Latest News Articles from ACUQuadRacing.co.uk

Dates for the 2011 Goldspeed ACU British Quad Championship on TV

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The dates for the 2011 Goldspeed ACU British Quad Championship races to be shown on TV have just been made available. Blood Sweat & Gear TV is shown on Saturdays on the Extreme Sports Channel found on Sky 419 & Virgin 527, The British Quads races are being shown on the following dates & times. Round 1 Silverstone 07/1/2012 10:00, 14:00, 19:00 hrs Round 2 Dunns 28/1/2012 11:00, 15:00, 20,00 hrs Round 4 Dean Moor 11/2/2012 10:00, 14:00, 19:00 hrs Round 6 Milton Park 18/2/2012 10:00, 14:00, 19:00 hrs Please note these are only the UK times, the series started later across Europe and the air times vary from territory to territory, the show will then be on regular repeat for three years .

Mark Watson dies in car accident

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It is with great sadness that the ACU has learnt of the tragic death of former Sidecar Cross Champion and Current International Quad rider Mark Watson on Boxing Day. British Championship front runner and European title contender, Mark Watson, died as the result of a car accident in Northumbria. Up until 2008 Mark competed in the Sidecar Cross racing, competing at British, World and also representing Great Britain at the Sidecar Cross of Nations. Mark won many titles in Sidecar racing including the Under21 title and in 2007 Mark became the British Sidecar Cross Champion Passenger while riding with his brother John. In 2008 Mark turned his talents to Quad racing and instantly became a contender for the British Quad Championship. Mark also represented the ACU National Team in the UEM Quad Cross of European Nations in September. Mark, who had a terrific seasons' racing this year only to suffer misfortune in the British time and again and the horrifying accident at the European round in Jauer, Germany, was well on the mend for 2012. Mark recently competed in the second round of the British Quad Supercross Championship at Belfast where he came very close to winning the event. Mark was definitely to be a hot favourite for the British and European titles in 2012. The ACU would like to pass their condolences to his family and all his friends at this sad time and assure them that our thoughts and prayers are with them. Update: Funeral will be held Monday 9th January at 1pm at St. Augustine, Alston in memory of Mark who was happiest in his racing enviroment if you wish to wear your race shirt as a tribute you can, otherwise wear what you feel comfortable in. Family flowers only, there will be collection boxes at the church as well as Alston house after the service for the air ambulance .

Mark Watson dies in car accident

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Mark Watson died in a car accident during the early hours of Tuesday morning. Mark, a well liked and popular rider in the British Quadcross Championships was preparing for the 2012 season. Few details are available about the accident however tributes are being left of Marks facebook page.

The January issue of QUAD Online will also carry a tribute to Mark. http://quad.tv

A tragic loss to the quad community and all our thoughts go to his loved ones at this difficult time.

Dates Confirmed for 2012 British Quad and Sidecar Championships

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The ACU Motocross Committee is proud to be announcing a bumper fixture list of dates and venues for the forthcoming British Quad and Maxxis Sidecar Championship. With a wide range of superb venues, both Championships will be played out over seven rounds, between the April and October months.

The British Quad and Maxxis Sidecar Championship will share venues for the opening three rounds of the Championships, starting at Mepal on the 15th April before moving to Asham Woods at Frome on the 4th June and Milton Park on the 17th June.

After round 3 of the Quad and Sidecar, both Championship series will split and head in different directions. For the Quad Championship round 4 will feature the British Youth Quad Championship running alongside the Adult British Quad Championship for a festival of Quad Racing at the fantastic Fatcat Moto Parc, while round 5 of the Quad Championship will take place at Langrish on the Sunday before the Maxxis British Championship on the Monday.

The sixth round for the Quads will take place on either September 2nd or 29th ( TBC) at Dean Moor in Cumbria with the Nett Quad Club running the event and the final or penultimate round will be on September 16th at Wroxton near Banbury courtesy of the Nora Off Road club.

