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Reid Makes Fantastic Team Can Am Debut At Sunny Margate

Reid Makes Fantastic Team Can Am Debut At Sunny Margate

Having signed for the factory based Team Can Am to ride the cutting edge Can Am DS450 for 2008, Justin Reid travelled to the Kent seaside resort of Margate to make his debut appearance on the all aluminium framed machine at the 2008 QRA Big Sky Beach Cross, the event being promoted by Tony Nash and the QRA UK in association with Margate Town Partnership over the weekend of the 23rd and 24th of February. The 1.3 mile sand circuit along the seafront on Margate main sands was a testament to the hard work and dedication of Tony Nash and the QRA UK, providing a challenging combination of man made jumps, whoops, a twisty infield section and a long straight along the sea that was to test the endurance of both competitor and machinery over the two days of racing. The main promenade afforded fantastic viewing opportunities for the 20,000 spectators who attended the event and this, in combination with the Funfair on site, added to the carnival atmosphere over the weekend. As the sun set over the South Channel on Sunday evening after two hectic days racing, Team Can Am’s Justin Reid started his twelve hour journey home with his head held high, finishing a fantastic 3rd in the feature race QRA Margate Big Sky Quad Grand Final, and taking 6th overall over the weekend despite losing valuable points in two of the six races as a result of out of control riders.

Saturday

After easily qualifying to the Quad Pro A class in his qualifying heat, the Team Can Am DS 450 hooked up well in the loose sand as the rope dropped for the first of three planned races, Justin using his years of experience to avoid the inevitable carnage at the first jump and head out on the opening lap in 6th position. For the remainder of the fifteen minute plus one lap race, Justin put the fantastic handling characteristics of the DS450 to good use and gradually picked off many of his regular British MX championship fellow competitors, passing 2007 Pro Class Champion Stefan Murphy on the Winrow Racing Honda for 2nd as the last lap board came out, easily holding the position for an excellent debut race performance.

An unscheduled extended break caused by the noon tide coming in further than expected and encroaching on the top end of the circuit resulted in the days action being reduced to two races. The final race of the day saw Justin prove that the performance in the opening race was not just a flash in the pan, and after heading out on the opening lap in mid pack, Justin quickly settled in to a steady pace in the deep loose sand and over the duration of the race made up six positions to finish a fantastic 3rd and leaving team boss Martyn Heard with a smile from ear to ear.

Sunday

Glorious sunshine greeted the riders as they made their way to the line for the start of a hectic four-race programme. With encouraging results from the previous day Justin and Team Can Am were confidently looking forward to repeating their fantastic performance in the opening race. A great start was negated when Justin got tangled up with former British Champion Paul Winrow and several others less than a quarter of the way in to the opening lap, Justin forced to sit and wait until the rider in front got moving again and eventually heading out in 2nd last place. Picking different lines and with the Can Am DS450 doing a fantastic job in the tricky conditions, Justin amazingly made up fourteen places to 6th as the race approached three quarter distance and was applying pressure to Caine Hinder when he was to find his progress again thwarted by a Winrow Racing Honda. Hinder, carrying too much speed over a dune as Justin passed on the outside, got out of shape, then stalled on his entry into the deeply bermed corner, blocking the track as he struggled to restart his stricken machine. Dropping positions, as he had to dismount to free his quad, Justin eventually got going again and managed to make up several places to take the chequered flag in 14th.

Quickly putting the frustration of the opening race behind him, the second race of the day was a repeat performance of the closing race on the previous day, Justin able to easily move past fellow competitors after a poor start by his standards to take another fantastic 3rd.

The third race of the day was to again prove frustrating for Justin and Team Can Am. Another good start and an incredible pace for the opening two thirds of the race saw Justin running in 5th and putting Paul Holmes on the ATV World Yamaha under tremendous pressure with the 3rd place rider just in front of the duelling pair. A mistake over a dune saw Holmes get out of shape slightly, and spotting an opportunity to make a move Justin powered up the inside, only for Holmes and the wayward Yamaha to come completely across the track and become tangled in Justin’s wheels, Justin eventually getting going but unable to make it in to a points scoring position in the little time remaining.

The last Pro Class Race of the day saw Justin once again show the qualities that have helped him to win multi British and Ulster Championship honours. In another outstanding performance Justin was able to make up for a mid pack start and comfortably make up five places over the almost twenty minutes of fast and furious action, Justin and the Team Can Am DS450 taking their 4th podium finish of the weekend with a superb 3rd, finishing 6th overall and securing a place in the feature race, the 2008 QRA Margate Big Sky Quad Grand Final.

QRA Margate Big Sky Quad Grand Final

As the rope dropped for the start of the final days racing action, Justin got amazing drive off the line and rounded the first corner and out on his first lap in 4th. Setting a blistering pace in the opening few laps and pushing to make the pass for 3rd, Justin made a small mistake on the third lap and stalled his machine, the resulting loss of time while getting underway dropping him back to 8th. Undeterred and with the superb power and handling of the Can Am DS450 allowing him to navigate through the deep loose sand at a much greater pace than his rivals, Justin moved in to 3rd as the last lap board came out, holding this position with ease to the chequered flag to make it five podiums from seven races over the weekend, adding yet another trophy to his vast collection.

This has been a fantastic result for Justin and everyone at Team Can Am. Making his debut appearance on a bike that has only had a few modifications to the front suspension and a rear axle fitted, Justin has shown that against the more powerful race spec machines the Justin Reid / Team Can Am DS450 is already a potent combination, and with the full factory backing and support in place we can look forward to seeing more of Justin Reid and Team Can Am in the winners circle.

Reid

‘I think that we opened a few eyes today! – No one expected the Can Am to be so competitive in such stock form against some of the full race bikes that were out there. The machine was flawless all weekend and I’m super impressed with how well the standard rear suspension worked in these really tough conditions. Time had been against us in the run up to this event but I’m really looking forward to the start of the British Championship when we will have had a little more time to play with the set up of the quad. It should be an exciting year!

I’d also like to thank Tony Nash and all at the QRA for organising an excellent event – the crowd of spectators was amazing. It’s just a pity that it’s a 500-mile drive for me to get here but I’ll definitely be back!’

Results

Quad Pro A Class Overall (after 6 of 6 races)

1st – Paul Winrow 150; 2nd – Stefan Murphy 112; 3rd – Oli Sansom 100; 4th – Paul Holmes 99; 5th – Willy Waggott 99; 6th – Justin Reid 89

QRA Margate Big Sky Quad Grand Final

1st – Paul Winrow; 2nd – Oli Sansom; 3rd – Justin Reid

Next Race: Tuesday 25th March – Ulster Premier Quad Cross Championship (Round 1), Donemana Motocross Park, Donemana

www.justwinracing.com

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