Atkins diet for Winrow
By TMX Archives on 10th Nov 06
ANYONE who attended the final round of the GYTR Yamaha Maxxis QRA British Quad Endurance championship, hosted by Cotswold EC at Lea, Wiltshire, on Sunday, having kicked the nail biting habit, had a relapse.
It was a very tense and exciting round. Many positions and mathematical equations were up for grabs and the seven-mile lap which was set out was superb, with woodland, open going, boggy ground etc.
Before Pete Carter dropped the flag for the start for the QRA Championship grid, at this the tenth and final round, the contenders had already raced a total of 27-hours. Reigning champion, Paul Winrow, was sitting just 14-points behind Steve Atkins. So, Winrow needed a win and Atkins to be at least third in order to retain his crown.
Andy Downes needed to stay in the points to maintain third overall but the Davies brothers, Andrew and Simon, also could trip each other up and swap positions or possibly steal third from Downes. Pens, paper and fingers were working overtime as the race got underway trying to work out the what ifs of the race.
The K4 Suzuki of Andrew Davies lead the way into turn one, followed by Simon and Steve Jones, the undisputed Under 21 champion on his Daltons Honda. Quickly the championship runners started catching and passing the first riders away.
Clint Eagle had the gremlins running around his KTM as he left the line and was a long way down when the fault was finally traced – a dislodged plug cap. However, once remedied he was away.
Chris Cooper made another machine change, this time on a Honda, and many wondered if we were watching the final event for Andy Downes as he heads towards retirement – let's hope not.
GYTR YAMAHA MAXXIS QRA BRITISH QUAD ENDURANCE CHAMPS
Final Rd – Lea, Wiltshire (Cotswold Enduro Club)
OVERALL ON DAY: 1 Andrew Davies 150 points, 2 Simon Davies 140, 3 Steve Atkins 132, 4 Andy Downes 126, 5 Stephen Jones 122, 6 Richard George 120, 8 Matt James 116, 9 Caine Hinder 114, 10 Max Walton 100, 11 Simon Osenton 110, 12 Dale Wright 108,... 26 Paul Winrow 80,... 32 Andy Mellor 68,...
FINAL SERIES STANDINGS after 10 rounds: 1 Steve Atkins 1,380 points (CHAMPION), 2 Paul Winrow 1,314, 3 Andy Downes 1,252, 4 Andrew Davies 1,250, 5 Simon Davies 1,230,, 6 Richard George 1,140, 7 Stephen Jones 1,124, 8 Caine Hinder 1,058, 9 Andy Mellor 1,016, 10 Matt James 982, 11 Dale Wright 966, 12 Simon Osenton 927,...
For full report, results and pictures see T+MX News, Friday, November 10, 2006