63, 3rd – Beverley Barnes 58, 4th – Peter Gallagher 50, 5th – Nick Grant 40
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