Ronan’s commitment and determination was immediately evident as he finished in the points in his first Supersport race at the tender age of 15 – only 10 days after suffering a horrific accident which left him with a broken foot, hours of surgery and almost 200 stitches.

Ronan clearly displays the winning quality that his brother Kieren possesses. He started 2007 by finishing second in his first injury-free Supersport race. No mean feat for someone with only a few months’ experience. Ever hungry to progress, Ronan entered the Virgin Media R6 Cup in the UK. Being the youngest entrant in the series did not deter him as he took the spectators’ breath away in his first race. Having started in 19th position, “Ronan Quarmby wasted no time in wading through the standing water to lead the field. Judging by his explosive start, Ronan has already shown a glimpse of his potential” said UK’s Motorcycle Racer.

Following a Stock 600 round at the World Superbike event in Misano, Italy, where he comfortably beat his teammate, Ronan returned to South Africa with experience that was plain to see. He won the East London regional by eight seconds and went on to take two podiums in the last three national races of 2007.

Andy Ibbott, Motor GP coach and director of California Superbike School, rates Ronan as one of SA’s talented and upcoming stars.

Ronan Quarmby, who following major surgery to his left femur, was told in May this year that he would not ride a bike for at least a year, has fought against the odds and heads to Kyalami with a comfortable 40 point lead in the SA Supersport Motorcycle Championship.  He will be concentrating on securing the championship. Brother Kieren, with 3 overall wins to his name and a total of 7 DNF’s due to other competitors slamming into him, and 1 DNF from a technical breakdown, will be looking to take some more wins in the Bridgestone Production Cars Class T battle.

Ronan has proven what strong will and determination can do. Unable to compete in 2 of the 9 championship rounds and with penalties totaling 17 points going against him, he is on track to take the championship – the very same championship which he was told he had won at the last round in East London.  Celebrations were halted after the youngster received another massive blow to his championship title. Motorsport South Africa revised the points from a previous Killarney scoring error and Quarmby now needs to secure the title at Kylami.

He has only one championship rival with a mathematical chance of wrestling the title away.  A 40 point lead means that Steven Odendaal would need to win both races with the Interfile rider scoring less than 5 points a race. With rain forecast, the 19 year old will find his job a lot easier.  Quarmby is recognized as an expert in the rain and won the previous wet race at Kyalami by more than 10 seconds. However, expect to see Quarmby ride a very controlled race 1 with his focus on a comfortable top 6 finish.  That will seal the championship and allow him to finish the year with a race 2 victory on Sunday.

Lifting the Interfile SA Motorcycle Supersport Championship trophy after a very tough year, and against all odds, will be fitting reward for this highly talented rider.

Kieren’s first year in Bridgestone Production Cars has been a roller coaster ride.  The 21 year old owner of a mobile tyre fitment business, TyresinTransit, should have been in the fight for the title.  Unfortunately a total of 8 non-finishes as a result of incidents outside of his control, including a 20 point loss suffered whilst leading the endurance race, has left the Bryanston youngster in 4^th place in the championship.  Quarmby has been on the podium for every other race meeting and equals championship leader Graeme Nathan with three overall day’s wins a piece.

Three action packed races are on the cards for Sunday and Quarmby will be looking to continue his good form. He is accomplished in the rain, having previously won wet races at Kyalami, and will be looking to take victory whether it rains or not.

The Interfile team are looking forward to a Championship title for Ronan and another overall first for Kieren.

Ends.

Issued by Interfile

The young 19 year old from Bryanston in Gauteng only started riding in 2006 and in his very short racing career has been recognized by both the local and international racing community as a very talented and likeable rider.

In 2010 Quarmby had to overcome a major setback in his quest to taking the South African Supersport championship. A leg operation effectively took him out of the running after doctors told him his 2010 championship was over and he was forced to watch his competitors from the stands. But he returned to racing only two months later to continue his winning streak and take the championship! On board his factory-backed Yamaha he dominated the series taking no less than nine wins and the majority of pole positions.

