CSBK - Quintin Wins It at SMP Kawasaki National Opener

Quintin Wins It at SMP Kawasaki National Opener

Details: Category: CSBK News; Published on Saturday, May 14, 2016 23:27 EDT; Written by Administrator

50-year-old Spec class hero goes Flag-to-Flag

The 2016 Mopar CSBK National Championship Series opened at Shannonville Motorsport Park’s Pro Circuit on Saturday, with the first ever round of the new Kawasaki Ninja 300 spec National Series. After wet practice and qualifying, the season opener victory went to Eric Quintin of Notre Dame de I’lle Perrot, QC, who led flag-to-flag for an impressive victory.

“It was quite a day, lots of different conditions, everyone learning their new bikes,” commented Quintin. “I really wanted to get a good start, and no one had really started a race with these bikes. I got a good lead, then the board told me to slow down, and then it told me to speed up!”

Like the other, younger podium finishers, 50-year-old Quintin is a veteran of similar, previous National spec racer Series. These production-oriented, small displacement “stock specification” classes are all intended to place the focus squarely on rider talent and development.

Second overall went to Jared Walker of Oakville, ON, who charged late in the eight lap National race after making the most of lapped traffic. Walker, age 16, was three seconds behind at the finish line, and promised to make Quintin’s day more difficult for round two, tomorrow.

Third belonged to Brandon Pemberton of Windsor, Nova Scotia, the pole winner having a difficult time during the Kawasaki spec opener. Overpowered by the aggressive Quintin at the start, Pemberton ran off the back straight mid-way through the first lap, and had to charge through the field to net third.

Pemberton did have the consolation of earning pole in treacherous wet conditions earlier in the afternoon, his fastest lap of Qualifying at 1:39.7 comparing the fastest race lap of 1:20.3 set by race winner Quintin in the final. Pemberton earned a special Rockwell watch Pole bonus for setting the best lap in the first ever Kawasaki Q session.

A race-long dice for fourth was eventually decided in favour of Adolfo Silva of Toronto, ON., with Stanley Moran from Gatineau, QC, earning a close fifth.

Start of the first-ever race for the Kawasaki Ninja 300 spec National Championship Series opens the 40th Anniversary season at Shannonville Motorsport Park: eventual victor Eric Quintin wheelies into a lead he would never lose, with runner-up Jared Walker in the background.
Kawasaki Ninja 300 spec racer National action at S.M.P., Round One: fifth finisher Stan Moran (# 665) leads Adolfo Silva (fourth overall) and comeback charger Brandon Pemberton (third place).
16-year-old Brandon Pemberton of Windsor, Nova Scotia won pole position, ran off track on the first lap, and recovered to make the Podium at the Kawasaki Ninja 300 spec class season opener at Shannonville”s Pro Track.
Mopar CSBK Controller Andre Lalancette takes the chequered flag to Kawasaki Ninja 300 spec Series opening round victor Eric Quintin on the Shannonville front straight.
Motovan Marketing guru David Bond presents the Rockwell Award watch to debut Kawasaki Ninja 300 spec Series pole winner Brandon Pemberton on the podium at S.M.P., post National.
2016 Kawasaki Ninja 300 spec series podium for the Mopar CSBK Season opening National at Shannonville: (L to R) third placed Brandon Pemberton, victor Eric Quintin and second finisher Jared Walker shared the podium as guest announcer Chris Chapelle looks on.
The winners, top machines and sponsors reps from Motovan (David Bond) and Dunlop (Sandy Noce) at the podium celebrations for the opening Kawasaki 300 Ninja spec racer CSBK National at S.M.P.
Pro Superbike RACE Regional heat race at Shannonville: Louie Raffa (Honda # 76) heads Derrick Whyte (Kawasaki # 91) and the battling duo of Bodhi Edie (Yamaha # 5) and Michael Leon (BMW # 74). Whyte would work his way up to third, Edie netted fourth, Leon fifth and Raffa seventh, first 600cc Sport Bike to place.

Photos by Colin Fraser

After Qualifying, all the racers headed to the mandatory National Technical Inspection, where weights were measured and Horsepower checked on the Official Series Dynojet Dyno. Winner Quintin was best, with horsepower measured at 37.3 (class limit is 38) and weight at 341 pounds (class limit is 340).

In Qualifying for tomorrow’s RACE SuperSeries Regional opener, the unofficial warm-up for the Mopar CSBK full National opener at Shannonville at the end of the month, rain held off long enough for many of Canada’s top big bike racers to get some dry running.

Reigning SuperSeries overall Champ Jim Proulx of Ottawa, ON., took the victory aboard his famously aging but potent 1000cc Yamaha R1, after an early race dice with the works Sturgess Kawasaki ZX-10R Ninja of Kenny Riedmann. Riedmann worked up to first place but ran off track, and Proulx took a decisive Heat win.

Newcastle, ON.’s Ellie Daccache placed second on his Yamaha R6, holding off a later race charge from rookie Pro and reigning Magneti Marelli Amateur Superbike Champ Derrick Whyte of Oshawa on the Snow City Kawasaki ZX-10R Ninja.

Warman, Saskatchewan’s Bodhi Edie made a welcome return to the National roadrace scene after a two-year absence. The twenty-year-old was making his Z1 Cycle Tech Yamaha debut, getting his first dry racing miles in the Heat race to work up to an eventual fourth, just ahead of practice crasher Michael Leon’s Royal Distributing BMW S1000RR.

Kawasaki Ninja 300 Spec National Series
 Round 1 - Race Results

1. 34, Eric Quinton, 8 laps

2. 14, Jared Walker, -3.091 seconds

3. 310, Brandon Pemberton, -45.576 seconds

4. 67, Adolfo Silva, -1 lap

5. 665, Stanley Moran, -1 lap