SQuad command...Winrow scores a perfect 10
By TMX Archives on 21st Aug 09
PAUL Winrow is the 2009 British MMX QuadX Champion, but in a rough tough race meeting where protests, counter protests, and appeal to the protest decision had pieces of paper flying about like confetti, one thing was definite and that is that Winrow is still the man to beat as, ten count them ten British Quad motocross titles can't be wrong.
The sandy Blaxhall track, just north of Woodbridge, couldn't have been in better shape and that was all down to the hard work of the organising Woodbridge club and they graded, smoothed, and watered the track virtually up to the start of qualifying.
The result was that hardly any dust was thrown up, even in the hot humid weather experienced over the weekend.
This was the penultimate round of the series and at the start of proceedings the series could only be won by two riders – one being Winrow, the other Paul Holmes – although Jason MacBeth had a mathematical chance of winning it would have meant both Winrow and Holmes having DNF's for all of the last four races – not a very likely proposition.
Report and Pictures: DICK LAW
Before racing started both contenders were questioned on their plan for the day. First Holmes explained: "I have to get both holeshots and win both races today, but I have a wrist injury I picked up last weekend – so it's going to be tough!”
Winrow said: "I aggravated an old hand injury so have been taking some pain-killers. Out there today, all I have to do is ride round and score points and if I have to follow Holmes over the finish line, so be it – but that will do for the championship.”
Holmes got the holeshot at the start of the first moto, with Winrow and MacBeth in tow and the stage was set for an exciting race.
Up until half-distance, the three leaders seemed to be getting in each others way with each taking a turn at the front.
Then Holmes and Winrow clashed in one of the many turns, resulting in Holmes tangled in the course-marking ropes. It took him, with help, a long time to get free, leaving Winrow and MacBeth to scrap over the lead.
Behind them Carl Bunce was leading the rest with Lindsey Duke and Giles Davis keeping him honest until the young Stefan Murphy came charging through.
The lead swapped a couple more times until Winrow finally lead MacBeth over the finish line separated by just over five-seconds. Murphy was third, some five-seconds behind the leaders, with Bunce, Leon Beda and Mark Watson filling the next three places while Holmes recovered to 12th place at the flag.
As for John Mitchell. He was back from injury and back on the pace, but after a bad start he charged through the pack to seventh where his Yamaha started to smoke and the resulting engine problem dropped him back to 15th.
Mitchell got the holeshot in race two as David Cowan crashed halfway down the start straight. Sam Harrison broke a gear lever in turn one as Mark Watson stalled his bike in the same location.
Davis was right behind Mitchell as they came round to complete the first lap, with Duke and Holmes filling the next two places. Meanwhile, Winrow, after having a problem, was back in tenth.
Lap after lap, Mitchell stretched out an ever increasing lead. By lap eight he had a ten-second advantage over Murphy who had passed Davis, Holmes and Bunce to take second. However, Winrow had followed him through and was just one place behind his former team-mate.
With three laps to go Mitchell's Yamaha started to sound a bit sick. Winrow moved into second place while Holmes was slipping back into the pack – and with it his championship hopes.
So, Mitchell took the win on his smoking Yamaha with Winrow second in the race, first overall, and winner of the championship.
Murphy, who is getting faster, was a close third, followed by MacBeth, Justin Read and Davis as Holmes crossed the line in ninth spot.
