Chennai boy Quintal becomes 1st Indian rider to compete at World Superbike Championships

CHENNAI: Rider Kavin Quintal is all set to make a historic debut at the WorldSBK SSP300 competitions and become the first Indian rider to participate in a World Superbike Championship.

Thanks to the opportunity provided by the Irish team, Team#109 Retro Traffic Kawasaki and its management company Gaman Racing Global Service, Quintal's entry was accepted for the SSP event in the fourth round which begins at Most, Czech Republic on Friday.

SBK, founded in 1988, is an event for heavily modified production sports motorcycles and consists of a series of rounds held on permanent racing facilities.

The 19-year Chennai star, Quintal, will be filling in for the Irish team's main rider, Spaniard Daniel Mogeda, who suffered an injury after leading the Supersport 300 class, in an unfortunate crash that paved the way for the Irish team to rope in the Indian.

Quintal, a world-class rider, is currently competing in the European Stock Championship within the FIM JuniorGP and in the Asia Road Racing Championship.

In the three rounds of JuniorGP, Quintal had a top-10 finish.

As a rider, who took his baby steps at 13, he was the youngest to earn points in the Indian National events. He went on to win the Talent Cup twice, in 2021 and 2023, in India.

Later, after the Asia Talent Cup events, he soon blossomed into a mature rider, moving to Europe.

"It is a great opportunity that I will try to learn and enjoy at the same time. I will be able to show my maximum level together with a great team that surrounds this structure. I would like to thank the team for this opportunity," Quintal said.

The practice sessions will be on Friday followed by a race each on Saturday and Sunday at Most, Czech Republic.