What a weekend!
By TMX Archives on 18th Sep 08
Finished work Friday night, rushed for the ferry and arrived at the race track in Arras in northern France at 2.45am in the morning. We woke up to rain, but at least it was French rain, writes SUE JAMES.
We were competing in the six-hour Endurance Quad Internationale' in Arras. There were over 110 teams in total, including four from the UK.
Qualifying on Saturday afternoon saw Paul Winrow and Steph Murphy take first place on the grid. Following a great ride, his first time on the KTM 525, Josh Chilcott placed the James/ Chilcott team in 11th place. Eagle/ Murphy were in 17th and Elliott/ King in 44th.
The French do know how to put on a show! On the Saturday night, all the teams rode their quads to the Grand Place in Arras and the top 30 were presented on the stage to a large crowd. The presentation was followed a dramatic stunt show and for those who wanted, the party atmosphere was excellent.
On Sunday morning, Ben James did the Le Mans style start for the first session and a great start it was, making the first corner in fourth place.
By the start of the second lap, he had moved up to second and then passed Mr Winrow on the inside to take the lead, which he held and extended for the next 25 minutes until a puncture ended the glory!
Josh Chilcott then went out in 17th place and rode strongly to get back to ninth spot.
The Winrow/ Murphy team suffered a rare engine problem and retired to the pits to tinker. Clint Eagle and Chris Murphy also had engine problems and were forced to retire, as did the John Elliott/ Chris King pairing.
Ben and Josh were the only Brits left in contention and finished the session in seventh place.
Another great start in the second session by Chilcott, replicated the first corner fourth place. It had been very wet in the first session, but by the second three-hour session, the course was drying well in the sunshine and was getting quicker. It was a five-and-a-half minute lap over two flat fields with lots of twists and turns and a couple of jumps.
Winrow and Murphy had replaced the engine and led in the second session, but further problems saw them retire well before the end.
James/ Chilcott worked hard in the second session and got up to fifth place, but a loose battery terminal saw them finish the session in seventh.
The final result gave James/ Chilcott a sixth overall not bad for two lads just turned 18.
Paul Winrow received a cup for the fastest lap.
Great weekend of racing even if we only got home at 3.30am on Monday morning!