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16th April 2007 / CCM British MMX Championship Round 1
Location: Whiteway Barton |
| First British Round Showcases New ATV World Yamaha Quads |
Mixed results as riders get back to full fitness
This weekend saw the first round of the 2007 CCM British MMX Championships. Held at Whiteway Barton in Devon , a technical track with some very steep climbs that gave spectators fantastic views of the action. |
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Team ATV World Yamaha and current British Champion John Mitchell both knew this was going to be a tough weekend. John hadn't used a quad for two months as a result of injury, coupled with the fact his ankle being supported by a carbon fibre cast meant he would have to ride without the use of the rear brake. Young Paul Holmes was also still not back to full fitness after breaking his leg in a solos event last year. |
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Despite this, both riders went into qualifying riding their quads for the first time out. The two ATV World Yamaha YFZ450's had been built by team manager Martin Fletcher and head mechanic Ian Malpas who have aimed to build on and improve the 2006 winning machines. John took a smooth second place and Paul made 17th. Both quads were performing well and handled perfectly. |
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Race One
John got off to a poor start but recovered well and reached fifth in the first corner. He was in the mix and looking to pass when a technical problem brought him into the pits. After the pit stop, John was 1.19 minutes behind last place and had to rely on his British No1 form to get back in the race. He made an incredible eight places, thanks to a blistering pace. Paul also showed great potential in only his second season by finishing in 12th place. |
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First place went to Joe Maessen, who had travelled with his entourage from Holland. Ricky Tordoff made second and Jason Macbeth third. At the end of race one, both team ATV World Yamaha riders were randomly selected from a possible 36 riders for sound testing. The team had spent hours preparing the quads and self tested for the optimum level of performance. However, on the day, the readings showed they were above the legal limit and both riders dropped points. It was a frustrating and disappointing moment for the team as other riders appeared not to have achieved the new 96db limit and escaped the testing. That's racing! |
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Race Two
With the quads now adjusted to meet the correct requirements, it was Paul who had the better start this time. John was clearly struggling with his ankle and dropped to 16th from the start. With a mixture of impressive laps and some off laps, John caught Paul up, who was in ninth position and made the pass, only to stall on a corner and lose the place. Paul Holmes finished race two in ninth, the highest position in the under 21s, with John taking 10th. Quad racing veteran Lindsey Duke took first place with Dutchman Joe Maessen in second and Willy Waggot third.
It wasn't the ideal start for the team but both riders have points on the table and feedback on the quads performance was excellent. There is now a two-week gap before round two, in which time John hopes to improve the recovery of his ankle and get back to full fitness. Thanks again for all the support from sponsors who along with their outstanding products have helped develop the team race quads for the 2007 season. |
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