For the British Maxxis Sidecar Championship the calendar will see the series move to Wooley Grange for round 4 after the success of last season’s event in the North East. The British Maxxis Sidecar Championship will finish off with rounds at Wakes Colne and Canada Heights.

The 2012 season is set to be a great season of racing for both the Quad and Maxxis Sidecar British Championships as they both will be visiting fantastic venues, which will produce great racing on both 3 and 4 wheels.

ACU British Quad Championship

15th April Mepal inc sidecars

4th June Asham Woods, Frome inc sidecars

17th June Milton Park inc sidecars

5th August Fatcat Moto Parc (Youth Quad Championship to take place 4th and 5th August)

26th August Langrish inc the Maxxis British solo championship

2nd or 30th September Dean Moor

16th September Wroxton

Mitchell Wins British Championship at Milton Park

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ACU Goldspeed British Quadcross Championship, Round Six, 2nd October 2011, Milton MX Park

Words and Photography by Alistair Plant

This weekend saw John Mitchell clinch the 2011 ACU Goldspeed British Quadcross Championship title at the ACU Events organised final round held at Milton Park MX track. Going into the round onboard his ATV World Yamaha 450, Mitchell needed to take four points to keep ahead of his only title contender Paul Holmes in an extended round, covering three races and with a maximum of 75 points.

{John Mitchell celebrates winning the British Championship - Click for high resolution image}

Paul Holmes qualified fastest and Stef Murphy took the holeshot in race one. Taking the lead, Murphy had started the day on joint points and battling for the under 21 championship with James Hellewell. Unfortunately, a crash and a subsequent disqualification on lap three; all but ended Hellewell’s chances to fight for the title. Meanwhile Holmes had worked his way up to second place and with 17 minutes left on the clock, took the lead. “Once I was leading the race I found a good rhythm and rode within my comfort zone while working a five second gap. I’m happy with the win and the points.” Holmes commented as he took the vital maximum points from the race.

It was Carl Bunce who took second place. After settling behind Murphy, he was able to pass and leave Murphy to grab third position. All eyes were now on Mitchell. He finished in fifth, ensuring he could not be beaten and claiming the 2011 championship. “I knew I didn’t have to win this one so I did what I was comfortable with. After getting a decent start I nearly got wiped out so I got up to fifth and nursed the bike home. I’m absolutely over the moon, delighted I’ve done it.”

{The action remained fast paced even in race three - Click for high resolution image}

With the title decided, there were still positions in contention and the under 21s to be decided. In race two, Ricky Tordoff made an impressive start, taking the lead and disappearing into the dust. However, soon Holmes was closing in and took the lead. With Bunce again on excellent form he moved into second place. Meanwhile, Mitchell had been busy working his way through while Holmes had spun out. Seizing the opportunity Mitchell took the lead, winning the race ahead of Bunce and a resurgent Hellewell who took third. It was a delighted Murphy who finished fourth and with it the title of under 21s champion. “I’m really pleased with the result, particularly after the poor start to the season but I found my bearings in the championship and happy I took the title in the last round.” Said Murphy. Despite his crash, Holmes managed to take fifth.

{Paul Holmes takes first place with the overall win - click for high resolution image}

After a restarted final race due to a false start, which had been cut to 20 minutes plus two laps, Holmes again took the early lead. He managed to maintain his position to take first place overall ahead of Bunce and Mitchell. “I managed to hold a really tight line to take third out of the first corner and took first by the end of the opening lap. I pushed really hard as I wanted to win the overall round after finishing second in the championship. I’m happy with that.” Commented Holmes on his first overall win of the season. It was also a great result for Carl Bunce as he explained: “Second on the day and third overall in the championship. Spot on really, good result.”
The battle in the masters championship saw Paul Harkness, Anthony Barrett and Darren Bridge battling it out for the 2011 title. Barrett won the first race but with two wins from the following two races it was Harkness who won on the day and took the championship. David Coatsworth wrapped up the Support round impressively taking maximum points ahead of Chris King and Sam Payne.

