Goldspeed ACU British Quadcross Championships 2011
Tinker Hill, Newry, Northern Ireland, 2nd July 2011
It took John Mitchell a little bit of luck and a whole lot of skill to take the overall win this weekend at round three of the Goldspeed ACU British Quadcross Championships. Organised by Quad Racing Ireland, who had made substantial improvements to the fast paced track, including widening some areas for more action packed racing.

John took the second fastest qualifying lap, beaten only by Paul Holmes onboard his Yamaha Lager’s 450. Paul went on to take the holeshot in race one and set the pace as John worked hard and battled past Paul Winrow into third. With Mark Watson in front and only six laps to go, John could see up ahead that Holmes had suffered a flat tyre and was unable to do jumps. The gap closed and on the penultimate lap he took his chance.

“Watson went round the outside of Holmesy and I managed to nip in on the inside and take the lead” John said as he recalled seizing the opportunity to take the lead and win. John was especially pleased as he had sustained injuries due to flying rocks hitting his face early on in the race, causing his eyes to water and mist up his goggles blurring his vision.

Clearly undeterred, John took the holeshot in race two onboard his ATV World Yamaha Laeger’s 450 but hit a burm into the third corner which allowed Holmes to pass. John settled for the second place finish knowing that it was enough for the overall win as the pair had gained a 36 second lead over Watson in third. It had been a good day for the Yamaha machine, with no other machine going faster at any stage of the round.

Overall Results
1st John Mitchell – Yamaha
2nd Paul Holmes – Yamaha
3rd Mark Watson – KTM

John commented “I’m really chuffed for the team today. It’s been good, I felt fit and the bike was great! It was a really fast track and getting everything setup right plays a vital part in the success of every race. Today the Yamaha Laeger’s 450 were unbeatable. The Elka suspension, Leager’s frame and Goldspeed tyres all coming together in one awesome package and I’m really looking forward to Dean Moor in a few weeks.”

That makes it three wins out of three in the championship but John knows that the lead is tight and there are a number of riders in contention. The next round of the championship will be at Dean Moor, Cumbria on the 24th July and will be organised by N.E.T.T

Thanks again for all the support from sponsors who along with their outstanding products have helped develop a potential championship winning team for the 2011 season.