UK (4/29/2010) - Sunday
the 25th of April saw the Justwin Racing Team
of Justin Reid and Beverley Barnes return
to British Championship quad racing action,
the Herefordshire venue of Llangrove providing
the setting for the opening round of the 2010
QRA ACU British Quad Cross Country Championship.
With Tony Nash and the hard-working QRA crew
once again delivering a superb track layout
and a lap approaching twelve minutes for the
top riders, the mix of Motocross sections,
fast open flat areas and technical wooded
stages provided a challenge that was to test
the skills and resolve of both Reid and Barnes
as they battled for over three hours in the
hot and dusty conditions.
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| #14
Justin Reid on his Can-Am DS450 Xmx
ATV |
As the sixteen strong Pro Class lined up for
the off, a poor start by his standards saw Reid
head out on the opening lap mid-pack and with
a lot of work to do, but despite dust hampering
his initial progress, Reid began to quickly
work through the field and by the end of the
lap had moved up to 4th.
With the Justwin Racing Can-Am DS450 Xmx
dialled in perfectly, Reid continued to make
his way toward the front of the field, taking
3rd on lap two and quickly closing in on 2nd,
but a broken battery box and subsequent disconnected
earth wire put paid to any chances of further
advancement, Reid losing two laps to the leaders
as he fought back to the pits. Rejoining in
last position but focused on making up positions,
Reid began to once again fight his way through
the field, but in another cruel blow a fuel
leak with almost half the race left to run
forced Reid to make another two unscheduled
stops to complete the race, taking the chequered
flag after thirteen gruelling laps in 13th.
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| Just
Reid continued to battle the pack even
being 2 laps down due to mechanical
issues |
Clearly disappointed at the result, Reid commented
afterwards “I though that I had this potential
problem covered with an aftermarket battery
box but it just shows that anything can happen
at these races. I know that my pace is good
so I’m focusing on getting away well and
running at the front at the next round. The
track was a lot of fun and the 3 hours went
by remarkably quickly, full marks to Tony and
the team at QRA UK for another outstanding job.”
After a highly successful 2009 season that
saw her promoted to the Expert Class for 2010,
the first lady to have done so, Barnes got
her Championship campaign off to a promising
start with a superb ride that had many in
the paddock talking.
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| Beverley
Barnes Finished in 5th place overall
after 3 grueling hours! |
Last off the line after stalling three times
as she tried to get underway, Barnes set a blistering
pace throughout the race, making up five places
to 15th on the opening lap and continuing to
pick up positions as she battled through to
a superb 5th after three fast and furious hours.
“I’m very happy with my final result”
commented Barnes, “but I’m still
a little disappointed as I’m sure I could
have done better if I hadn’t have messed
up the start. The track was brilliant and had
everything that I could have asked for and was
a lot of fun to ride, so I just settled in to
my rhythm and enjoyed each and every lap. I
tried different lines as the race progressed,
and with my fitness levels good and no sign
of fatigue I was able to keep pushing and catch
up with the front-runners in my class. The Justwin
Racing Can-Am DS450 Xmx is a fantastic bike
to ride and I’m feeling confident that
I can improve on my results throughout the year,
but in the meantime I will be focusing on my
practice starts so that I can get away at the
front of the pack”.
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2010
QRA ACU British Quad Cross Country Championship
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Pro Class
1st - Paul Winrow
2nd - Steve Atkins
3rd - Ridian Willford
4th - Paul Hannan
5th - Liam Ryland
13 th - Justin
Reid (Can-Am)
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Expert
Class
1st - Sam Barrett
2nd - Paul Harkness
3rd - Anthony Barrett
4th - Vall Bell
5th - Beverley
Barnes (Can-AM)
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BQCC
Championship Standings after Round 1
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