{Harkness, Barrett and Bridge Battled all day in the Masters - click for high resolution image}

There was plenty yet to be decided in the youth class championships with overall wins on the day, some incredible performances and championship titles for Leon Rodgers in the 250cc open class, Frazer McFadden in the 250cc modified class, Anna Dawson in the 250cc stock, Bailey Edwards in the 100cc geared, James Rawlins in the 100cc standard, Dafydd Davies in the 100cc modified and Jonty Wright in the 50cc standard. Despite a strong performance to win overall on the day, Jordan Harris had to settle for third in the championship as Brad Swinbank took the 250cc Standard 2011 title. It was a similar story in the 50cc modified class as Marcus Sprason won on the day with George Oliver doing enough to win the championship.

Results overall on the day:
British Championship: 1 Paul Holmes (Yamaha) 25 + 16 + 25 =66, 2 Carl Bunce (Suzuki) 22 + 22 + 22=66, 3 John Mitchell (Yamaha) 16 + 25 + 20 =61, 4 Stefan Murphy (Honda) 20 + 18 + 15=53, 5 Oliver Sansom (Yamaha) 14 + 14 + 18 =46, 6 Conner Smith (KTM) 15 + 10 + 12 =37

British U21 Championship: 1 Stefan Murphy (Honda) 25 + 22 + 25 =72, 2 Conner Smith (KTM) 20 + 18 + 20 =58, 3 Luke Cooper (KTM) 0 + 20 + 22 =42, 4 George Callaway (Yamaha) 22 + 15 + 0 =37, 5 James Hellewell (KTM) 0 + 25 + 0 =25, 6 David Cowan (Yamaha) 0 + 16 + 0=16

Masters (+35): 1 Paul Harkness (Honda) 22 + 25 + 25 =72, 2 Antony Barrett (Suzuki) 25 + 22 + 22 =69, 3 Darren Bridge (Yamaha) 18 +20 + 20 =58, 4 Chris Murphy (Honda) 16 + 16 + 18 =50, 5 Steve Bean (Suzuki) 15 + 15 + 15 =45, 6 Andrew Wilcock (Honda) 14 + 13 + 14 =41

Support: 1 David Coatsworth (Suzuki) 25 + 25 + 25, 2 Chris King (Yamaha) 22 + 22 + 18 =62, 3 Sam Payne (Honda) 18 + 20 + 20 =58, 4 Darren Jukes (Honda) 20 + 15 + 16=51, 5 Tom Charlesworth (Honda) 0 + 14 + 22 =36, 6 Phil Munday (Suzuki) 16 + 18 + - =34

250cc Open: 1 Leon Rogers (Kawasaki) 25 + 25 + 25 =75, 2 Scott Pounder (Honda) 22 + 22 + 20 =64, 3 Harry Moore (Yamaha) 20 + 18 + 18 =56, 4 Callum Bates (Yamaha) 0 + 20 + 22 =42, 5 James Swinbank (Honda) 18 + 15 + - =33, 6 Taylor Gibb (KTM) 16 + 16 + 0 =32

250cc Modified: 1 Frazer McFadden (Yamaha) 18 + 25 +25 =68, 2 Conner McKenna (Yamaha) 20 + 20 + 22 =62, 3 Jamie Morgan (Yamaha) 25 + 22 + - =47, 4 Murray Graham (Yamaha) 22 + - + - =22, 5 Adam James (Yamaha) 0 + 18 + - =18 (No other finishers)

250cc Stock: 1 Anna Dawson (Yamaha) 25 points (No other finishers)

250 Standard: 1 Jordan Harris (Yamaha) 15 + 22 + 25 =62, 2 Luke Davis (Yamaha) 22 +25 + 15 =62, 3 Brad Swinbank (Yamaha) 25 + 14 + 22 =61, 4 Jack Naylor (Yamaha) 20 + 20 + 18 =58, 5 Joe Ruby (Yamaha) 18 + 18 + 16 =52, 6 Tommy Pittaway (Yamaha) 12 + 16 + 20 =48

