HOLMES Racing's Paul Holmes

Europe (3/8/2010) - Last weekend the seaside resort of Margate, Kent hosted the 1st round of the new QRA UK Beach Cross Championship. Thousands of spectators enjoyed 2 days of spectacular racing action on the beach circuit meticulously prepared by the QRA team for this thrilling event

Paul Holmes, the current European Quad Champion and 3 x U21 British Quad Cross Champion made his debut on the HOLMES Racing KTM 505SX. Severe winter weather made local pre-season training impossible for Holmes and saw him travelling from his home town to Massachusetts and New Jersey in the USA and Southern Spain in search of ideal training grounds. After picking up a shoulder injury last November, Holmes was unable to ride for three months and was unable to defend his '09 British Supercross Championship title.

A tough training regime in preparation for the Margate race paid off as he made the perfect start to Race One. After grabbing the holeshot he soon adapted to the tricky terrain with sand ace Jerome Bricheux in hot pursuit. The pair pulled away from the pack and began what was to be one of the best battles of the day. Bricheux fought his way into the lead and the race progressed with Holmes a comfortable 2nd.

With only 6 minutes left on the clock Holmes needed to quickly retake his lead. A brilliant pass around the outside of Bricheux enabled Holmes to pull a decent lead and take the checkered flag. A superb start to the 2010 season for this very ambitious 21 year old.

Race Two started out well for Holmes in 2nd place around the first corner. Taking the lead he soon settled into a comfortable rhythm but was caught out by the difficult sand conditions half way through the race and parted company with his quad, twisting his knee in the process. Determined to finish the race in the best possible position he worked his way back from mid pack to 4th place.

Ice helped soothe the swollen knee but it was the mindset of the European champion that enabled him to return to the grid for the final race of the day. Once again Holmes enjoyed another perfect start taking the holeshot. He led the race for as long as his knee allowed, settling for an impressive 3rd place and a 3rd place overall for the first day’s racing. After seeking medical advice Holmes was forced to abandon all hope of racing on Day 2 of the Beach Cross Championship.

KTM's Paul Holmes Race Quotes:

"The Beach Cross has been brilliant. A great way for me to return to racing after some difficult winter months. I'm overjoyed with my race one win and managing to hold on to some great finishes despite my injured knee."

"I have 2 main goals this year; To win the British Championship and the European Championship. I would like to say a big thank you to all my sponsors, old and new, for their extreme generosity, their enthusiasm, and their confidence in me. I couldn't even dream of winning without them. THANK YOU!"

www.ktmnorthamerica.com