Quarmby will now switch from his customary yellow Yamaha to a Triumph following an invitation from Suriano Triumph to join the team.  Suriano Triumph is fully supported by the factory BE1 Racing team with Quarmby contracted to race in all Supersport rounds this year.

The 3 cylinder 675cc Triumph has proven to be a strong competitor with Chas Davies finishing fourth overall in the 2010 championship. Further developments should see the experienced Triumph riders competing for podium positions and with the support of veteran engineer, Antonia Suriano, and the team South Africa could well see Quarmby up near the front of the field.  Quarmby has been testing on a standard Triumph with positive results.

The World Superbike series comprises 13 rounds and is watched live by over 40 million viewers in 175 countries, with an average of 100 000 spectators present at each race meeting.  Surprisingly the top audience figures come from Asia, South Africa, Australia, Brazil and the UK. Supersport motorcycles are modified versions of 600cc production motorcycles available to the public.

Quarmby will be the first South African to compete full time in World Supersport, but his task will not be an easy one.  The world series is made up of the best riders from around the world with thousands of aspirant riders vying for the privilege of competing against the best. And whilst he is the SA Supersport champion, the South African version of supersport differs substantially from the rest of the world.   International Supersport bikes are much more powerful, producing between 30 to 40 horsepower more than we are accustomed too. Additionally they sport highly advanced suspension components and sophisticated electronics which include traction control, launch control, brake assistance and more. The youngster will have a steep learning curve but is expected to nevertheless be able to challenge for top 10 positions.

Whilst SA is one of the larger viewing audiences it is disappointing that Quarmby has  been unable to garner any form of support from his home country or large business and is still actively searching for sponsors.

The first round of the championship takes place at Phillip Island in Australia and South Africans will be able to watch it live on M-Net’s Supersport on Sunday 27 February.  The SA Supersport Champion will get an opportunity to test the bike prior to the 1^st round and is expected to join the team in Italy within the next 10 days.

“It has been my dream, since I started riding in 2006, to race WSS full time” said Quarmby. “I have tested on a stock Triumph, what an awesome bike, perfect for my size.  Now I am ready and fit to focus on WSS and do well in my first year.  Thank you to Antonio Suriano and Triumph for having the faith to put me in their team. Together with them I aim to put South Africa back on the racing map.”

“Racing with Triumph and return to World Supersport is a great satisfaction for me,” says Suriano Ninetto.”For this I must thank Giuliano Rovelli and BE1 Racing team for the availability and cooperation. There is much enthusiasm in the racing department and we will give 110% for all to be ready on the starting grid. I was impressed by the potential of Quarmby and I believe that he has the means to do well.

Competing in the World Supersport championship has been a dream for this youngster since the first time he climbed aboard a race motorcycle just over three years ago. Whilst the Honda prepared locally for him to ride did not have the level of electronics or engine that the international teams have, Quarmby was mentally and physically prepared to show the world how to ride at Kyalami last weekend.

He received treatment for “muscle pain” in his left thigh on Friday morning, switched his mind into race mode and set about showing the world riders how to get around the 4.2 km Kyalami track.  He was immediately on pace and led most of the practice session.  Whilst the team decided to save tyres for later sessions, the top World Supersport riders had to dig deep and put on new tyres to better Quarmby’s times. Laverty finished on pole but all eyes remained on Quarmby who finished the session in an awe inspiring fourth place.

The paddock was abuzz and the riders lined up to follow the TyresinTransit/Interfile rider for the 1^st qualifying session.  Once again he lit up the track, posting times that would place him on the front row of the grid.  With 7 minutes to go, his preferred qualifying tyres now on, and some very worried international teams, the teenager from Bryanston set out to put his bike on provisional pole. The timing screens lit up as sector after sector he recorded the fastest times of the day. By the time he reached turn 9, or almost three quarters of the way around the track, he was .2s quicker than eventual pole man and race winner Eugene Laverty. Incredibly, Quarmby was on for provisional pole in his first ever World Supersport race.

