Wet and windy win for Winrow
By Dick Law on 18th May 07
PAUL Winrow, on his 450 Winrow Honda, won the weather-affected second round of the QRA UK Quad Endurance Championship at a very wet and windy course high up in the hills above Blackwood in Wales.
But Winrow didn't have it all his own way as defending champion, and round one winner, Steve Atkins, was swapping the lead with Winrow for most of the first hour of racing.
The weather looked good on Saturday as the riders made their way through the narrow lanes to the hill-top venue, with a strong wind blowing some light showers away up the valley.
Overnight though, the wind changed direction and with it brought the low cloud and rain that battered the campers and made everything damp and wet.
Just after 11am, the riders set off and you could see straight away, as Atkins lead the 26 Pro class riders round an old motocross track, that the day was going to be hard. By turn three, riders and bikes following another machine became just one shade of brown.
Winrow, Andy Downes and Chris Cook chased Atkins round the first half of the opening lap, but it was Jason Wildman in fourth place as the leaders re-appeared out of the mist at the end of the opening lap.
QUAD ENDURANCE CHAMPS
Rd 2 - Blackwood, Wales (QRA UK)
Pro class: 1 Paul Winrow (450 Winrow Honda), 2 Steve Atkins (450 ARK ATV Honda), 3 Andrew Davis (450 Team Suzuki), 4 Chris Cooper (450 Anderson Suzuki), 5 Jason Wildman (450 ATV's R Us Yamaha), 6 David Baldwin (450 Mercuria Yamaha), 7 Martin Benbow (450 David Jones Honda), 8 Chris Cook (450 Rafferty Honda), 9 Stuart Jones (ART Honda), 10 Caine Hinder (450 Winrow Honda).
Series Standings: 1 Atkins 98 points, 2 Winrow 96, 3 Davies 94, 4 Wildman 87, 5 Jones 84, 6 Cook 83.
Expert: 1 Stefan Murphy (450 Honda), 2 Danny Ratcliffe (450 Ratty Suzuki), 3 Eddie Betton (450 Yamaha), 4 Ben James (450 Holeshot Honda), 5 Max Walton (450 Walton Yamaha), 6 Rhodri Selby (500 Polaris), 7 Roger Page (450 Suzuki), 8 Darran Bridge (450 D&E Yamaha), 9 Ben Morgan (450 Honda), 10 David Bray (450 ARK Honda).
Series Standings: 1 James 95 points, 2 Page 91, 3 Ratcliffe 88, 4 Betton 88, 5 Walton 88, 6 Morgan 86.
Auto/ 4x4: 1 Iain Johnston (800 BRP Can-Am), 2 Richard Smith (ARK Rincon 4x4 Honda), 3 Paul Taylor (750 Northern Transport Kawasaki), 4 Anthony Smith (800 Can-Am), 5 Ross Tipper (???), 6 Alan Bromiley (???).
Series Standings: 1 Johnston 58 points, 2 Smith 58, 3 Smith 51, 4 Taylor 49, 5 Tipper 49, 6 Bromiley 44.
Clubman: 1 Simon Lang (660 Free Flow Yamaha), 2 Richard Bradford (700 Yamaha), 3 Lewis Hill (450 Suzuki), 4 Mark Lakeland (450 Suzuki), 5 John Page (450 JP Racing Honda), 6 Jason Lowe (450 GHS Yamaha), 7 Andy Bone (450 Yamaha), 8 Adam Wright (450 Yamaha), 9 Ian Johnson (450 JP Racing Honda), 10 Tim Wilson (450 Honda).
Series Standings: 1 Lang 120 points, 2 Hill 114, 3 Page 108, 4 Lowe 104, 5 Blair 103, 6 Lakeland 101.
Stock: 1 Steve Williams (450 Suzuki), 2 Craig Horton (450 Honda), 3 Moose Pittaway (450 Suzuki), 4 Richard Clark (350 Yamaha), 5 Josh Cook (450 Suzuki), 6 Josh Chilcott (450 Honda), 7 Lance Hand (300 Gas Gas), 8 Tim Wedgwood (450 Suzuki), 9 Wayne Bosworth (700 Yamaha), 10 Lewis Preson (450 Suzuki).
Series Standings: 1 Williams 58 points, 2 Pittaway 50, 3 Hand 50, 4 Horton 47, 5 Cook 46, 6 Berry 44.
For full report, results and pictures see T+MX NEWS, Friday, May 18, 2007.