Race
Report - 26th July 2008 - Tinkerhill
Team
Can Am Reid 3rd In Series After Tinkerhill
Justin
Reid and Team Can Am travelled to the fantastic Tinkerhill Motocross
Circuit on the outskirts of Newry on Saturday the 26th of July,
Quad Racing Ireland promoting round four of the 2008 Highland
Bakery Ulster Premier Quadcross Championship at Jim O’Brien’s
picturesque County Down circuit. Leading the series by a slender
one point margin after an outstanding performance at the previous
round in Tandragee, Justin came in to this meeting with the aim
of extending his advantage, but as they packed away the Team Can
Am DS450 for the short trip home to Comber after a hot and dusty
days racing, a frustrating closing moto retirement with a faulty
battery had dropped Justin to 3rd in the series with just nine
points separating the top three, Justin’s fantastic results
in the first two races still good enough for 5th overall on the
day.
Race
One
A
beautifully prepared Tinkerhill circuit greeted the riders as
they began timed practice, Justin putting in a series of blistering
laps to post 4th fastest time, The combination of hot weather
and lack of rainfall left the hard-working crew at Quad Racing
Ireland with no option but to heavily water the surface in the
week prior to the event and between each block of races to control
the dust around the hardpack circuit. As the gates dropped for
the opening race of the day, Justin got good drive off the line
and rounded the tight first corner and out on the first of eleven
laps in 8th. Quickly adapting to the varied surface conditions,
many areas dry and dusty while watered areas were somewhat slick,
Justin quickly found his groove and began moving up the ranks,
passing Sean Goss and Alan Haugh to complete the opening lap in
6th. Using the excellent traction of the Carlisle tyres in the
difficult conditions, Justin gradually increased his pace as the
track came to him and with just five minutes gone had caught the
battling duo of Johnny Kelly and early race leader Brian Kerr.
Using his years of experience and the excellent handling of the
Lonestar / PEP suspension to try different lines, Justin passed
Kelly at half distance before demoting Kerr to 5th on the following
lap. Continuing at his relentless pace as the race entered the
final phase, Justin quickly caught and passed Michael Taggart
with two laps to go, Justin taking the chequered flag after seventeen,
action packed, minutes to record a fantastic 3rd.
Race
Two
A
carbon copy start to the opening moto saw Justin once again head
out on the first lap of the one mile circuit in 8th before moving
past Terence Mackin and Sean Goss to break the timing beam for
the first time in 6th. Heavy watering on many parts of the circuit
while others were dry and dusty was a recipe for poor visibility,
but with the Oakley goggles handling this problem with ease, Justin
quickly found his rhythm and was able to set a blistering pace
from the onset, Justin catching and passing Michael Taggart on
lap two before charging past David Cowan, Gary Mullan and Brian
Kerr on consecutive laps to move up to 2nd with ten minutes of
the fifteen minutes plus one lap moto run. Setting off at a furious
pace to chase down the leader, who had by this time opened up
a twenty second lead, Justin gradually reduced the deficit to
five seconds as the race wore on, but coming across back markers
embroiled in their own battles for position at some of the most
difficult parts of the circuit for overtaking hampered his astonishing
progress somewhat, Justin taking the chequered flag after eleven
blistering laps for a superb 2nd place finish.
Race
Three
A
poor start by his standards in his final outing of the day saw
Justin round the first corner in 11th, but once again using the
awesome grunt of the Rotax powered DS450 Justin was able to make
up two places on the opening lap, Johnny Cullen and Aaron Haslett
the first victims of the factory Team Can Am rider. Quickly settling
in to his race pace and keen not to let the leaders break away
in the early stages of the race, Justin moved past Alan Haugh
for 8th on the 2nd lap and had found a way past Jonathan McKnight
and Terence Mackin for 6th one lap later when he was dealt a cruel
blow, the advanced electronics on the cutting edge Can Am DS450
detecting a battery voltage problem and switching off the ignition
circuit as a precaution, Justin unfortunately forced to pull off
the circuit and retire from the race.
This
has been another fantastic result for Justin and Team Can Am,
although Justin will no doubt be frustrated by the final moto
result while in a healthy position to strengthen his grip on the
championship. Excellent speed, fitness and tenacity helped him
to achieve 5th overall thanks to his excellent results in motos
one and two, and despite dropping to 3rd in the series the deficit
to the top of the table is a mere nine points, Justin is still
well in contention with two rounds remaining, the first of which
is the demanding Donemana Race Circuit on the 16th of August which
should favour Justin and the Team Can Am DS450.
Reid
‘The
conditions were pretty bad today but the club did a good job in
the short time that they had. The races are short and it’s
hard to make up time here due the conditions. It’s a pity
about the last race but at least we’re not looking at a
hefty repair bill to fix the engine thanks to the engine management
system. I’m still very much in the title chase and looking
forward to Donemana where we had a good run at the start of the
season.’
Results
Race
One
Winner
– David Cowan; 2nd – David Wray; 3rd –
Justin Reid; 4th – Michael Taggart; 5th –
Brian Kerr
Race
Two
Winner
– David Wray; 2nd – Justin Reid;
3rd – Brian Kerr; 4th – Gary Mullan; 5th – Sean
Goss
Race
Three
Winner
– David Wray; 2nd – Johnny Kelly; 3rd – Jonathan
McKnight; 4th – Aaron Haslett; 5th – Cathal McGilligan
Championship
Standings (after 4 of 6 rounds)
1st
– David Wray 238, 2nd Brian Kerr 230, 3rd Justin Reid 229,
4th David Cowan 201, 5th Michael McAneney 184
Next
Race: Saturday 16th August – Highland Bakery Ulster
Premier Quadcross Championship (round 5), Donemana Motocross Park,
Donemana
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