Then disaster struck.  Following a late braking maneuver, he collided with the Ten Kate Honda of Michele Pirro through the slow Wesbank corner and the two of them went down. The bike sustained minor damage so he immediately picked it up and in the process experienced excruciating pain through his left leg.  Unable to continue and with all the riders now on qualifying tyres he was relegated to qualifying in a respectable eight place.

Ronan was treated by the medics and doctors in the mobile clinic who were of the opinion that he had sustained severe bruising or a dislocated hip. When the pain did not subside and he was still unable to put weight on his leg a decision was made to take him to Sandton Clinic where X-Rays and MRI scans were done.  The MRI revealed that Quarmby had a 12cm long cyst in his left Femur which had eaten away most of the bone and weakened his femur to the point that the smallest of bumps resulted in cracking or bending.

He spent the balance of the weekend in a wheelchair but did end on a high note. In affirmation of his talent and riding ability he was presented with his race leathers duly signed with well wishes from each and every World rider.  Quarmby commented:”I am in huge pain and very upset that I couldn’t ride in front of my home crowd but I will be back and stronger than ever.  Please say a massive thank you to everyone and especially the organizers, MSA and WSBK.  These leathers are going on my bedroom wall. Thanks Guys, I’ll see you in a world race!!”

Quarmby was operated on at the Pretoria East Academic hospital by renowned surgeon Prof Theo Le Roux and he is recovering in their high care unit. In a lengthy operation conducted by two specialists, they cleaned the inside of the bone and then jammed 150ml of a special combination of milled bone and cement into his femur.  A plate was attached to the outside of the bone for support and Quarmby will now receive daily physiotherapy and treatment in a quest to have him back and winning in approximately six months time. It has been confirmed that he does not have any form of cancer and following this operation and treatment will have no future side effects.

The discovery of this long standing problem will result in South Africans being unable to watch him complete the 2010 SA Supersport championship where he commands a comfortable 44 point lead over his nearest competitor but Quarmby is determined to attack the World stage as soon as he is fit again.

Quarmby had a great start to the weekend recording the second quickest time in all three of Friday’s practice sessions and was well prepared for race day.  He qualified 3^rd for race 1, just 0.1 behind the Mazda of Heinz Bose, with a front row start for the all important double point feature race.

He finished third in the first of the two back-to-back sprint races and following a really tough battle in race 2, where he held 3^rd for most of the race, crossed the line just 0.05 of a second behind Gennaro Bonafede to take fourth. He was later demoted to fifth for an on-track bumping incident.
But it was the feature race that really showed how well he is driving.  Kieren took the hole shot from second on the grid, with championship leader Graeme Nathan slotting in behind him.  Formato got his Nando’s Ford past Nathan in lap 2 and set after Quarmby.  Consistent lap times resulted in the Interfile/TyresinTransit driver leading from start to finish and taking victory by just over five seconds.

His feature race win helped him to finish overall first for the day, giving Quarmby his 3^rd overall win for the season.
Kieren will be hoping that his excellent performance in the championship continues at Kyalami.  After bagging a rich haul of 32 points on Saturday, he has improved his championship position by two places to fourth.

Photograph: Motorpics.co.za

Quarmby, riding the factory Yamaha, made his intentions known when he qualified on pole for both races, the only Supersport rider to post a 1min 43 second lap time.  Riding under the Interfile/Tyres in Transit banner he produced a flawless display, leading race one from start to finish.  He maturely managed the chasing pressure until lap 7, where after he put his head down to take the win by more than 2 seconds. Quarmby was once again on pole for race two and decided to employ a different strategy, save his tyres, and not lead from the start.   This worked in his favour as the leading pair of Portman and Alberts crashed out on lap three and Ronan took the lead. Conserving his tyres for the end of the race proved to be the right choice as he posted the fastest time of the race in the final lap to make it a double win for the day.