100cc Geared: 1 Bailey Edwards (Honda) 22 + 25 + 25 =72, 2 Harry Walker (Honda) 25 + 22 + 22 =69, 3 Harry Carmichael (RM) 20 + 20 + 20 =60, 4 Ryan Spratt-Wyatt (Cobra) 15 + 16 + 16 =50, 5 Ben Charlesworth (Cobra) 16 + 14 + 15 =45, 6 Conner Reece-Paxton (KTM) - + 18 + 18 =36

100cc Modified: 1 Dafydd Davies (Apache) 25 + 25 + 25 =75, 2 Ayrton Knowles (Cobra) 22 + 22 + 22 =66, 3 Connor Fitzgerald (Apache) 20 + 20 + 18 =58, 4 Declan McKenna (Cobra) 18 + 18 + 20 =56, 5 Thomas Chell (Pro Shark) 16 + 16 + 16 =48

100cc Standard: 1 James Rawlins (Pro Shark) 25 +22 + 25 =72, 2 Josh Birch (Apache) 22 + 25 + 22 =69, 3 Joeseph Jukes (Apache) 20 + 20 + 18 =58, 4 Vanessa Wilcock (Apache) 15 + 18 + 16 =49, 5 Nathan Penrose (Pro Shark) 18 + 16 + 14 =48, 6 Georgia Atkinson (Apache) 16 + 15 + 15 =46

50cc Modified: 1 Marcus Sprason (Pro Shark) 22 + 22 + 25 =69, 2 George Oliver (Cobra) 25 + 25 + 16 =66, 3 Shelly Smart (Pro Shark) 20 + 20 + 18 =62, 4 Alfie Joe Walker (Lawn Flight) 18 + 18 + 18 =54, 5 Dylan McKenna (Cobra) 16 + 16 + 20 =52 (No other finishers)

50cc Standard: 1 Jonty Wright(Apache) 25 + 25 + 25 =75, 2 Woody Jackson (Apache) 20 + 22 + 20 =62, 3 Brad Hopps (Lawn Flight) 22 + 15 + 22 =59, 4 Ewan Williams (Apache) 18 + 20 + 18 =56, 5 Joshua Talent (Apache) 15 + 18 + 16 =49, 6 Charlie Teale (Pro Shark) 14 + 16 + 15 =45

{Paul Winrow hands over the British Championship number one plate - Click for high resolution image}

Horror Accident Destroys Chances for Team GB at European QX-Nations

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2011 Quadcross of European Nations, 24th - 25th September, Jauer, Germany

Words by Alistair Plant, photos by David Barnes

Team GB riders Mark Watson, Paul Holmes and John Mitchell travelled to Jauer, Germany last weekend for the third annual Quadcross of European Nations. Supported by the ACU, team GB arrived in good spirits and were seen by many as the team to beat from the 17 countries entered for the European Motorcycle Union (UEM) hosted event.

The team’s chances of a win were however destroyed when Mark Watson suffered numerous facial injuries after a horrific accident in practice, leaving him in hospital for at least the next three weeks. Without Watson, the team were unable to get on the leaderboard, however well they went.

It was a team event and riders were divided into three separate groups for qualification races on Saturday. Three groups would then compete in separate heats on Sunday with the worst results from each country dropped. The country with the lowest total points score would win.

Watson and Mitchell went out together in the free practice session with Mitchell following close behind Watson when he landed badly off a tabletop. Mitchell was first on the scene:
“It was a horrific landing with his quad landing on it’s front bumper and and I knew it was bad. Mark was unconscious, there was a lot of blood and he was in a bad way”. Watson was subsequently airlifted to hospital having suffered a broken jaw, broken eye sockets and cheek bones. Despite both coming off in the qualification races, Holmes and Mitchell continued and each qualified fifth in their groups on Saturday.

