2008 EMX – UEM European Quad Championship Round One - Brou, France
Good Start For Team ATV World Yamaha

The European Champ #1 leading Race1 John took second place in race one Paul Holmes taking sixth in race one Paul finished seventh overall

Making the journey to mainland Europe, team ATV World Yamaha travelled to France for the first of ten rounds in the 2008 EMX-UEM European Quad Championships. With a gruelling schedule ahead, John Mitchell is competing to retain the championship while Paul Holmes looks to improve on his third place finish last year.

Qualifying

Qualifying was a good chance to check the team Yamaha YFZ450’s were performing well and John was happy to take it steady and take fourth. Paul qualified in 11th. Working alongside the ATV World mechanics was the development team from Elka Suspension. Fred from Elka advised the riders on the set up adjustment for their Elka Factory Shocks which included; ground clearance, ride height and compression adjustment.

Race One

John had an awesome start and took the holeshot. He was leading until Jeremie Warnia past him and then Romain Couprie got through. John then overtook Warnia and went on to finish in second place, 26 seconds ahead of third place on the last lap. During the race, John landed difficultly and injured his left elbow, leaving him in severe pain for the start of the second race.

Paul Holmes got caught up in the main pack at the start of the race but made some outstanding passes to make three places on the first lap. He then went on to make a double pass coming out of a corner in the second lap and continued to battle up to sixth place. Although Paul spun out after a crash with another rider, he maintained his sixth position to the finish.

Race Two

In race two John was second into the first corner however the injury sustained to his elbow meant he was unable to push for the lead and he went on to take fourth place. Paul got a better start and in the opening laps he had worked his way up to sixth. Unfortunately Paul got tangled with another quad and lost time getting back on track however he to managed to get back to 13 th and take vital points.
After round one of the championship, John Mitchell is in third place and is still in contention to retain his title. Paul Holmes is seventh overall on 23 points. Both riders and team are very pleased with these results.

John explained: “This was always going to be a tough track. It’s a fast pace and there are guys here who know it very well. I’m thrilled with my results here. The second place was in race one was a solid start. Going into race two with an injury and taking fourth is great as I am very close to second place now in the overall results and there are tracks throughout this championship where I will be stronger. The ATV World Yamaha YFZ450 was faultless again. The team have done a fantastic job!”

The team return to the UK for this weekends action in the ACU British MMX Quad Championship at Dean Moor – Hope to see you there! Thanks again for all the support from sponsors who along with their outstanding products have helped develop a Championship winning team for the 2008 season.