Quarmby commented:” I’m really pleased that I achieved my double win to start the season and applaud the Interfile South African Motorcycle commission for stripping my bike. It’s important that we have a fair championship and I hope the Commission continues its tough stance on fair play”.

Kieren Quarmby, older brother to Ronan stepped up to Bridgestone Production cars to try his hand against the big boys.  Driving a Golf GTI he qualified 4^th and third in his first outing. Quarmby had a great first lap in race one and had passed both Bonafede and Formato by the start of lap two.  He held second position until half way through the race when a boost pipe tore and his water pump seized.  This robbed him of the power he needed to chase eventual winner Graeme Nathan and had to settle for an eventual fifth. With the new double race format the team was unable to repair the car for race two and Quarmby had to contend with an under powered car for race two – fortunately managing to finish the race and salvage some points. The Nathan’s Motorsport and RGMotorsport team did a great job and had the car ready for the feature race.  Although held up in the beginning of the race, the youngster showed great talent to take a well deserved third place and a third overall for the day.  A podium position in his first ever Bridgestone Production car race and an excellent start to the year.

2007 started with me receiving coaching from Andy Ibbott, California Superbike Director and Moto GP and WSBK coach, before being entered into the British Virgin R6 Cup and European Superstock 600 events. I was way too young and inexperienced for this, in fact I was the youngest entrant in that year’s Virgin Media Cup. Having started in 19^th position I wasted no time at all in wading through the standing water to lead the field after lap one.     “Judging by his explosive start at Oulton, Ronan has already shown a glimpse of his potential” says Motorcycle Racer, Official Media Partner to the Virgin Media Cup. The British press nicknamed me Wonder Boy and splashed my image across Sky TV and numerous publications. I followed this with a Stock 600 ride at the World Supersport event in Misano, Italy before returning to SA.

In 2008, I was offered a ride with Raceways Yamaha in British Supersport. I moved to the UK at the age of 16 and lived with my team mate, forcing me to mature rapidly and learn how to clean, wash and cook !!! After completing a very difficult year due to serious injury sustained at Thruxton, I returned to SA to compete in the final round of our National series at Kyalami.  I finished a close second in race one and had a commanding lead in race two before rain stopped the race.

I stayed in SA in 2009 and took my first Supersport win at the Phakisa Nationals.  My next race was at Kyalami – the last national of the year.  I qualified pole and took the overall days win and have not looked back since. .

2010 in the way that I finished 2009.  I took pole position and went on to win both races to take an opening lead in the championship. I won 5 out of 6 races prior to entering the World Supersport round at Kyalami in May 2010.

With some help from Ten Kate, on a locally prepared Honda, I finished 4^th in first practice and almost took provisional pole on the Friday afternoon. Unfortunately a collision with Ten Kate’s Michele Pirro three quarters of the way through my fastest lap left me in excruciating pain. An MRI revealed that I had a 12cm long cyst in my left Femur which had eaten away most of the bone so they relegated me to a wheelchair and doctors told me my 2010 championship was over. One cannot truly understand how devastated I was !!!

But, I trained hard and told myself I would heal quickly. Then Ronald Ten Kate called me and asked if I wanted to replace Pirro, who was injured, in the World Supersport round at Silverstone.  I convinced the doctors to declare me fully fit to race at the beginning of July – only two months after my operation and did 4 World Supersport rounds with the Ten Kate team.  Whilst I missed South African National rounds due to my injuries, I managed to take 5 out of the remaining 6 race wins and the SA Supersport championship.

I was one of 5 nominated for 2010 Motorsportsman of the Year.

I now compete full time in the World Superbike series on board a Triumph 675 and have become one of the top ten competitors in the Supersport championship.

The year 2011 went well for me, I had a couple bad races but at the end of the day I had more positive aspects that I can look at for 2012.

