Blaise Parent Marks His Territory as a Solo Driver
Lausanne, Switzerland, February 6, 2008 – BRP Can-Am™ driver Blaise Parent took the second spot on the podium at the famed Enduropale/Quaduro quad and motorcycle competition. Held in the Northern French city of Le Touquet (Pas-de-Calais) on February 2-3, 2008, the event marks the first podium finish for BRP’s Can-Am DS 450™ EFI quad in its first appearance in a European competition.
A record 406 quad participants lined up at the starting grid this year for the three-hour endurance challenge, making the Enduropale/Quaduro du Touquet one of the largest and most covered quad events in the world. The event may have taken place along the sandy beaches of Pas-de-Calais but fans shouldn’t be fooled – the demanding 11.4 km course (up from 7.8 km last year) was anything but a day at the beach.
After a slow start, Parent, 28, used his skills to take his Can-Am DS 450 EFI, which was specially outfitted for the occasion, to third place by the first hour of the race. A native of Merlimont, near Le Touquet, the hometown boy raced without a partner, unlike many of the other quad competitors, who opted to race accompanied. This meant that Parent had the extra daunting task of stopping to refuel twice, rather than once for the two-man teams.
“We’re proud of Blaise and the performance of the Can-Am DS 450 EFI” said Cédric Mahé, team manager. “We spent over 60 hours preparing the vehicle for this race, so a second place is a great achievement, especially when you consider that Blaise raced as a solo competitor, when so many of his opponents raced in teams.”
In the end, Parent and Can-Am took the second position just after Yamaha’s Romain Couprie, who finished in first place. The tag team of Mathieu Ternyck and Clément Jay (also for Yamaha) took the third place finish, while fourth place went to Suzuki’s Jeremy Warnia.
Parent is no stranger to the Enduropale/Quaduro du Touquet, having participated six times since 2000, when he made a stellar debut in third place. He went on to score a pair of second place finishes in 2001 and 2004, and won again in 2002, 2003 and 2005.
The DS 450 EFI has taken the top spots in competitions in North America and this second-place victory gives now BRP's Can-Am team their first podium finish in a European competition. After its official launch in June of 2007, this newest sport quad in BRP’s line-up is now available throughout Europe and its performance at the Enduropale/Quaduro du Touquet positions it as the new reference in its class.
In fact, the Can-Am DS 450 EFI quad is a technological milestone for BRP. Boasting one of the most lightweight constructions in the notoriously competitive sport quad category, the Can-Am DS 450 model has a 450 cc Rotax® high-performance engine and a sleek and refined front-end design that pushes the bounds of quad technology, making it unique among its competition and the vehicle of choice for true quad racing enthusiasts.
Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP), a privately-held company, is a world leader in the design, development, manufacturing, distribution and marketing of motorized recreational vehicles. Its portfolio of brands and products includes: Ski‑Doo® and Lynx™ snowmobiles, Sea‑Doo® watercraft and sport boats, Evinrude® and Johnson® outboard engines, direct injection technologies such as E‑TEC®, Can‑Am™ all-terrain vehicles and roadsters, as well as Rotax® engines and karts.
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For additional information:
Antoine Valla
Senior Advisor Communications & Events
BRP International Division
antoine.valla@brp.com
Philippe Normand
Product Manager, Quad, PWC, Sport Boat, Roadster, Snowmobile
BRP International Division
philippe.normand@brp.com