Sunday’s first race involved both Holmes and Mitchell, with Holmes starting on the first row and Mitchell on the second. Holmes made a good start and was up at the front while Mitchell got up to seventh and was wiped out on a corner, hitting the floor and being left at the back. He managed to make his way back up to 14th place where he finished. Holmes meanwhile was riding impressively in third. With two laps to go he was able to pass Adrian Mangieu of France and took second place.

The second race involved Holmes again but sadly no Watson. Holmes battled hard in an intense race and took the lead after about 15 minutes. Keeping his cool he gained a 7.4 second lead ahead of Adrian Mangieu and Jan Vlaeymans to take the win.

{Paul Holmes won his second race on Sunday}

The final race of the event should have seen both Mitchell and Watson in action. Taking the holeshot and getting off to a great start, Mitchell led for four laps until local man and Germany's top rider Stefan Schreiber passed him and began to edge away. Mitchell established his own rhythm and settled for second place.

{John Mitchell took second place in his second race on Sunday}

Without any results from Watson, the GB team were unfortunately unable to effectively compete despite such strong finishes from the two riders. It was Belgium who took victory overall with Germany in second and the Netherlands in third. Reflecting on the weekend’s events, team GB manager Martin Fletcher commented: “It’s been a tough weekend and a terrible outcome for Mark. I can report he is going to have an operation this week to repair his facial damage and will be in hospital for up to three weeks. It was unfortunate how the scoring was calculated as both John and Paul were very impressive. Even if Mark had pushed his quad over the start line we would have finished fourth and we just needed a 10th place finish to win the event. But it wasn’t to be and we all wish Mark well and a speedy recovery.”

British Quadcross Championship – The Final Round

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The final round of the ACU Goldspeed British Quadcross Championship takes place this weekend with all classes participating at the ACU organised event. The decision has been taken to hold the final round at Milton Park on Sunday 2nd October and not over the full weekend as had originally been planned. Racing on Saturday has been cancelled due to lack of entries. Sunday’s event will see three races in each class as opposed to the original two race format. Despite the shorter weekend, there will still be plenty of action to entertain the crowds as a total of 13 championships are decided with riders battling it out for the prestigious British titles.

{Riders battle it out at Langrish, round five. Click the image to download in high resolution}

John Mitchell has been leading QMX1, winning every round until his main title contender, Mark Watson won in round five at Langrish and is 51 points behind him. Sadly, whilst competing in last weekend’s Quadcross of European Nations Watson crashed badly in free practice and having sustained numerous facial injuries will remain in hospital for at least three weeks, putting him out of contention for the championship. That leaves Paul Holmes as Mitchell’s only challenger for the title. With a maximum of 75 points available it’s tight in the rest of the standings and still all to play for in the top five.

Current 2011 ACU Goldspeed British Quadcross Championship standings:
John Mitchell (Yamaha) 225, Mark Watson (KTM) 174, Paul Holmes (Yamaha) 153, David Wray (Honda) 139, Carl Bunce (Suzuki) 130, James Hellewell (KTM) 125

It’s also going to be a close finish for the Under 21 Championship as James Hellewell and Stefan Murphy currently on equal points, battle it out as the main contenders in what has been a very competitive class. In the Masters, it’s also tight at the top with just 16 points currently separating the leading four.

Riders wishing to enter can still do so by visiting the Milton MX Park website where entry forms for the event can be found http://www.miltonmxpark.co.uk/events.html.

Riders and spectators alike can expect to see an enthralling and captivating conclusion to this year’s championship. Adult entry fees are just £5 and children only £3. Milton MX Park is situated in Northamptonshire, postcode NN4 0JF. Directions can be found on the Milton Park website.

