Reid Finishes 7th As Series Draws To A Close

Sunday the 20th of September saw Justin Reid and the Team Can-Am crew travel from their Comber base to Oxfordshire and the natural terrain Culham Motocross circuit, the NORA-MX club promoting the final round of the 2009 ACU British MMX Quad Championship at the tight and twisty venue just south of Oxford.  With just fifteen points the difference between Justin’s 7th place and the rider in 4th coming in to the meeting, the stage was set for a final showdown that would keep the large crowd of spectators well entertained as the day progressed, Justin’s epic final moto efforts thrilling many in the crowd as he battled valiantly to make up for a disappointing no score in the opening encounter.

Race One

Quickly getting to grips with the much modified layout and with the Can-Am DS450 Xmx working perfectly around the circuit, Justin put together a good lap in timed qualification to secure 7th pick of gate with less than two seconds separating the top eleven riders.  As the gates dropped for the first of two twenty-five minute plus two-lap motos, Justin got a good jump on the gate and headed out on the opening lap well placed inside the top ten, but unfortunately for Justin his race was to come to a premature end, a mechanical fault forcing him to pull in to the work area at the end of the first circuit with the problem unable to be rectified trackside, Justin forced to take no further part in the race and a disappointing no score.

Race Two

Quickly putting the disappointment behind and focusing on a good result in the final moto of the day, Justin’s attempts to redeem himself were dealt another cruel blow as the riders took to the line for the start of the race, the Team Can-Am machine refusing to fire up as the green flag and subsequent fifteen and five second boards were shown, Justin left stranded on the start line and losing almost half a lap to his nearest competitor as he fought to get under way.  With the days proceedings having taken it’s toll and leaving the circuit deeply rutted and one-lined in many places, Justin set off at a blistering pace and using the excellent handling of the DS450 Xmx began to work his way through the field, making up fourteen positions for 13th as the race neared the halfway point.  Maintaining his relentless pace as the race wore on, Justin continued to pick off positions and as the last lap board came out had moved up a further five spots for 8th, narrowly missing out on 7th by less than two-tenths of a second in a drag race with Paul Winrow to the chequered flag after fourteen action filled laps, Justin finishing 15th overall on the day and securing 7th in the 2009 rankings.

Reid

‘It is really disappointing to end the season on a low like this but I’m taking some consolidation in the fact that I was able to make my way so far up the field in the second moto. This is motor sport and sometimes things happen that are beyond your control or that aren’t anyone’s fault but it doesn’t make it any less frustrating! I knew that I had some serious work to do, to not lose any more places in the Championship after not getting away at the start of the second race, so I just put my head down and got on with it. It possibly worked in my favour a little, because as I caught the guys in front they were already a little spread out so I didn’t get sucked into their pace so I could keep pushing hard.

I know that my speed is good and the quad is working well, we just need that little bit of luck to nail the results.’

Results

Race One
1st – Paul Holmes, 2nd – Paul Winrow, 3rd – Leon Beda, 4th – Stefan Murphy, 5th – John Mitchell, 6th – Carl Bunce

Race Two
1st – John Mitchell, 2nd – Paul Holmes, 3rd – Jason Macbeth, 4th – Stefan Murphy, 5th – Carl Bunce, 6th – William Waggott…8th – Justin Reid Team Can-Am

Championship Standings (Final)

1st – Paul Winrow 387, 2nd – Paul Holmes 334, 3rd – Jason Macbeth 318, 4th – Stefan Murphy 257, 5th – Carl Bunce 244, 6th – Leon Beda 241, 7th – Justin Reid Team Can-Am 219

Next race: Saturday 26th / Sunday 27th September 2009, UEM Quadcross Of European Nations, Am Hahneberg Circuit, Jauer, Germany

 

Race Report - PDF Version