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Round 3 of the
7 round series was held in Beautiful
Italy
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Cingoli, IT (5/18/2010) -
Team KTM UK riders, Jason Macbeth
and James Hellewell, maintained their ascension
through the European ranks at the weekend, with
an impressive performance that took Macbeth to
3rd in the series and Hellewell to 12th in the
2010 GOLDSPEED EMX Quad European Championship.
Without doubt one of the most spectacular venues
visited on the European Quad circuit, the Crossodromo
“B. Tittoni” on the outskirts of
Cingoli provided a picturesque setting for the
third of the seven round series as thirty-one
of Europe’s best riders battled around
the hillside circuit.
For only the second time since the series began
in 2008, inclement weather on Friday and Saturday
threatened to cancel the meeting completely
on the grounds of safety due to thick fog and
heavy rain, with all Saturday’s free practice
and qualifying sessions cancelled and replaced
by one forty minute timed qualification session
planned for Sunday weather permitting, but thankfully
for all the thick fog and rain dispersed to
let action get underway on Sunday morning.
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Jason Macbeth put
on a great performance and took away
4th overall on the day with a 5-4-5
race set
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Bolstered by his ever improving results as
he continues to adapt to the Team KTM UK 505
SX, Macbeth put in yet another superb display
around the demanding circuit to take 4th overall
on the day with a 5-4-5 scorecard, Macbeth battling
through from poor starts and thrilling the crowded
hillsides around the venue with his exploits
to narrowly miss out on a middle moto podium,
Macbeth showing amazing pace to take the honour
of the fastest lap all weekend on the 1.1 mile
circuit as he charged through the field.
“ It’s been a good result overall
and I’m really happy to have moved up
to 3rd in the series’” said a delighted
Macbeth later, “ but it’s a shame
that the weather was so bad before the meeting
as it made the track dry out very one-lined
and made passing really difficult. I struggled
to get the right set up in practice and with
only one session had to settle for 9th pick
of gate, still on the front row but not where
I wanted to be. I didn’t get the best
of starts in each heat and left myself with
a lot of work to do around a circuit that had
lots of deep mud to catch you out if you strayed
too far off the racing line, but having made
a few adjustments to the bike I just settled
in to my rhythm and was able to gradually work
my way through towards the front. The back markers
played a big part today with the track so one-lined,
the guys on the circuit did a great job with
the blue flags but they just seemed to ignore
them and I know that I lost out on more than
one occasion as a result, but the Team KTM UK
505 SX was working really well and it’s
fantastic to have been the fastest rider all
weekend. Everything is coming together now and
I’ve shown that I’m as fast as anyone
out there, so I’m looking forward to the
next round in Poland where I’ll be aiming
for a podium finish”.
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James Hellewell
notched a 10-12-10 score to put him
at 10th overall for the day in Italy
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Having recovered from an energy-sapping double
header the previous weekend, Hellewell once again
put in an outstanding performance against the
best in Europe to confirm that he has the potential
to go a long way in the sport, the eighteen year
old pushing through from mid pack starts in all
three moto’s and overcoming difficulties
in heats two and three to post a 10-12-10 score
for 10th overall, Hellewell jumping to 12th in
the series standings with a display of riding
skills unrivalled by anyone of his young years.
Commenting after the event, Hellewell said
“ It’s been a good weekend and result
for myself and the team, but I know that I could
possibly have finished a little higher in the
last two heats. The track here is awesome and
it’s a pity that it rained so much beforehand
as it made the track really slick and tough
to overtake on. I had a good lap in qualifying
and got my first front row start of the year,
which was awesome, but I didn’t get the
best start in the first race but was able to
move up from 17th to 10th which I’m really
happy with. In the next heat I got a better
start and was inside the top ten on the opening
lap, but a mistake pushing a little too hard
over a jump pushed me in to the loose mud and
stall. I got going again in 17th and managed
to finish 12th so it was still a good result,
and in race three I had worked my way up to
10th before I broke a nerf-bar and had to ease
my pace. I’m really happy with my speed
and fitness and the bike is working really well
and a lot of fun to ride, it’s Poland
at the beginning of June now for the next round
so I’ll be aiming to finish well inside
the top ten and improve on my overall championship
position”.
| 2010
Goldspeed EMX Quad European Championship
Rnd 2 ATV Results |