The revised event timetable as follows:

Practice/Qualification
Commences at 9.00am and will be held in the following order:
50cc                               3 laps
All other Classes:           5 Minutes Free Practice followed immediately by 10 minutes qualification

Practice Order:
1st Session:       50cc
2nd Session:      100cc
3rd Session:      250cc
4th Session:      QMXM
5th Session:      QMX1

Race Order:     Racing Starts at approx. 10.45am

Race 1
50cc    8 Minutes plus 2 Laps
100cc 12 Minutes plus 2 Laps
250cc 15 Minutes plus 2 Laps
QMXM 20 Minutes plus 1 Laps
QMX1   25 Minutes plus 2 Laps

Lunch Break    Approx. 12.40 to 1.00pm Restart Racing at Approx. 1.00pm

Race 2
50cc    8 Minutes plus 2 Laps
100cc 12 Minutes plus 2 Laps
250cc 15 Minutes plus 2 Laps
QMXM 20 Minutes plus 1 Laps
QMX1   25 Minutes plus 2 Laps

Race 3
50cc    8 Minutes plus 2 Laps
100cc 12 Minutes plus 2 Laps
250cc 15 Minutes plus 2 Laps
QMXM 20 Minutes plus 1 Laps
QMX1   25 Minutes plus 2 Laps

PRESS RELEASE FROM ACU EVENTS

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The ACU Goldspeed British Quad Championship
SUNDAY 2nd OCTOBER 2011
ACU Events have reluctantly taken the decision to run the final round of the 2011 Quad Championship at Milton Park on Sunday 2nd October and not over the full weekend as originally planned. The Saturday had to be cancelled due to the lack of entries.

By running just on Sunday, the financial loss will be limited to a more acceptable level. There will still be a financial loss by running on the Sunday. Sunday’s event will see the each class receive three races as opposed to the original two race format. Below is a copy of the revised event timetable.

Riders wishing to still enter can do so by visiting the Milton MX Park website where entry forms for the event can be found http://www.miltonmxpark.co.uk/events.html.

Practice/Qualification
Commences at 9.00am and will be held in the following order:
50cc                                                       3 laps
All other Classes:              5 Minutes Free Practice followed immediately by 10 minutes qualification
Practice Order: 1st Session:          50cc
2nd Session:         100cc
3rd Session:         250cc
4th Session:         QMXM
5th Session:         QMX1
Race Order:        Racing Starts at approx. 10.45am
Race 1
50cc       8 Minutes plus 2 Laps
100cc     12 Minutes plus 2 Laps
250cc                                     15 Minutes plus 2 Laps
QMXM                                 20 Minutes plus 1 Laps
QMX1                                   25 Minutes plus 2 Laps
Lunch Break       Approx. 12.40 to 1.00pm Restart Racing at Approx. 1.00pm
Race 2
50cc       8 Minutes plus 2 Laps
100cc     12 Minutes plus 2 Laps
250cc                                     15 Minutes plus 2 Laps
QMXM                                 20 Minutes plus 1 Laps
QMX1                                   25 Minutes plus 2 Laps
Race 3
50cc       8 Minutes plus 2 Laps
100cc     12 Minutes plus 2 Laps
250cc                                     15 Minutes plus 2 Laps
QMXM                                 20 Minutes plus 1 Laps
QMX1                                   25 Minutes plus 2 Laps

Team GB Ready for Third Annual Quadcross of European Nations

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2011 Quadcross of European Nations
24th - 25th September, Jauer, Germany

The third annual Quadcross of European Nations takes place this weekend with 17 countries entered for the European Motorcycle Union (UEM) hosted event. The ACU are once again supporting a team to represent Great Britain. The three riders picked by team manager Martin Fletcher and heading to the magnificent track of M.C. Jauer (Germany) are John Mitchell, Paul Holmes and Mark Watson.

Mitchell and Watson rode in the 2010 team and Holmes competed the year before. In both events team GB finished in a respectable fourth place.

