Race Report - 31st August 2008 - Duns

Reid Closes In As Series Moves North To Duns

After a six week break in the series, Justin Reid and Team Can Am made a welcome return to British Championship action on Sunday the 31st of August, Quad Racing Scotland promoting the penultimate round of the 2008 ACU British MMX Quad Championship at the superb Duns Motocross Park, the venue just fifteen miles inland from Berwick Upon Tweed near the Scottish / English border. Approaching the meeting focused on improving his position in the series, Justin once again put in a fantastic performance to finish a credible 11th overall despite being hampered by difficulties in timed practice and the closing moto, Justin maintaining 14th in the series and reducing the gap to 13th to just three points.

Race One

A new venue on the British Championship circuit, the fast two-mile circuit provided a challenging mix of tabletops, doubles, triples and a testing whoop section that would demand the most from bike and rider. Having never ridden at the venue before and with a chain problem that limited Justin to just four laps in timed practice, Justin struggled to get the proper bike set up for the varying conditions but was still able to secure a front row start. A fantastic start to the opening moto saw Justin get incredible drive off the line and round the first corner in 6th, the Lonestar / PEP suspension working overtime to smooth out the bumps and allowing Justin to move up to 4th halfway around the opening lap before completing the first of thirteen laps in 5th. A slight mistake on the following lap saw Justin drop back two slots, but quickly finding his rhythm Justin passed Mark Watson for 6th as they approached the ten minute mark in the twenty five minute plus two lap race. The lack of prior circuit knowledge and limited time in practice to get his bike properly set up prevented Justin from attacking the circuit in his normal manner, but despite being at an obvious disadvantage to many of his fellow competitors, Justin valiantly resisted the many challenges of the chasing pack as best he could as the race progressed, Justin circulating in 9th with ten minutes remaining. Now embroiled in a fierce battle with Carl Bunce but determined not to yield the position, Justin used the skills and wisdom that have helped him win previous championship honours to fend off the numerous challenges from Bunce over the remaining four laps, Justin bringing the Team Can Am DS 450 to the chequered flag after thirty minutes fast and furious racing to finish in a well earned 9th.

Race Two

With the forecast rain making an earlier than predicted arrival some forty five minutes before the start of race two, the riders were left with a surface that had changed from polished and hard pack in many places to slick and muddy as they took to the line. Justin’s start to moto two did not go according to plan, Justin getting a poor drop on the gate to round the first corner in 12th before being shunted of the track and dropping back to 20th two corners later. Quickly finding his rhythm and with the Can Am DS450 working perfectly after some set up changes during the interval, Justin started to scythe his way through the field, moving in to 17th by the end of the opening lap before moving past Oli Sansom and Mark Watson for 15th two laps later. Comfortably adapting to the tricky conditions, Justin gradually increased his pace and continued to make up places, moving past Joe Maessen and his team-mate Ricky Tordoff in consecutive laps for 13th as the race approached half distance, but the horrendous conditions were taking their toll on Justin’s bike, the sticky mud adhering to every surface and causing the bike to run hot. Once again using his wisdom and making the difficult but wise decision to reduce his pace to preserve his bike and finish the race, Justin pushed as hard as conditions would allow for the remaining fifteen minutes of the moto, Justin temporarily dropping back to 14th before passing Lindsay Duke and race one victor Leon Beda in the closing stages to take the chequered flag after twelve gruelling laps in a respectable 12th.

This has been another solid performance from Justin and Team Can Am, Justin’s results impressive given the various challenges that had to be endured throughout the day. Obviously disadvantaged by the lack of valuable bike set up time during his short practice session, Justin’s first moto performance showed that he belongs at the sharp end of the pack and can be competitive with the top runners despite a poor bike set-up. Justin showed skills, determination and tenacity, qualities that will no doubt see him move further up in the series standings at the final round on the 21st of September.

Reid

‘It’s a shame that I had the problem with the chain in practice because it didn’t really give me a chance to learn the track the way I would have liked to, I only actually had one shot at getting a decent qualifying time. The first race was ok, but I had to get to grips with the track fast and lost out a few times in the opening laps. I was really looking forward to the second moto but the rain started just before our race and totally destroyed the already slick track – it was more a matter of just surviving it in the end. I’m looking forward to this weekend to try and get back on top of the points in the Ulster Championship.’

Results

Race One
Winner – Leon Beda; 2nd – Paul Winrow; 3rd – John Mitchell; 4th – Ricky Tordoff; 5th – Paul Holmes…9th – Justin Reid

Race Two
Winner – Paul Winrow; 2nd – John Mitchell; 3rd – Simon Hammersley; 4th – David Wray; 5th – William Waggott…12th – Justin Reid

Championship Standings (after 7of 8 rounds)
1st – Paul Winrow 333; 2nd – John Mitchell 218; 3rd – Ricky Tordoff 211; 4th – Paul Holmes 191; 5th – William Waggott 170…14th – Justin Reid 108

Next Race: Saturday 6th September – 2008 Highland Bakery Ulster Premier Quadcross Championship (Round 5), Downpatrick Motocross Park, Downpatrick

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