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Justin
Reid ramping through a corner on his
Can-Am DS 450 ATV
|
London, England (2/5/2009)
- Justin Reid and Team Can Am recently took
part in their first competitive racing of 2009,
John and Jamie Hellam from Future West Promotions
including a Pro Quad class for the final two
rounds of the British Supercross Championship
in Liverpool and London. Having grown from strength
to strength on the cutting edge Can Am DS450
during the 2008 season, and having previously
ridden Supercross at the Paris Indoor Invitational
in 2006, Justin was confident in the run up
to the series that he could deliver a good result
for Team Can Am, and after two hectic race meetings
on very challenging circuits Justin had once
again put in an outstanding performance, a fantastic
2nd place finish in London taking Justin to
3rd overall in the series with just three points
separating the top three.
Liverpool
The Liverpool Echo Arena in the Albert Dock
area provided the setting for the opening
round on Saturday the 24th of January, the
highly skilled Dirt Wurx team meticulously
crafting a spectacular track with over two
thousand tons of dirt that would test the
riders and entertain the crowds. Travelling
over from his base near Comber, Northern Ireland,
Justin's initial progress to the final did
not go according to plan, a problem during
the six lap qualifying heat leaving Justin
just outside the
automatic qualification positions, Justin
nevertheless progressing comfortably to the
main event after dominating from start to
finish in the last chance qualifier.
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Justin
Reid at the Liverpool Echo Arena on
a Can-Am DS450 ATV
|
With a huge crowd of spectators eagerly waiting
to witness the first ever Indoor Quad Supercross
racing held in the UK, the drop of the flag
for the start of the final saw Justin get
fantastic drive of the line and slot in to
4th as the eight strong field headed out on
the first of ten laps, only to have this good
start negated halfway around the opening circuit
after being tagged from behind in one of the
many tight corners, Justin's bike stalling
and dropping back to 6th as he quickly got
underway. Having already lost quite a lot
of ground to the rider in 5th, Justin used
the excellent handling of the DS450 to set
a blistering pace in the early stages of the
moto to close the gap to Andrew Lawton, Justin
using his superior bike handling skills to
pass Lawton in the technical rhythm section
of the circuit at half distance. With ever
increasing confidence as he got the track
dialled in perfectly, Justin quickly caught
and passed Ben Harman for 4th and set of to
reduce the almost half-lap gap that had opened
up to Oli Sansom in 3rd. Spurred on by the
huge crowd and with commentator Jack Burnicle
focused firmly on his progress, Justin had
amazingly closed the gap to Sansom as the
last lap board came out, but with Sansom riding
extremely defensively and covering all the
racing lines for the final flying lap Justin
was unable to pass, Justin taking the chequered
flag in a respectable 4th after ten action
filled laps.
Winner - Paul Holmes; 2nd - Richard Tordoff;
3rd - Oli Sansom; 4th - Justin Reid; 5th -
Ben Harman
London
 |
Justin
Reid Jumps Can-Am's DS450 ATV at the
London Super Cross Race
|
Nestled on the banks of the River Thames in
the Docklands area of the capital city, the
O2 Arena provided a spectacular venue for the
final round of the series on Saturday the 31st
of January. The hard working crews at Future
West Promotions and Dirt Wurx had once again
put together a challenging layout for the event,
the highly technical track smaller and tighter
than the previous venue that would demand the
very best from the riders. After using the four-lap
free practice session to learn the circuit and
dial in his suspension to suit the conditions,
Justin's qualifying heat saw him get a poor
start and boxed in on the opening lap. Quickly
settling in to a good rhythm in the six lap
heat, Justin managed to move up to 3rd by the
chequered flag, but with only the top two going
through Justin's progress to the final would
have to be via the last chance qualifier. A
slightly better start for the LCQ saw Justin
slot in to 4th around the first corner, using
the excellent handling of the Team Can Am DS450
to pass Mark Turner and Andrew Lawton on the
opening lap before taking the leading spot from
Ben Harman on the second circuit, Justin breaking
away from the chasing pack comfortably and taking
the win after four laps for a place in the final
eight.
With over seven thousand spectators filling
the Arena for the final race of the series,
the scene was set for a spectacular climax
to the series. As the flag dropped Justin
got bogged down slightly on the line and slotted
in to 5th as the field charged out on the
first of ten laps. With the circuit extremely
tight and presenting few clear overtaking
possibilities, Justin nevertheless quickly
found his rhythm and set about making up positions.
Using the skills and wisdom that have helped
Justin to numerous British and Ulster honours,
Justin applied pressure to Oli Sansom while
watching his lines in the opening laps before
making his move through one of the most difficult
parts of the circuit for 4th. Gradually increasing
his pace to close the gap to James Behan,
Justin caught Behan and again carefully chose
his spot to pass, Behan's previous Supercross
experience making for some excellent viewing
for the spectators as he fended of Justin's
challenges, but Justin's vast experience stood
him in good stead as he progressed to 3rd
at half distance. With Carl Bunce
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Justin
Reid putting up an impressive 3rd
place at the London SX ATV Race
|
having pulled away significantly as Justin
battled his way through, Justin once again
set a blistering pace and caught Bunce with
two laps to go, Richard Tordoff joining the
affray for a three way battle for 2nd. Negotiating
back markers as they circulated at a frantic
pace, Justin comfortably fended of the challenge
of Tordoff while trying to pass the ever-widening
bike of Bunce in front, and in a dramatic
climax to the race passed early race leader
Paul Holmes in the closing stages of the last
lap, Justin taking a fantastic second step
on the podium to finish the series 3rd overall,
the first piece of silverware in 2009 and
a fantastic start to the year for Team Can
Am.
Winner - Carl Bunce; 2nd - Justin Reid; 3rd
- Richard Tordoff; 4th - Paul Holmes; 5th
- Oli Sansom
Final Championship Standings:
1st - Paul Holmes 43; 2nd - Richard Tordoff
42; 3rd - Justin Reid 40; 4th - Oli Sansom
36; 5th - Carl Bunce 25
Reid
'The starts were a bit of a lottery
here as, for some absurd reason, we were started
by flag instead of the normal mechanical gates
which cannot be cheated. The tracks are very
tight, especially for the quads, and the races
short but it was really good fun. It's frustrating
because if I had won that last race - I would
have won the series overall too, the points
were that tight but that's racing I guess.
It's nice to get some silverware this early
in the year and I can't wait to get started
in the outdoor season on my new race ready
DS450 Xmx's which I received last week.'
Best Regards,
Justin Reid