Martin Fletcher commented: “I believe we are going into this event with a very competitive team. Paul Holmes has just finished in an impressive second place in the European Championships and is finishing in the top three positions in the British. John Mitchell hasn’t raced in Europe yet this year but has dominated the podium winning four of the last five rounds of the British Championship. Mark Watson is following closely behind on points as all three riders have been battling it out to become the new British Champion. We showed in Slovakia last year that Great Britain has some of the most talented quadcross riders in Europe and we hope to build on that result and do even better this year.”

{Team GB riders from left to right: John Mitchell, Paul Holmes, Mark Watson will be working as a team in Germany}

Speaking with all three GB riders about being involved in this prestigious event, here is what they had say:

John Mitchell: “We’ve a really strong team and we all get along well so I think we have a good chance if we don’t encounter any problems. Key to success at this event is consistency. I feel I’ve been riding better than ever this year and I’m looking forward to improving on our position from last year.”

Paul Holmes: “I’m really excited about representing the UK again in this Quadcross of Nations event and I’m confident we can get a good result. Finishing the European Championship with a win last weekend and ending the championship in runner-up spot overall is great for me and I hope to carry the momentum into this weekend’s event. I’m aiming for race wins like I did two years ago when I represented the team in 2009 and helped us to fourth overall.”

Mark Watson: “I have raced at the Jauer circuit in 2005 as sidecarcross passenger representing GB in the Des Nations. We narrowly missed out on the win as our handrail broke in the final race while laying 2nd. We slowed and finally finished 12th costing us the win, finishing 2nd overall. I'm happy to be back representing GB for the second time at Quad Des Nations along with Paul Holmes and John Mitchell. Both John and Paul have won European Championships and I've also won at European level. I know we are all capable of winning against other riders in Europe and think we have the strongest team in the event. I'm focused on taking the win for GB”

Riders will be working closely together at this team based event and will be divided into three separate groups for qualification races on Saturday. There are then three groups which compete in separate heats on Sunday with the worst results from each country dropped. The country with the lowest total points score will win.

Watson Dominates at Langrish QX

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ACU Goldspeed British Quadcross Championship, Round Five, Langrish Moto Park, 28th August

Words and Photography by Alistair Plant

KTM’s Mark Watson dominated this weekend, holding off Paul Holmes and winning both races at round five of the ACU Goldspeed British Quadcross Championship. Staged during the 45th Ken Hall Trophy weekend at the challenging Langrish circuit, the event attracted huge crowds as 34 quads battled for glory.

{Mark Watson was impressive, winning in both races}

With only the British Quadcross Championship taking place, Holmes Racing’s Paul Holmes went fastest in practice with five seconds separating the top ten riders. Mark Watson and John Mitchell made second and third. From the start gates, it’s a short straight into the first corner and as race one got underway with the roar of a full line up of quads, it was Stefan Murphy who bravely took the holeshot before John Mitchell took the lead into the second corner. A couple of quads got tangled up in the ensuing melee.

{Stefan Murphy takes the holeshot in race one}

Hot on Mitchell’s wheels were Holmes and Watson. They began to pull away from the rest of the group. On lap three Mitchell lost the lead. “I ran slightly wide, leaving a gap on the inside where Holmes passed me” explained Mitchell. As Holmes had gone on the inside, Watson had taken Mitchell on the outside having already passed Macbeth, Winrow and Murphy from a sixth place start. Within seconds he caught Holmes and out jumped him to take the lead.

{Paul Holmes held his second place finish from John Mitchell}

From there the positions remained until the chequered flag, with Watson taking the fastest lap. The first three riders finished with a big gap ahead of fourth placed Jason Macbeth who had a good ride, keeping two seconds ahead of the battling Stefan Murphy and Paul Winrow. Winrow was riding for the last time in the British Championship and was displaying the fighting spirit that has made him an 11 time British Champion. The current number one was just unable to dominate the on-form Murphy and took sixth.

