Durmach 125 Series Round 1 results

SHANNONVILLE, ON John Dempsey of Brampton, ON rode his Honda to a dominant victory in a wet opening round of the Durmach 125 Grand Prix Series presented by Carrera Leathers at Shannonville Motorsport Park May 23.

Rain pelted the track shortly before the start of the 12-lap race and Dempsey was the master of the tricky riding conditions. Starting second on the grid he grabbed the lead on the opening lap and was never challenged the rest of the way, beating the Aprilia of Kirkland, QC's Dean Hoelscher by 19.700 secs.

"I got into a comfortable pace and wasn't pushing it," said Dempsey, who took the early championship points lead in the eight-race series. "I looked back a couple of times on the straight but that was it."

Dempsey led by 12 seconds after only three laps and stretched his margin to 15 seconds by half distance.

Riding the only Aprilia in the 21-bike field, Hoelscher battled for the runner-up spot with Nepean, ON's Yvan Desy throughout the race. He ended up leading Desy's Honda across the line by less than a second at the finish.

"I kept looking back, hoping he [Desy] would disappear but it never happened," said Hoelscher, who had qualified on pole for the race with a time of 1:12.113 around the 1.5-mile track. "But I'd rather take second than fall. Parts are expensive on that bike."

Desy held down second for the first three laps of the race before Hoelscher went past. Desy stayed close behind the Aprilia rider the rest of the way but was unable to regain the spot.

"I knew John [Dempsey] had some practice in the rain a week ago and I just couldn't keep up. I let him go," Desy admitted. "But Dean and I had a great race."

Christian Rose of Terrebonne, QC was fourth on another Honda after charging up from eighth at the end of the opening lap. Fifth was Vernon, CT's Frank Guadagnino and fellow Honda rider Angela Hiba of Brampton, ON finished sixth.

Among the casualties in the wet conditions was Lachine, QC's Eddy Brunet, who had started third on the grid. The Honda rider crashed on the opening lap and rejoined the race in 16th position. He then charged his way up to seventh before falling again two laps from the end. He was not injured.

Hoelscher had the measure of the field in qualifying. His pole time was almost three-quarters of a second faster than number two qualifier Dempsey, who managed a 1:12.816. Brunet was third at 1:13.065 and Desy completed the front row of the grid with a lap at 1:13.521.

The Durmach 125 Grand Prix Series presented by Carrera Leathers continues at New Hampshire International Raceway in Loudon, NH June 18-20.

Results:
1. John Dempsey, Brampton, ON, Honda, 12 laps
2. Dean Hoelscher, Kirkland, QC, Aprilia, 12
3. Yvan Desy, Nepean, ON, Honda, 12
4. Christian Rose, Terrebonne, QC, Honda, 12
5. Frank Guadagnino, Vernon, CT, Honda, 12
6. Angela Hiba, Brampton, ON, Honda, 12
7. Ed Saki, Toronto, ON, Honda, 12
8. Joseph Melchonda, Roslindale, MA, Honda, 12
9. Steve Scott, Manchester, NH, Yamaha, 11
10. Jim Bergey, Toronto, ON, Honda, 11
11. Rick Bulmann, Oakville, ON, Honda, 11
12. Dale Greenwood, Manchester, ON, Honda, 11
13. Matt Cooper, Guelph, ON, Honda, 11
14. Mark White, Caledon East, ON, Honda, 11
15. Tony Pearce, North Bay, ON, Honda, 11
NF. Eddy Brunet, Lachine, QC, Honda, 10
NF. Steve McNeil, Peterborough, ON, Honda, 7
NF. David Nelson, Kars, ON, Honda, 7; NF. Don MacPhail, Toronto, ON, Yamaha 5
NF. Dane Walther, Cambridge, MA, Honda, 3
NF. James Lovejoy, Bedford, NH, Honda, 1

Time of Race: 18:29 Margin of Victory: 19.700 secs. Fastest Lap: John Dempsey, 1:23.110 on lap 8

Point Standings (after 1 of 8 rounds):
1. John Dempsey 53
2. Dean Hoelscher 46
3. Yvan Desy 38
4. Christian Rose 32
5. Frank Guadagnino 29
6. Angela Hiba 27
7. Ed Saki 25
8. Joseph Melchonda 23
9. Steve Scott 21
10. Jim Bergey 19
11. Rick Bulmann 17
12. Dale Greenwood 15; 13. Matt Cooper 13
14. Mark White 12
15. Jody Pearce 10
16. Eddy Brunet 2

-jh-