Sunday the 6th of April saw the 2008 ACU British MMX Quad Championship get under

way for Anderson ATV Suzuki team-mates Carl Bunce and Mark Watson at the tight and

twisty Whiteway Barton circuit near Kingsteignton in Devon.

Despite weather conditions making for interesting racing throughout the day, everything from bright sunshine to hailstones and snow experienced as the day went on, both riders put in tremendous performances throughout the day but with mixed results, Carl having a frustrating day despite his valiant efforts that saw him finish just out of the points in both races, while Mark showed that he has quickly made the transition from sidecars to quad racing with an amazing 4th overall in only his third race.

Race One

The restarted opening moto was to bring mixed fortunes for both riders but did not go to plan for Carl, a poor start and getting tangled up in the first corner leaving him circulating in 30th. Over the opening couple of laps Carl made up several places but was to see this negated when

he unavoidably got tangled up with John Mitchell on the

ATV World Yamaha,

Dropping back places as they struggled to get their bikes separated. Eventually getting

underway in 31st position, Carl used the excellent handling of the PEP / Walsh suspension

to gradually move up the positions, but with the tight circuit providing few passing

opportunities Carl was forced to settle for 21st at thechequered flag.

An excellent start for Mark saw him round the first corner in 6th position with Honda mounted Chris North in tow. Over the full duration of the twenty five minute plus two lap moto, North

tried time and again to pass Mark, but the hard charging 22 year old Alston native showed the skills and maturity that have brought success at national and international Sidecar-cross level, the

current British Sidecar-cross Champion comfortably holding of the challenge to the

chequered flag for a fantastic 6th place in his debut British Championship Quadcross race.

Race Two

The final moto of the day was to again provide a combination of exhilaration and anguish for the team. A blistering start by Mark saw him complete the first lap in 3rd before a slight mistake dropped him back to 4th.

Keeping a level head and using the awesome power of the Suzuki LTR450, Mark

was able to comfortably fend of the challenges of the chasing pack until the last lap, an errand back marker blocking his line on one of the many tight areas of the track and allowing a rider to slip past, Mark taking the chequered flag in 5th for a fantastic 4^th overall. A better jump on the gate saw Carl slot in to 8^th at the end of the opening lap, but unfortunately this was again to be a frustrating moto for the 22 year old from Reading, Carl forced to pull in after the first lap as a result of a puncture. Having dropped back to 30th while the crew changed the wheel, Carl set off at a blistering pace and quickly moved through the field, but with the track limiting overtaking and time not on his side he was unable to make it in to a points scoring position despite his valiant efforts.

Mark Watson

“ Absolutely brilliant! When we came in to this round Paul told me he’d be happy with a top fifteen finish and I’d personally set myself a target of top ten, but to finish 4^th overall in only my third race on a quad is fantastic. Paul and all the guys have done a fantastic job with the bikes, and the Anderson ATV Suzuki LTR450 was amazing around the track and handled everything that was thrown at it with ease. I got really good starts in both races and just settled in to a rhythm and concentrated on making no mistakes. I’d like to have held on to 4th in the last race but the back marker came across my line and I had to back off to avoid hitting him.

I’m looking forward to the next round at Desertmartin on the 26th of April, and although I’ve never raced there or rode a quad on that type of surface, I’ve ridden similar sand based tracks with my brother John on the sidecars so I’m used to the track conditions.”

Results

Race One

Winner – Paul Winrow; 2nd – Leon Beda; 3rd – Ricky Tordoff; 4th – William Waggott;

5th – Simon Hammersley; 6th – Mark Watson…21st – Carl Bunce

Race Two

Winner – Paul Winrow; 2nd – Ricky Tordoff; 3rd – Chris North; 4th – John Mitchell;

5th – Mark Watson…22nd – Carl Bunce

Championship Standings (after 1 of 8 rounds)

1st – Paul Winrow 50; 2nd – Ricky Tordoff 42; 3rd – Chris North 34;

4th – Mark Watson 31; 5th – Simon Hammersley 29

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