Hawkstone welcomes British Quad Championship

January 18th, 2015 by Gary Ford

The UK’s top quad racers – plus some from Europe – will do battle at the Hawkstone International on February 8^th where round one of the full ACU British Championship will take place.

Following 2014 champion Paul Winrow’s decision to “retire at the top” the championship looks set to be one of the most open and competitive for years with anyone of up to ten riders capable of winning at Hawkstone.

Last year’s six round championship was so close it had five different winners and nine riders arrived at the final round with a mathematical chance of still taking the title!

Suzuki’s Carl Bunce – runner up for the last two years and reigning Weston Beach Race champion – will be looking to go one better and will this year be mounted on a new French-built Handy Suzuki, which uses a 2015 RM-Z450 motor.

Fellow Englishman Stefan Murphy is widely tipped to be a contender this year on his Yamaha YFZ450 after spending the winter racing in the highly competitive French Sand Championship where he was been posting top ten results.

However, a very strong contingent from Ireland could conceivably make a clean sweep of the podium. Winrow’s tip to top the podium is teenager Dean Colhoun. He had a superb second half of 2014, after switching to Walsh Honda power, including a race win at the Quad Cross of European Nations in the deep sand of Markelo in Holland.

Colhoun’s fellow countrymen, former British champion Justin Reid, multiple Ulster champion Davey Cowan and the current British Under 21 Champion Mark McLernon are also likely to be at the sharp end.

Three top riders had their 2014 seasons wrecked by broken collarbones but will be back to full fitness for Hawkstone. Heading that group is the 2012/13 British Champion Paul Holmes, who was virtually unbeatable during those two seasons. The others are George Callaway and Sheldon Seal.

However all the home stars could be upstaged by Dutch wildcard Joe Maessen who was second the last time the quads were at Hawkstone in 2008 and who is a renowned sand specialist.

A spokesman for the Willcock Holeformers-backed championship said: “Everyone involved with the British Quad Championship is very proud to be on the programme of the Hawkstone International and is determined to put on a show the crowd will remember.”

“The quality of the racing will surprise many of the people who have not seen a top flight quad race before. It will be close, spectacular and full of action, guaranteed!”

The quads will have three 20 minute plus two lap heats.