I went from Phillip Island in Australia at the beginning of the year and then traveled to another 12 other countries where we ended
off the season with Portimao in Portugal.

My team worked really well during the season and I hope to stay on board the Triumph for 2012 cause the bike has progressed during 2011
and for 2012 it could surely be a podium contender.
My best finish this year on the Triumph Supersport bike was 10^th, not bad since I had to learn most of the tracks this year.  I was running 7^th in Imola before I made a stupid mistake and crashed at 240 km/h on the last lap !!!
Racing in South Africa for me was absolutely awesome but the only problem was that we didn’t get the sponsors or Audience.
When you watch racing overseas it has that much more, Big Audience, Massive Sponsors, Huge Exposure and Live Television every round.
My goal for next year is to accomplish what I never did in 2011 and that’s a PODIUM.
Overseas racing you have to be mentally prepared, Physically and Emotionally cause it’s where the best in the Entire World compete against each other.

My other hobby is trying to start a reality show.

I travel the entire globe every year and have been working on my own reality tv show (Quarmby Ink) for 1 year now.
I am going to star in a short movie for my production crew in the coming months.

The 2012 calendar has changed a bit and I’m super excited cannot wait for 2012 to begin..
Hopefully South Africa can finally get some good recognition from us Athletes!!!
See you on the Black Stuff!!

The young 19 year old from Bryanston in Gauteng only started riding in 2006 and in his very short racing career has been recognized by both the local and international racing community as a very talented and likeable rider.

Ronan was the teenager who halted Sheridan Morais’ winning streak at the Phakisa Nationals in 2009.  Not only did he surprise Morais and all of SA but he also walked away with the fastest lap.  His next race was at Kyalami – the last national of the year.  Ronan qualified pole and took the overall days win.  A master in the rain, he won race two by more than 10 seconds and has not looked back since.

The Interfile/TyresinTransit rider started 2010 in the way that he finished 2009.  On board his factory backed Yamaha, he took pole position for both race 1 and 2 and went on to win both races to take a well deserved first place and opening lead in the championship. He dominated the championship, winning 5 out of 6 races prior to entering the World Supersport round at Kyalami in May 2010.

Competing in the World Supersport championship had been a dream for this youngster since the first time he climbed aboard a race motorcycle just over three years ago. With some help from Ten Kate, on a locally prepared Honda, he stunned the world scene by finishing 4^th in first practice and almost taking provisional pole on the Friday afternoon. Unfortunately a collision with Ten Kate’s Michele Pirro three quarters of the way through his fastest lap left Quarmby in excruciating pain. When the pain did not subside and he was still unable to put weight on his leg a decision was made to take him to Sandton Clinic where X-Rays and MRI scans were done.  The MRI revealed that Quarmby had a 12cm long cyst in his left Femur which had eaten away most of the bone and weakened his femur to the point that the smallest of bumps resulted in cracking or bending. He was relegated to a wheelchair and doctors told him his 2010 championship was over.

Ronan fought back, using all his mental and physical capabilities, to return to racing at the beginning of July – only two months after his operation.  The “Comeback Kid” missed the Kyalami round of the championship and unfortunately the Phakisa round was changed to a non scoring Superpole session after the track was deemed unsafe to race on. Ronan, back from world duties with 3 fractures in his left ankle, won Superpole by more than half a second and smashed the lap record.

A very tough weekend at the Zwartkops round saw Quarmby start both races at the back of the grid due to a Parc Ferme indiscretion, and he lost the championship lead.  Trailing by 4 points and determined to make amends Quarmby took a double pole and double win at the Killarney round to put his championship aspirations firmly back on track.

He followed this up with his 4^th double pole of the season, from 6 race meetings, at the ultra fast East London circuit. A determined Quarmby took a commanding race 1 win before losing race two to Suzuki’s Steven Odendaal by just 0.043 of a second.

Winning the championship after missing rounds, plagued with injury, and travelling between SA and Europe is testament to this youngster’s all round abilities as a true champion.

