Battling Reid Finishes 6th At Blaxhall
Justin Reid and Team Can-Am made the long trip South-East to Suffolk and the challenging Blaxhall Pit circuit at the weekend, Woodbridge & District MCC promoting the penultimate round of the 2009 ACU British MMX Quad Championship on Sunday the 16th of August. A demanding sand based circuit that tested the capability of rider and machine to the limits, not even temperatures approaching thirty degrees fazed an on form Reid, Justin taking a superb 7-5 scorecard for 6th overall.
Race One
Securing a front row start with 13th fastest despite a problematic qualifying session, the first of the two twenty-five minute plus two-lap outings got off to a disastrous start, Justin having to take evasive action in the first corner to avoid a spinning rider and completing the opening lap in a lowly 22nd. With the track already one-lined in many places with earlier practice and race sessions taking their toll, overtaking opportunities proved to be few and far between, but using the excellent handling of the DS450 Xmx Justin set a blistering pace as he attacked the rougher areas of the circuit and began to move through the pack, gaining ten places for 12th as the halfway point approached. Continuing his progression through the field as he battled his way up the leader board, Justin moved up to 7th with less than ten minutes left to run, comfortably holding position to the chequered flag having made up an astounding fifteen places in just eleven laps!
Race Two
As the gates dropped for the final moto, Justin got a better start and rounded the first corner in 8th as the twenty-five strong field charged out on the first of fifteen laps. Quickly adjusting to the much-changed conditions in the opening laps, Justin began to move towards the front and within two laps had pushed through to 5th. Maintaining his pace as the PEP suspension worked overtime to smooth out the choppy surface, Justin was involved in a three-way tussle for position and dropped back a spot with fifteen minutes gone, but using his vast experience to tame the challenging venue pushed through for 5th with ten minutes remaining, Justin taking the chequered flag after thirty-two gruelling minutes for 6th overall and missing out on 4th by the narrowest of margins.
Reid
‘This is another mega rough track and getting caught up at the start of the first moto left me with a lot of work to do as it isn’t that easy to pass here. My bike was working well though and I was able to use some ‘creative’ lines to make my way through and salvage some decent points so it wasn’t a total disaster. Unfortunately in the second moto a lot of guys were using the same lines so it wasn’t as easy to make progress but I kept the pressure on and was eventually able to make it through to 5th. The points are still tight and, earlier in the season, I had a good run at the track that the last round is to be run at, so I’m still aiming to climb a few places in the championship.’
Results
Race One
1st – Paul Winrow; 2nd – Jason Macbeth; 3rd – Stefan Murphy; 4th – Carl Bunce; 5th – Leon Beda…7th – Justin Reid Team Can-Am
Race Two
1st – John Mitchell; 2nd – Paul Winrow; 3rd – Stefan Murphy; 4th – Jason Macbeth; 5th – Justin Reid Team Can-Am
Championship Standings (after 8 of 9 rounds)
1st – Paul Winrow 351 points, 2nd – Jason Macbeth 298, 3rd – Paul Holmes 287, 4th – Stefan Murphy 221, 5th – Carl Bunce 213, 6th – Leon Beda 210, 7th – Justin Reid 206
Next Race:
Saturday 22nd / Sunday 23rd August – 2009 Maxxis Pont De Vaux 12 hr Mondial Du Quad, Pont De Vaux, France.
Race Report - PDF Version
