Holmes dominates European opener...
By TMX Archives on 21st May 09
HARROGATE'S Paul Holmes took his Team KTM UK 505 SX to the top step of the podium in Poland at the weekend, the 21-year-old quad racer dominating proceedings in Gdansk to take a clean sweep of race wins to lead the 2009 Goldspeed European Quad Championship by a healthy 15-point margin.
Joining Paul as the only other British rider to travel to the venue on the outskirts of the historic city, fellow Team KTM UK rider James Hellewell also put in a solid display to finish 22nd overall in the 30-strong field.
James' result is not a true reflection of his performance on the day. The teenager's results were hampered after frustratingly getting caught at the start of the first two motos and suffering from a bent disc in the final race.
A delighted team mentor, Richard Cole commented after the race: "This has been a fantastic start to our European Championship campaign and I am delighted with the effort that both riders have put in today.
"Paul's performance was outstanding, he took the fastest time in qualification by over 2.5-seconds from Stefan Schreiber who has ridden here before, and after taking a gate to flag victory in the opening race he was able to pass the likes of Maessen, Schreiber, Ternynck and Ten Vregelaar in the following two races.
"James had an eventful day through no fault of his own and his finish did not give a true representation of his efforts. His speed was as good as some of the guys who finished inside the top ten and he has shown that he can run with the best. So I feel confident that as the season goes on he will get the results that he deserves.
"It's been a really memorable weekend for me personally, not only do we lead the European Championship in our first year with KTM, but my son Andy took his first race and overall win at the NETT meeting on Sunday in only his fifth race meeting, proving that the KTM 505 SX is as capable of victory in the hands of a relative newcomer as it is in the hands of the more experienced riders.”
EUROPEAN QUAD CHAMPIONSHIP
Rd 1 – Gdansk, POLAND
Overall: 1 Paul HOLMES (GB - KTM), 2 Stefan Schreiber (KTM), 3 Matthieu Ternynck (Yamaha), 4 Joe Maessen (Yamaha), 5 Imantas Tamuliunas (KTM),... 22 James HELLEWELL (GB - KTM).