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ATV World's #111
John Mitchell won all three races at
the NORA-MX Meeting
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Oxford, UK (4/18/2011) - ATV
World Yamaha’s John Mitchell opened the
2011 Goldspeed ACU British Quad Championship with
a convincing double win at the Silverstone MX
circuit. Having already dominated here when he
won all three races at the NORA-MX meeting in
March, John was full of confidence onboard his
ATV World Yamaha Leager’s YZF450 quad.
The track had been watered as the hot, dry
weather made the track quite dusty. Silverstone
is a man-made, fast and technical track with
space to overtake and a couple of big air jumps.
In qualifying it was Mark Watson on his factory
KTM that took the fastest lap, just ahead of
John in second and Giles Davies looking very
fast in third place.
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John Mitchell aboard
his Yamha YFZ450R ATV
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The first of two 25 minute plus two lap races
got underway with John taking the holeshot.
Leading from Paul Winrow, Johnathan Kelly and
James Hellewell, John’s good start only
got better as he began to pull away from the
rest of the pack. He kept his eye on Mark Watson
as he was working his way up the field from
eighth. Paul Winrow then crashed in lap two
which widened the gap from John and the leading
pack of riders. It ended with the man from Stornoway
finishing with a 25 second lead. Mark Watson
took second with James Hellewell in third.
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#111 John Mitchell
taking the holeshot
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With a full schedule of racing over the course
of the day, the track was going to get cut up
and John felt that this would play an advantage
as his Elka shocks work so well in the tough
conditions. The gates dropped and the roar of
30 championship riders all trying to get to
the first corner filled the air. It was again
John who took the holeshot, putting his quad
effortlessly around the track as he began to
quickly ease away from the leading group. There
were no dramas, just an outstanding display
as both John and his machine displayed an outstanding
performance with the Scot finishing with a massive
21 second lead.
After nearly missing the presentations because
of interview commitments with the TV crew from
Blood Sweat and Gears, John was delighted with
the result and picked up the awards for winning
both open and 450cc classes.
“I was really pleased with my performance
in race one. I used the spare bike and it felt
very comfortable. I felt strong and the bike
was effortless. Heading into race two and I
was looking forward to a battle with Mark Watson,
unfortunately that didn’t materialise
as he had problems and pulled up. I felt the
whole time like I had plenty of energy left
in reserve and feel full of confidence with
the bike. Everything about it was excellent.
I’m now looking forward to a good season.”
The team would also like to thank NORA-MX for
their superb organisation of the event on behalf
of the ACU and to Silverstone MX for a great
track and fantastic facilities.
British Championship Top Three
Overall:
1 John Mitchell (ATV World Yamaha) 25 + 25 =
50
2 Carl Bunce (MKM Rocketman Suzuki) 16 + 22
= 38
3 James Hellewell (KTM UK) 20 + 18 = 38
Thanks again for all the support from sponsors
who along with their outstanding products have
helped develop a potential championship winning
team for the 2011 season.
About Yamaha Motor
Corp., U.S.A.
Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., (YMUS), a
leader in the motorsports market, makes the
toughest, most capable and versatile ATV and
Side-by-Side vehicles. The company’s ever-expanding
product offerings also include motorcycles,
outboard motors, personal watercraft, snowmobiles,
boats, outdoor power equipment, race kart engines,
accessories, apparel and much more. YMUS products
are sold through a nationwide network of dealers
in the United States.
Headquartered in Cypress,
Calif., since its incorporation in 1976, Yamaha
also has facilities in Wisconsin and Georgia,
as well as factory operations in Tennessee and
Georgia. For more information on Yamaha, visit
www.yamaha-motor.com.
