April 23rd, 2020.


There may be no racing going on at the moment, but there are still plenty of quad racers out there with a story to tell. We recently caught up with young Louie Holt who races with DQR and Nora-MX.

Eleven-year-old Louie is the son of Ashley and Lisa who are the organisers behind Dragon Quad Racing and run the ATVs Only British Quad XC Championship. He also has a sister – 15-year-old Lilly who is often found trackside supporting her brother.

Quad Magazine: Hi Louie, it’s good to catch up with you. How and why did you get into quad racing?
Louie Holt: My Dad’s always been into bikes and road racing from when he was younger and my Taid (Welsh for Grandad) has a bike shop. One Christmas when I was about four, he bought us a Suzuki LT50 Quad bike. As soon as I got on it, I loved it and we used to go out on it all the time riding whenever we had chance. I went to my first track not long after and was eager to see if we could start racing somewhere. My Dad found the Dragon Quad Racing club online and as soon as I was five, we joined up - I couldn’t wait!

QM: First quad/first race? How did it feel? Were you hooked straightaway?
LH: My first race was a 30 minute enduro style race at Coney Green Stourport with DQR. I went with my Dad and I was just excited more than anything else. We didn’t really know what to expect, having never been to a quad meeting before, but I won it and I loved every minute. I couldn’t wait for the next one!




QM: How did mum and dad feel when you first went out on the track on your own? How does mum cope now?
LH: My Dad was fine with it. He was as excited as me, I think! My mum was a bit apprehensive but was fully behind it and now, when I race the enduro tracks, she is okay, but when I race MX she worries a lot more as it’s usually wheel-to-wheel racing with big jumps. I think she tries to take her mind off it by taking loads of pictures of everyone!

QM: How have you progressed through the ranks?
LH: I started in the 50cc class and finished second in my first season. We moved up to an LT80 the following year but it was an absolute dog of a bike … it didn’t matter what we did, it was just unreliable so the following year we bought a brand new Yamaha Raptor and I won the 90cc XC title. The following year I was nine years old, and we made a big step up to a 125cc Yamaha Raptor – I had to start learning the full adult enduro tracks as well as racing for one and a half hours. That year we also found the Nora-MX club, so I entered a few of the open geared races. It was my first time racing quadcross - I instantly loved it and wanted to try more.

I think I finished fourth in my first 125 season. The following year I won seven straight races and the 125cc Championship. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to race a full season with Nora in the British Open Geared class on a JB Racing Honda 150cc. It was an up and down season and I think my best result was a third up against some very fast and more experienced riders. I finished fifth overall in the championship at the end of 2019. The plan was to have another go with the 150 at Nora-MX this year and, having had a year’s experience, move up to a 250 for the enduro season.




QM: Give us some info on your 2020 machine. Is there anything special? Who built it?
LH: For the 2020 enduro season we basically built a brand new Yamaha Raptor 250. My Dad completely stripped and rebuilt it over the winter. There is very little that wasn’t changed - JT Tuning refreshed and built the engine and we had support from TGS supplying Reiger Suspension. Pete Rumsey at ATVs Only provided the Doma Exhaust system, Dominator axle and all sorts of other goodies for it! Rath Racing in America have supported me for this season and have supplied the Nerf Bars and Bumper – it’s all been freshly powder-coated and looks so good, unfortunately though, as we speak, I have only tested it twice!

QM: Who has helped you the most along the way?
LH: Have to say my Dad for sure up to this point and my Mum of course!!

QM: Who inspires you – on and off track.
LH: Have to say Walker Fowler, Joel Hetrick, Chad Wienen - any of those guys really, they are the absolute top guys in ATV racing.

QM: Who do you view as your biggest ‘rival’ in your age/class group?
LH: Hard question really as there are so many fast guys in both championships. I couldn’t name just one!!

QM: Which is your favourite track, and why?
LH: My favourite enduro track is the one we race up at KORC Sport in Gainsbourgh. It has everything, fast flowing quarry tracks, technical wooded areas and an MX section. My favourite MX track would be West Meon for the jumps, but I also loved racing at Preston Docks last year.




QM: What else do you do when not racing? How does school fit in? What do your friends/class mates think – do they even know about quads?
LH: I like mountain biking, training and going to the skatepark on my scooter. I have to fit my school work in around it all … My friends know about quads now as I am always telling them about my racing. They think it’s pretty cool.

QM: Where do you want to go with your racing.
LH: I want to be a multiple British Champion and hopefully race in Europe and maybe even America one day. This year I am hoping to race at PDV in August - all being well of course …

QM: We’re talking during the coronavirus lockdown period – how are you and the family coping? What are you getting up to?
LH: It’s hard not being able to ride and race but I know why we are doing it. I just hope it’s not for too long! I am still doing some school work. My Dad’s off work and my Mum’s still in part time so they are the teachers. I think my Dad’s catching up on all the jobs he hasn’t done as we have been racing so much! I am getting out on my mountain bike every day to try and keep fit, as well as playing on my XBox.

QM: Thanks Louie, stay safe and finally, please feel free to give a quick shout out to those that support you.
LH: Big thanks to all those who help me to go racing! ATVs Only, Mark at Concept Security, BRP Imports (Kenny Racing), Pro-Green MX, Putoline Oil, TGS (Reiger Racing, Rath Racing, FJ Fasst, KIK Quads, DWZ Graphics, AMO Fitness and Gary McKenna for the kind loan of the Honda for racing MX, amongst others. Sorry if I’ve not mentioned anyone – we really, really are grateful to everyone who supports us.

If you’d like to be featured, or would like to feature a a friend or relative in Quad Magazine at Quad-Online, drop an email to jenni@redcat.co.uk and we’ll fire over some questions.