{Stefan Murphy takes the holeshot in race two}

In race two it was yet another frantic dive into the first corner with Mark Watson going wide and Stefan Murphy again taking a fantastic line, the two looked very close for the holeshot but Murphy again edged it. Watson made it into first place from the second corner and immediately took command of the race, with Holmes and Macbeth behind him. Current championship leader John Mitchell was forced to stop in the middle of the track on lap one as his kill switch had come out, leaving him to restart the race from 16th place.

Watson was riding superbly and again took the fastest lap as he finished in first place, ahead of Holmes. “Once I was leading, I got my head down, I just kept going and opened up a good gap. Two wins and some good points – I’m happy with that” he commented after the race.

Holmes was also happy with his two second place finishes as he explained; “I felt nauseous all day, every time I pushed it didn’t feel good so I just settled into a pace and didn’t expect to get anything higher than top five.”
Much of the action in race two centred on Macbeth and Winrow as they fought for position in an enthralling encounter. “I had Winrow behind me for the whole race. It was a constant battle to keep him behind. I really enjoyed it, today has been a lot of fun” explained Macbeth. Winrow kept up the pressure right to the finish line but was unable to pass Macbeth who had another good ride, taking third in the race and overall on the day.

{Macbeth battles with Winrow}

Paul Winrow commented after his final race in the British Championship:
“Langrish is a very demanding track, hard on your arms so I was happy qualifying seventh. Finished sixth, had a good race with Stef, couldn’t pass him. Then it was my last race - finishing fourth in a really strong race with Macbeth. I’m still in one piece after all the racing that I’ve done and really I’ve enjoyed it. Good luck to Watson, Holmes and Mitchell. It’s been an enjoyable season, ups and downs, some crashes, which is rare for me and I’ll be at the final two rounds to watch, but not racing.”

{Paul Winrow riding in his last British Championship race}

In fifth and sixth were two under 21 championship contenders with KTM’s James Hellewell finishing just ahead of SMR-Nora MX’s Stefan Murphy. That positioning tied the pair on points with Hellewell taking the overall win with a higher placed position in race two. Luke Cooper took third as the leaderboard remains tight for the 2011 title.

{Hellewell and Murphy after race two}

The final two rounds will take place across a two day event at Milton Park near Northampton on the 1st and 2nd of October. All classes will be racing in what is sure to be a superb weekend of quad racing action. For more details please visit www.acuquadracing.co.uk

RESULTS:
British Championship: 1 Mark Watson (KTM) 25 + 25 =50, Paul Holmes (Yamaha) 22 + 22 =44, 3 Jason Macbeth (Honda) 18 + 20 =38, 4 John Mitchell (Yamaha) 20 + 14 =34, 5 Paul Winrow (Honda) 15 + 18 =33, 6 Stefan Murphy (Honda) 16 + 15 =31

British U21 Championship: 1 James Hellewell (KTM) 22 + 25 =47, 2 Stefan Murphy (Honda) 25 + 22 =47, 3 Luke Cooper (KTM) 20 + 18 =38, 4 George Callaway (Yamaha) 16 + 20 =36, 5 David Cowan (Yamaha) 15 + 16 =31, 6 Conner Smith (KTM) 18 + 0 = 18

Latest News Articles from ACUQuadRacing.co.uk

Dates for the 2011 Goldspeed ACU British Quad Championship on TV

Mark Watson dies in car accident

Mark Watson dies in car accident

Dates Confirmed for 2012 British Quad and Sidecar Championships

Mitchell Wins British Championship at Milton Park

Horror Accident Destroys Chances for Team GB at European QX-Nations

British Quadcross Championship – The Final Round

PRESS RELEASE FROM ACU EVENTS

Team GB Ready for Third Annual Quadcross of European Nations

2011 Quadcross of European Nations 24th - 25th September, Jauer, Germany

Watson Dominates at Langrish QX

ACU Goldspeed British Quadcross Championship, Round Five, Langrish Moto Park, 28th August

2011 Quadcross of European Nations
24th - 25th September, Jauer, Germany