KTM rider Holmes Moves To 2nd At Drama Packed Desertmartin

EnricoPavia

• May 12 2009
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KTM ATV rider Holmes Moves To 2nd At Drama Packed Desertmartin

Team KTM UK’s Paul Holmes remains well in contention for British Championship honours despite a drama packed second moto in Ireland at the weekend.

Team KTM UK

With constant heavy rain in the week prior to the meeting, conditions looked far from ideal as Paul and team-mate James Hellewell pulled in to the paddock in preparation for the third of the nine round series, but with an impressive amount of work behind the scenes by the promoters and circuit owners, track conditions on race day around the spectacular former GP circuit had improved dramatically, the challenging sand based venue providing some fantastic racing as the day progressed.

After posting 3rd fastest time in qualifying, a fantastic opening moto saw Paul running 3rd in the opening stages before taking the lead at the halfway point, Paul using the excellent handling of the KTM 505SX around the demanding venue to take the second step on the podium at the chequered flag. The second race of the day was a dramatic affair, Paul fighting through from 9th to 3rd after being pushed off the circuit in the opening lap, but an unscheduled stop to remedy a jammed chain dropped Paul down to 29th as he rejoined the race, Paul blasting his way through the field in the latter stages to finish 18th and secure valuable Championship points.

In only his second meeting at the venue, James had a difficult start to the day but put in another superb display and added yet more points to his tally, James quickly putting the disappointment of an opening moto retirement behind him to battle his way through from 24th to finish a credible 19th in race two.

Paul Holmes
“I’m obviously disappointed at my moto two result, but overall I’m happy with my performance and speed in both races. The first race was awesome and I was able to work my way to the front, and although it would have been nice to win the race I was happy with 2nd. The track got really rough today with some deep ruts, and in the second race I hit a huge stone which broke the skid plate and jammed the chain. I lost a lot of time getting the bike back to the work area to get it sorted, but despite being a lap down and nearly dead last I was able to get back to 18th and score some points. The Team KTM UK 505SX was fantastic to ride around the circuit and just keeps getting better and better, and with six rounds left to run I feel confident that we can get back to the top of the standings.”

James Hellewell
“This has definitely not been the easiest of days but I’m happy to have come away with some points on the board. I struggled to get a good time in practice, I’ve only been here once before and it was a really challenging circuit to get dialled in with the tricky conditions, but despite a second row start I was able to work my way up through the field. I had to take my spare bike out in the second moto, and although it is identical to my race bike there were a few settings that were just slightly out and I couldn’t attack the circuit as hard as I’d have liked, but it was really good to get into the points. I know that my fitness and speed are good, so my focus is now on getting a front row start where I can utilise the full potential of the KTM 505SX and finish higher in the points.”

RESULTS

Race One
1st – Paul Winrow
2nd – Paul Holmes KTM 505 SX
3rd – Jason Macbeth
4th – David Cowan
5th – Leon Beda

Race Two
1st – Paul Winrow
2nd – Jason Macbeth
3rd – Justin Reid
4th – Carl Bunce
5th – Leon Beda
18th – Paul Holmes KTM 505 SX
19th – James Hellewell KTM 505 SX

Championship Standings (after 3 of 9 rounds)
1st – Paul Winrow 133
2nd – Paul Holmes 110 (KTM 505 SX)
3rd – Jason Macbeth 106
4th – Leon Beda 80
5th – Carl Bunce 79
26th – James Hellewell 5 (KTM 505 SX)