For full report and pictures see T+MX News, August 21
BRITISH QUAD-CROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
Rd 8 – Blaxhall Circuit, nr Woodbridge, Suffolk (Woodbridge & DMCC)
1 Paul Winrow (Winrow Honda) 25 + 22 = 47
2 Stefan Murphy (SM Racing Honda) 20 + 20 = 40
3 Jason MacBeth (Fourtech Honda) 22 + 18 = 40
4 John Mitchell (ATV World Yamaha) 6 + 25 = 31
5 Carl Bunce (Anderson Suzuki) 18 + 13 = 31
6 Justin Reid (Team Can-Am) 14 + 16 = 30
7 William Waggott (KIK Honda) 13 + 14 = 27
8 Mark Watson (Anderson Suzuki) 15 + 11 = 26
9 Leon Beda (ATV World Yamaha) 16 + 10 = 26
10 Paul Holmes (KTM UK) 9 + 12 = 21
11 James Behan (Fourtech Honda) 12+9=21, 12 Giles Davies (Winrow Honda) 4+15=19, 13 James Hellewell (Filtec KTM) 11+5=16, 14 Sean Goss (Yamaha) 7+7=14, 15 Sam Bryan (Honda) 10+0=10, 16 Lindsey Duke (L&G Plant Honda) 0+8=8, 17 David Cowan (Yamaha) 8+0=8, 18 Oliver Sansom (MKM Rocketman Suzuki) 0+6=6, 19 John Pilbrow (Yamaha) 2+4=6, 20 Liam Cater (DG Yamaha) 3+3=6, 21 David Wray (JMK Honda) 5+0=5, 22 Josh Barrett (ATV World Yamaha) 1+2=3, 23 Ben Harman (Adrenalin Can-Am) 0+1=1.
RACE ONE: 1 Winrow, 2 MacBeth, 3 Stefan Murphy, 4 Bunce, 5 Beda, 6 Watson, 7 Reid, 8 Waggott, 9 Behan, 10 Hellewell, 11 Bryan, 12 Holmes, 13 Cowan, 14 Sean Goss, 15 Mitchell, 16 Wray, 17 Davies, 18 Cater, 19 Pilbrow, 20 Barrett.
RACE TWO: 1 Mitchell, 2 Winrow, 3 Stefan Murphy, 4 MacBeth, 5 Reid, 6 Davies, 7 Waggott, 8 Bunce, 9 Holmes, 10 Watson, 11 Beda, 12 Behan, 13 Duke, 14 Sean Goss, 15 Sansom, 16 Hellewell, 17 Pilbrow, 18 Cater, 19 Barrett, 20 Harman.
SERIES STANDINGS with 1 round remaining: 1 Paul Winrow 351 points (CHAMPION), 2 MacBeth 298, 3 Holmes 287, 4 Stefan Murphy 221, 5 Bunce 213, 6 Beda 210, 7 Reid 206, 8 Waggott 175, 9 Mitchell 173, 10 Behan 156, 11 Watson 145, 12 Cowan 138, 13 Davies 122, 14 Wray 113, 15 Sean Goss 102,...
FINAL ROUND: September 20 – Culham MP, nr Abingdon, Oxon (NORA-MX).
SUPPORT RACES
QUAD QUALIFIER
Race One: 1 Ben Richmond (Suzuki), 2 Tom Silvey (Yamaha), 3 Sheldon Seal (Honda), 4 Richard Telford (Honda), 5 Sam Coulter (Honda), 6 David Coatsworth (Suzuki), 7 Andy Britton (Honda), 8 Simon Walton (Honda).
Race Two: 1 Scott Murray (Honda), 2 Coatsworth, 3 Britton, 4 Silvey, 5 Telford, 6 Richmond, 7 Walton, 8 Darren Bridge (Yamaha).
EASTERN CENTRE QUAD CHAMPS
Race One: 1 Greg Fisher (Honda), 2 Shaun Playford (KTM), 3 Mark Smith (Honda), 4 Brian Rodwell (Honda), 5 Matthew Lawrey (Yamaha), 6 Camaron Brown (Suzuki).
Race Two: 1 Fisher, 2 Playford, 3 Rodwell, 4 Smith.
NGR SERIES
Race One: 1 Darren Murfitt (KTM), 2 Mark Hunt (Kawasaki), 3 Paul Hubbard (Yamaha), 4 Dave Whitehead (Honda), 5 Lee Keyton (Yamaha), 6 Paul Owen (Yamaha).
Race Two: 1 Murfitt, 2 Hunt, 3 Hubbard, 4 Keyton, 5 Whitehead, 6 Owen.
Race Three: 1 Murfett, 2 Hunt, 3 Owen, 4 Hubbard, 5 Keyton, 6 Whitehead.
Maximum man Greg Fisher (47) shows Ben Richmond (74) his rear set of wheels in an Eastern Centre Championship encounter.