Team Can-Am Off To Flying Start At Hannington

Sunday the 26^th of April saw Team Can-Am travel to
 
Hannington, near Basingstoke, for the opening round of the
 
2009 QRA ACU British Quad Cross Country Championship.  With
 
a five-rider team line up for 2009 competing at different class
 
levels in the championship on board the all-new DS450Xmx, the

challenging five mile circuit meticulously crafted by Tony Nash
 
and the hard working QRA crew would be a true test of ability

 and endurance for rider and machine, and after an energy

 sapping three hours racing Team Can-Am’s 2009 season had

 gotten off to a solid start with some outstanding results despite
 
difficulties on the day, Beverley Barnes putting in a fantastic
 display to take 3^rd overall in the Club Class, with Chris Cooper,
 
Shaun Gunther and Iain Johnston taking 5^th, 14^th and 19^th


 respectively in the Pro Class.

Beverley Barnes

Competing in the Club Class for the second year having
finished     4^th in 2008, Beverley was keen to get the season off
 

to a good start in her first year on the Can-Am DS450Xmx.  A
 
first corner pile up on the opening lap saw Beverley drop to 15^th

 as she waited for the carnage to clear, but quickly settling down


 as she negotiated her way steadily through the many wooded

 areas around the challenging circuit, Beverley gradually worked
 
her way through the pack to finish a fantastic 3^rd in class


, Beverley finishing ahead of many of the Expert riders and first

female competitor across the finish line.  “It’s been a really good
 
start to the year and I’m really happy with how things have
 
gone.  There are a lot of wooded areas and the circuit was really
 
challenging, so I just maintained a consistent pace that I felt
 
comfortable with and was able to work my way up through the
 
field.  The Team Can-Am DS450Xmx is a fantastic bike and I had
 
no problems throughout the race, so with more time to get to
 
grips with the bike I’m confident that I can improve on my
 
results as the year progresses.”

Chris Cooper

The first of four riders in the Pro Class, the three-times Cotswold
 
Enduro and two-times British Under 21 champion was keen to

 improve on his 15^th position in the 2008 series.  A poor start


saw Chris left with a lot of work to do to make his way


up through the pack, but using the excellent handling of the

 DS450Xmx Chris had made his way up to 4^th with half the

 three hour race run before dropping back to 7 ^th after getting



 stuck behind three riders jammed in the bomb-hole section,

 Chris charging to the chequered flag and reducing a one minute
 
deficit to under ten seconds for a well deserved 5^th.  Chris
 

commented after the race, “It’s been a good day overall and I’m

 happy to have come away with 5^th.  I didn’t get away at the

 
start from the second row so most of the riders were around

 the first corner in front of me, and with a lot of wooded areas I
 
did struggle in the early stages to find my rhythm and move my
 
way through.  It was annoying to have dropped back to 7^th

 after working my way up to 4^th, but it was one of those are
as
 
where I had committed to my line and when I found it blocked I
 
had to wait until it cleared.  I’m really happy with the way the
 
bike is working, and with my speed and fitness I am feeling
 
confident that I can achieve some top three finishes in the very
 
near future.”

Shaun Gunther

Making his British debut, thirty-one year old South African Shaun
 
Gunther put in a stunning performance despite suffering from

 severe stomach cramps in the last thirty minutes of the race.
 
A decent start from the second row saw Shaun complete the
 opening lap in 15^th, before beginning to move through the field


 as time wore on, Shaun showing the skills that have helped him

win South African Off Road Championships in 2003 and 2007 to
 fight through to 10^th at the two-hour mark, Shaun valiantly


 riding in severe discomfort in the closing stages for a superb
 
14^th.  “I don’t know exactly what caused the cramps in the last


 half hour of the race but the pain was really bad, I was off my

 original pace by almost five minutes a lap and it was all I could

 do to continue. It would have been nice to have finished in the
 
top ten, but given that I’ve not ridden this length of race for a
 
long time and the problem I had near the end, it has been a
 
great result and I’m stoked to have come away with 14^th.  The

 
Team Can-Am DS450Xmx worked really well and I know that
 
there is more to come from both of us, so the outlook for the
 
rest of the year is really good.”

Iain Johnston

Getting superb drive off the line and charging through from the

 second row to round the first corner in the top six, Iain headed

 out on the opening lap in excellent position only to see his good

 work negated in the first woods section, Iain getting tangled up

 with another rider after being clipped from behind.  Slowly

 getting underway and resuming a good pace as he fought his

 way up the leaderboard, Iain’s progress was halted just afte

r the one-hour mark, Iain taking a nasty tumble close to the pits
 
area of the circuit and needing medical attention.  Taking time to
 
regain his composure while getting trackside attention, Iain
 
heroically remounted his bike in the latter stages determined to

finish, the affable Kiwi crossing the line in a respectable 19^th.
 

A battered and bruised Iain commented afterwards, “Today
 
hasn’t gone exactly to plan but given that I haven’t been on a

 bike in over eighteen months I’m really happy with the speed I
 
was showing.   I got an awesome start, the DS450Xmx fired up
 
first time and pulled really strongly off the line, and after getting


 tangled up in the opening lap I was finding good pace and lines
 
but then it went all wrong.  I was able to get back on the bike

 near the end and finish the race, and after a precautionary trip
 
to the hospital I’ve been given the all clear so I’m looking

 forward to the next round where I’ll be aiming for a top ten
 
finish.”

Justin Reid

Travelling from his base in Comber after competing in an Ulster Championship

meeting the previous day, the multi-British and Ulster Champion was keen to show
 
that he was as capable in the woods as on the MX track.  A poor start from the
outside of the front row saw Justin head out on the opening lap just inside the top twenty, Justin, working his way through the field in the early laps, was forced to make an unscheduled stop after damaging the valve stem on his wheel and getting a flat.  Quickly getting underway again and getting back up to pace, Justin began to fight his way through the pack and up the leader board but to no avail, mechanical gremlins striking and forcing Justin to retire from the remainder of the race.  Clearly disappointed at having to retire, Justin commented, “ That was really good fun while it lasted! Tony has set up a really enjoyable track here and deserves full credit for his efforts – the beautiful weather was a welcome addition too. I’ve learnt a lot here today and I’m looking forward to the next round where we will be much better set up – a podium finish is well within our reach.”