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COPYRIGHT 2004 Ehlert Publishing Group
The high-speed circuit in the French countryside hasn't changed much in more than a decade, but each year it seems a different monkeywrench is thrown into the works. Last year, thick, blinding dust was the major problem. Traveling at close to 90 MPH with visibility limited pretty much to the front bumper is good for an adrenaline rush but extremely hard on the body when rear ending a stalled quad.
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This year, however, the monkeywrench was in the form of mud. In the days before the race, torrential rain and lightning pummeled the famous wine-growing region. Though the pit straight had been extended to more than a third of a mile and the track has always been the domain of Banshees, this year's thick gumbo slop and small lakes--actually on the track--could favor the higher-traction four-strokes. That included fast teams like Americans Tavis Cain and Chad Lohr aboard a Duncan Racing Yamaha YFZ and Americans Mike Walsh and Jeremy Lawson on a Walsh Race Craft/Quad Briel KTM 540. Piloting one of the seven Honda 450Rs (seen this year for the first time at PDV) would be one of Europe's fastest riders, Paul Winrow, who's won PDV three times.
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But, if you consider sheer numbers of past winners at PDV, the lineup on...
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