Race
Report - January 2009 - British Supercross Championship
Reid
Takes Fantastic 3rd In British SX Championship
Justin
Reid and Team Can Am recently took part in their first competitive
racing of 2009, John and Jamie Hellam from Future West Promotions
including a Pro Quad class for the final two rounds of the British
Supercross Championship in Liverpool and London. Having grown
from strength to strength on the cutting edge Can Am DS450 during
the 2008 season, and having previously ridden Supercross at the
Paris Indoor Invitational in 2006, Justin was confident in the
run up to the series that he could deliver a good result for Team
Can Am, and after two hectic race meetings on very challenging
circuits Justin had once again put in an outstanding performance,
a fantastic 2nd place finish in London taking Justin to 3rd overall
in the series with just three points separating the top three.
Liverpool
The Liverpool
Echo Arena in the Albert Dock area provided the setting for the
opening round on Saturday the 24th of January, the highly skilled
Dirt Wurx team meticulously crafting a spectacular track with
over two thousand tons of dirt that would test the riders and
entertain the crowds. Travelling over from his base near Comber,
Northern Ireland, Justin’s initial progress to the final
did not go according to plan, a problem during the six lap qualifying
heat leaving Justin just outside the automatic qualification positions,
Justin nevertheless progressing comfortably to the main event
after dominating from start to finish in the last chance qualifier.
With
a huge crowd of spectators eagerly waiting to witness the first
ever Indoor Quad Supercross racing held in the UK, the drop of
the flag for the start of the final saw Justin get fantastic drive
of the line and slot in to 4th as the eight strong field headed
out on the first of ten laps, only to have this good start negated
halfway around the opening circuit after being tagged from behind
in one of the many tight corners, Justin’s bike stalling
and dropping back to 6th as he quickly got underway. Having already
lost quite a lot of ground to the rider in 5th, Justin used the
excellent handling of the DS450 to set a blistering pace in the
early stages of the moto to close the gap to Andrew Lawton, Justin
using his superior bike handling skills to pass Lawton in the
technical rhythm section of the circuit at half distance. With
ever increasing confidence as he got the track dialled in perfectly,
Justin quickly caught and passed Ben Harman for 4th and set of
to reduce the almost half-lap gap that had opened up to Oli Sansom
in 3rd. Spurred on by the huge crowd and with commentator Jack
Burnicle focused firmly on his progress, Justin had amazingly
closed the gap to Sansom as the last lap board came out, but with
Sansom riding extremely defensively and covering all the racing
lines for the final flying lap Justin was unable to pass, Justin
taking the chequered flag in a respectable 4th after ten action
filled laps.
Winner
– Paul Holmes; 2nd – Richard Tordoff; 3rd –
Oli Sansom; 4th – Justin Reid; 5th –
Ben Harman
London
Nestled
on the banks of the River Thames in the Docklands area of the
capital city, the O2 Arena provided a spectacular venue for the
final round of the series on Saturday the 31st of January. The
hard working crews at Future West Promotions and Dirt Wurx had
once again put together a challenging layout for the event, the
highly technical track smaller and tighter than the previous venue
that would demand the very best from the riders. After using the
four-lap free practice session to learn the circuit and dial in
his suspension to suit the conditions, Justin’s qualifying
heat saw him get a poor start and boxed in on the opening lap.
Quickly settling in to a good rhythm in the six lap heat, Justin
managed to move up to 3rd by the chequered flag, but with only
the top two going through Justin’s progress to the final
would have to be via the last chance qualifier. A slightly better
start for the LCQ saw Justin slot in to 4th around the first corner,
using the excellent handling of the Team Can Am DS450 to pass
Mark Turner and Andrew Lawton on the opening lap before taking
the leading spot from Ben Harman on the second circuit, Justin
breaking away from the chasing pack comfortably and taking the
win after four laps for a place in the final eight.
With
over seven thousand spectators filling the Arena for the final
race of the series, the scene was set for a spectacular climax
to the series. As the flag dropped Justin got bogged down slightly
on the line and slotted in to 5th as the field charged out on
the first of ten laps. With the circuit extremely tight and presenting
few clear overtaking possibilities, Justin nevertheless quickly
found his rhythm and set about making up positions. Using the
skills and wisdom that have helped Justin to numerous British
and Ulster honours, Justin applied pressure to Oli Sansom while
watching his lines in the opening laps before making his move
through one of the most difficult parts of the circuit for 4th.
Gradually increasing his pace to close the gap to James Behan,
Justin caught Behan and again carefully chose his spot to pass,
Behan’s previous Supercross experience making for some excellent
viewing for the spectators as he fended of Justin’s challenges,
but Justin’s vast experience stood him in good stead as
he progressed to 3rd at half distance. With Carl Bunce having
pulled away significantly as Justin battled his way through, Justin
once again set a blistering pace and caught Bunce with two laps
to go, Richard Tordoff joining the affray for a three way battle
for 2nd. Negotiating back markers as they circulated at a frantic
pace, Justin comfortably fended of the challenge of Tordoff while
trying to pass the ever-widening bike of Bunce in front, and in
a dramatic climax to the race passed early race leader Paul Holmes
in the closing stages of the last lap, Justin taking a fantastic
second step on the podium to finish the series 3rd overall, the
first piece of silverware in 2009 and a fantastic start to the
year for Team Can Am.
Winner
– Carl Bunce; 2nd – Justin Reid;
3rd – Richard Tordoff; 4th – Paul Holmes; 5th –
Oli Sansom
Final
Championship Standings
1st
– Paul Holmes 43; 2nd – Richard Tordoff 42; 3rd
– Justin Reid 40; 4th – Oli Sansom 36; 5th
– Carl Bunce 25
Reid
‘The
starts were a bit of a lottery here as, for some absurd reason,
we were started by flag instead of the normal mechanical gates
which cannot be cheated. The tracks are very tight, especially
for the quads, and the races short but it was really good fun.
It’s frustrating because if I had won that last race –
I would have won the series overall too, the points were that
tight but that’s racing I guess. It’s nice to get
some silverware this early in the year and I can’t wait
to get started in the outdoor season on my new race ready DS450
Xmx’s which I received last week.’
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