Pont de Vaux Endurance Race

What a fabulous experience for Emma McQuaid the 17 year old Quad racer from Newry who was seleced to represent the UK Mercia Yamaha team under the management of Richard Cole from the Richard Cole Academy UK.

Emma McQuaid, James Hellewell and Joe Nutter were the team on the Twelve hour endurance race and boy was it testing the teams to their limits.(racing in blistering heat of 31 degrees). There were 120 teams out there and there were a lot of teams who only do this for a living but Emma's team of junior riders came 16th overall and won the junior section which was a fabulous achievement.

Emma has already been asked to compete on two different teams for next year. and her brother Eugene who is only 15 is already in contention for the under 18 section.

7th round of the Ulster Quad support Championship in Downpatrick

Emma went out on her JM Quads Yamaha YFZ 450 in the qualifier and finished 4th overall.
In her first race of the day Emma went out in the twelve minute plus a lap race and was in 5th place at the first corner but it wasn't long before she picked her way through the pack and finished in 2nd place.
 
She knew she had to do something good in the next race as the race leader was only 4 points ahead of her and he already won the first race but it wasn't to be,she was involved in an accident in the first corner and her bike stalled and couldn't get it going so she was dead last coming round the circuit but as she came round to complete her first lap she had already came back to 12th place.
Well she kept that 450 lit and before long she was in 5th place,the next lap she was in 2nd and just about a quarter of a lap to go she took the lead to take the win and those all important points to put her 9 points ahead of Geoff Ingram in the Ulster Quad Support Championship. It leaves her in an excellent position going in to the final race in Desertmartin on 13th October.

Good luck for the 13th Oct Emma !!

AG Crew