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After taking
two consistent podium spots Paul Holmes
earned third position in the ATV Pro
points race aboard his Yamaha YFZ450R
ATV
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Gdansk, Poland, (6/29/2011) - Holmes Racing’s
Paul Holmes took a 12 day round trip to attend
Rounds 4 and 5 of the European Championship where
he stood on the podium for both overalls and moved
himself up to 2nd place in the overall GOLDSPEED
European Quad Championship. 18-19th June - Round
4, Rander, Denmark.
Held at the challenging sand based Randers
circuit, a new venue for this year's Goldspeed
Championship, this round proved to be an enjoyable
track for both riders and spectators. Holmes
sat out the first 30min free practice session,
as heavy rain had left the track extremely wet,
but he headed out onto the new circuit for the
2nd free practice where he made some final adjustments
to his quad before starting the qualification
session which followed. Holmes immediately showed
his speed by posting the 2nd fastest time of
the session just 0.031 seconds off 1st, giving
him an important early gate choice for Sundays
racing action.
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Paul Holmes
placed third overall in both round 4
and round 5 of the Goldspeed
European Championships
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Race 1: With a very
tight first corner where riders and machines
quickly ended up in a multi quad pile up, Holmes
unfortunately got stacked up on the inside and
was forced to take avoiding action to stay clear
of the carnage. Holmes found himself mid pack
as the first lap got underway and although not
perfectly happy with his set-up rode strong
and battled up to a top 5 finish.
Race 2: Not content
with the result in race 1, Holmes shot out of
the gate but was once again caught up in a quad
tangle at the first corner. Holmes exited the
first corner to start his 30min + 2 lap race
way down in 16th place. With valuable Championship
points up for grabs, Holmes rode hard and fast
to fight through the pack to claim a 2nd place
finish, less than 9 seconds from the race winner,
Couprie. With a 5th and a 2nd Holmes took his
first overall Podium of the season with 3rd
and moved into 2nd place in the overall Championship.
Paul Holmes flies to 2nd place In European
Championship 25-26th June 2011 - Round 5, Gdansk,
Poland. Some mid week bike set-up changes were
needed to prepare the quad for the hard packed
circuit of Gdansk. Holmes was happy to move
into 2nd in the overall standing but wanted
to close in the Championship lead. Held at the
Gdansk circuit where Holmes took 3 race wins
on his last visit just 2 years ago, whilst leading
the Championship, the stage was set for a fantastic
weekend. With hot dusty conditions at the fast
and flowing circuit, Qualification was going
to be key to a good gate choice and race start,
Holmes once again claimed the 2nd fastest time.
Race 1: Not getting
as good a jump out of the gate as he'd hoped
he found himself once again in a tightening
pack heading up the start straight and before
he found himself upside down, like 2 fellow
riders, Holmes chose to ease off the gas and
avoided the carnage. With a lot of work ahead
as he rounded the first corner dead last, Holmes
battled very hard and found some great passing
points which he took advantage off as he raced
to a 3rd place finish and proved his speed as
he set the fastest lap of the race.
Race 2: Hoping for
redemption on the starts, Holmes got a great
start and rounded the first corner in 2nd place.
Whilst battling to keep hold of his position
he was tucked up behind Couprie on the 2nd corner
when Couprie came to an abrupt halt. More bad
luck followed as three riders shot past on the
inside and with extremely dusty conditions hindering
his progress he had to settle for the 4th place
despite applying immense pressure on the riders
ahead.
With another overall 3rd place finish, Holmes
closes in on the Championship lead and extends
the gap between himself and 3rd place. Holmes
commented after the weekend’s action:
“These two weekends have been really exciting
and full of drama and I’m really enjoying
my riding at the moment and really pleased with
how the Championship is going. I hope to continue
this momentum into this coming weekend's British
Championship Rd 3 in Ireland. I would really
like to give a huge shout out to all my sponsors,
family and friends because without them none
of this would be possible.”
| Goldspeed
European Championships - Top 5 ATV
Pro Points After Round 5 |
| Place |
Name |
Points |
| 1 |
Romain Couprie (F) |
188 |
| 2 |
Paul Holmes (GB) |
167 |
| 3 |
Stefan Schreiber (D |
160 |
| 4 |
Nicola Montalbini (I) |
151 |
| 5 |
Mattia Torraco (I) |
110 |
Holmes Racing would
like to take this opportunity to thank
GR Electrical Services PEP Suspension, Goldspeed
Tires, SHIFT Racing, DWT, Laegers, HINSON, DP
Brakes,Twin Air, Kutvek Kit Graphik, Motion
Pro, RNR, ATVs Only, AXP, BORN, Quad Tech, Renthal,
TPSL, Gaerne, Muk Junkie, Pulse Beats and Lonestar
Racing for their continued support and also
thank and welcome to the team new sponsors DOMA
Exhausts, Drag’on DistributionATV NRG,
Drag’on Tek, MOTUL, ATV World, Action
Cameras, GoPro, SAMCO hoses, Racebikebitz, Pro
Armour, Tire Balls, Leatt, USWE and Elkay Sports.