“I am super stoked”, said Quarmby. “Steven (Odendaal) and Robert (Portman) were great adversaries and pushed me to keep improving my riding. I have to say a massive thank you to my sponsors and team.  I was on the best 600cc bike and the Yamaha was well supported by my Interfile/TyresinTransit team of Grant Foley, Colin Swaite and recently Wayne Berrington-Smith. I am looking forward to a break to allow my leg and ankle to recover and prepare for 2011.”

Quarmby has yet to make a decision on his 2011 season but is in discussions with both local and international teams.

Picture:dvj@motorpics.co.za

Quarmby stunned the world in May of this year when he competed in his first ever World Supersport race at South Africa’s historical Kyalami race circuit.  He finished 4^th in the first practice session and was on for provisional pole position before he collided with Michele Pirro.  Ironically, Pirro sustained injury at Brno last week and Quarmby will be riding as his replacement at Silverstone on 1^st August.

Ronan, 19, put his Interfile Supersport motorcycle championship aspirations firmly back on track after winning both races on his Interfile/Tyres in Transit Yamaha 600, while Kieren, 21, scored a debut victory in class T of the Bridgestone Production Car Championship in his Interfile/Tyres in Transit VW Golf GTi.

The younger Quarmby made his intentions known during Fridays free practice when who became the first 600cc rider to post a sub 1min15sec lap time.  He followed this up in Saturdays official qualifying and in so doing took pole position for both races.

Quarmby, as has become customary, got the holeshot and led into turn one, but had to fight off a determined challenge from local rider David McFadden (Honda) to win the opening 10-lap race by 0,5 sec from the Capetonian.  They were in a race of their own, with Robert Portman and Steven Odendaal some seven seconds behind. Portman ran into a technical problem on lap eight of the ten lap race, leaving Odendaal to take a comfortable third place.

It was Bjorn Estment (Yamaha) who initially pressured Quarmby in race two until once again McFadden took up the challenge.  McFadden made a last ditched attempt to pass the Yamaha rider round the outside of Cape Town corner whilst Odendaal seized the opportunity to dive under McFadden to take second behind the championship leader. Quarmby rode a tough but very controlled, leading from start to finish, to give him another double victory for the year.

dvj@motorpics.co.za

“It was great to be back in the winner’s circle,” said Quarmby, who missed round four at Kyalami in June as a result of a major operation to his femur and has struggled with injury since April.  “I had to work really hard to win today’s races and I have to thank Wayne Berrington-Smith for helping us with the Yamaha’s suspension.  It’s never been better!”

With two rounds and four races remaining, Quarmby has regained his lead in the championship and is looking forward to the East London round.

Kieren Quarmby’s emergence as one of the top contenders in class T of the national production car championship was underlined by a convincing win in the second of the back-to-back six-lap sprint races at Killarney.  After qualifying fourth, within half a second of the pole winner’s fastest lap time, he finished fourth in the first sprint behind defending champion Gary Formato (Ford Focus), championship leader Graeme Nathan (VW Golf GTi) and Shaun Duminy (Ford Focus).

dvj@motorpics.co.za

He started third in race two and by lap three had taken the lead from pole sitter Curt Alchin. Quarmby crossed the finish the line ahead of a charging Nathan and Formato for his first win since moving up from the Volkswagen Cup series for Polos.

The production car feature race was extended to a 90-minute mini endurance event for the Cape Town round and Quarmby was looking good for a podium finish when he was forced to retire with a gearbox problem after 36 laps while leading his class more than halfway through the race.

“We were really looking good after we passed both Gary (Formato) and Graeme (Nathan) in our second stint (following the first of the race’s two mandatory pit stops),” said Quarmby.  “We had a good strategy and it was all going to plan.  I really thought we had a great shot at taking a second win on the day.”

Quarmby now has a month’s break before heading off to East London, a track where he took his maiden double win in a Golf  in 2007.

Photographs: Motorpics.co.za