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August 12 2021
Toronto, Ontario – The Canadian Superbike Championship will enter unfamiliar territory in a number of ways this weekend, as teenage sensation Alex Dumas carries a surprising title lead into the first ever Pro Superbike tripleheader in round two at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, July 13-15.
The feature class grid will enter its most compressed weekend schedule ever, with qualifying and the chase for the Yuasa Batteries Pole Award – also featuring the return of the Dunlop Q tires – set to run on Friday afternoon before a 20-lap race one on Saturday, and two 18-lap races on Sunday.
Dumas entered round one at Calabogie widely believed to be a frontrunner, but the 18-year-old rookie far exceeded any expectations as he swept both legs of the thrilling doubleheader, earning a 17-point championship lead in the process.
Riding a Liqui Moly MPG Fast Riding School-backed Suzuki GSX-R1000, Dumas will now get three more chances to carve out history at “Old Mosport,” though he will have to do so with perhaps even tougher competition than he faced in the season opener.
Leading the challenge will again be 2019 champion Ben Young, who returned after a year away from the sport to snatch pole position and a pair of second place finishes at round one. Young has traditionally excelled at CTMP, the circuit where he captured his lone title two years ago, and he will look to continue that run of success aboard his Van Dolder’s Home Team BMWS1000RR this weekend.
The other member of the “big three” out front, defending champion Jordan Szoke will be looking to shake off a solid although disappointing opener, where he settled for a pair of third place finishes to take a 29-point deficit into CTMP.
The Canada General Warranty Kawasaki ZX-10R Ninja rider has conquered the circuit a record 18 times before, including a sweep of the doubleheader last season as he claimed the 2020 championship, his 14th National title overall.
While the podium finishers appeared to be a step ahead in round one, the trio will likely be in for a much tougher task at the fastest track on the calendar, as the long Andretti straightaway usually delivers stunning battles throughout the grid.
A consistent frontrunner over the last few years, Trevor Daley came away with a mixed bag in round one as a pair of slow starts meant he could only manage fourth in each race, but the OneSpeed Suzuki Canada rider showed podium pace in both contests and will look to replicate that at his home track this weekend.
Another local favourite sure to join the lead group will be Tomas Casas, who returned to Calabogie after his own one-year absence to claim a career-best qualifying position in second. The Parts Canada Yamaha YZF-R1 rider went backwards on race day, most notably due to arm pump, but he seemed to right the ship with a victory at the Pro6 GP regional series and will be returning to full health in front of his hometown fans at CTMP.
The second-place finisher from that regional racing battle, rookie Samuel Guerin will also be looking to put a tough opening round behind him, as the 2020 runner-up was forced out of both races with mechanical issues. The EFC Group BMW rider remains a rookie due to the COVID-19 pandemic but looked like anything but a year ago, when CTMP proved to be his best track as he battled Szoke to the line before ultimately settling for second.
One wildcard to watch will be Sebastian Tremblay, as the Pro Sport Bike championship leader is believed to be adding a full Superbike program to his plans for round two. The Turcotte Performance Kawasaki rider has been focusing his efforts aboard a lesser-powered 600cc machine in recent years, though that hasn’t seemed to limit him as he claimed a pair of sixth place finishes at Calabogie.
An upgrade to a full 1000cc machine may make Tremblay a podium challenger – or even a dark horse for race wins – should the decision be made official this weekend, though his focus will still lie with the middleweight championship.
Perhaps joining the frontrunning battle for the first time since 2019 will be both rider and manufacturer, as Steven Nickerson is set to return to the series aboard his Dewildt Powersports Honda CBR1000RR after sitting out round one and all of last season. The SOAR regional racing champion will be a welcome boost for Honda in the Constructors standings, though Nickerson himself will have his sights set on a maiden podium as he joins a wide-open fight at the front in round two.
This weekend’s action won’t be the final National event of the season for CSBK, with a third and final round planned for Calabogie Motorsports Park in mid-September to be announced shortly.
The second round of the CSBK season will also feature the return of spectators to the storied circuit, with tickets available until August 12 at noon (online only) at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park website.
The full schedule of events and prior results can be found on the series’ own official site at www.csbk.ca.
For more information on the CSBK Canadian Superbike Championship, visit www.csbk.ca
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August 9 2021
Toronto, Ontario – The Pro Superbike feature class won’t be the only category under extra pressure this weekend, as the four Canadian Superbike Championship support classes enter a pivotal round two doubleheader at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, August 13-15.
The four National classes will enter “Old Mosport” in drastically different circumstances, with two categories following up a one-sided season opener while two others remain wide open at the front.
The most dominant showing came from the Liqui Moly Pro Sport Bike class, where fan favourite Sebastian Tremblay held off a brief challenge en route to a comfortable victory at Calabogie aboard his Turcotte Performance Kawasaki ZX-6R Ninja. Tremblay entered as the preseason favourite for his first National title and should be a safe bet to continue that trend at CTMP, where he has won the last three races dating back to the 2019 season.
The battle behind him remains a close one, however, with a number of Quebec-born riders making their mark on the middleweight class. Leading the group is Phillippe Masse, who claimed an emotional second place as part of an all-Kawasaki podium in round one, with rookie Christian Allard settling for third on his Turcotte Performance machine after challenging Tremblay early on.
Behind the Francophone contingent, another top name to watch will be former Guyanese racing champion Elliott Vieira, who’s podium charge at Calabogie was derailed by an early crash. Vieira was ultimately able to remount his Snow City Cycle Yamaha YZF-R6 and salvage seventh, though he will hope for a better outcome as he returns to the circuit where he scored an impressive fourth-place finish in Superbike a year ago.
Hometown favourite and fellow rookie Jake Leclair also figures to be in the podium fight, as the Blackstock, ON native looks to build upon a strong Pro debut in fourth aboard his Yamaha Canada machine, while another Kawasaki rider in David MacKay will aim to better his fifth-place finish as he returns to one of his personal best tracks in CTMP.
The other dominant outing from round one was teenager Mackenzie Weil in the Super Sonic Lightweight Sport Bike category, who swept both races of his doubleheader to take a comfortable 39-point advantage into round two.
The Kawasaki Ninja 400 rider will again be one of the frontrunners at his home track, though slipstream will be far more important down the long Andretti straight, a feature that has played a huge role in numerous thrilling battles over the years.
Leading the challenge will likely be fellow Kawasaki rider Jacob Black, who narrowly settled for second in race one and was aiming for a similar result in race two before being taken out in an incident-filled weekend. Championship runner-up Jean-Francois Croteau also figures to be in the lead group once again, though the standings remain tight-knit after a wild second race in Calabogie.
The closest of all championship battles entering CTMP is in the MotorcycleCourse.com Amateur Superbike class, where Anthony Bergeron will take a slim ten-point lead into the pivotal doubleheader aboard his BMW S1000RR.
Bergeron entered as the odds-on title favourite and looked the part early in round one, but a poor qualifying and a four-rider battle at the front nearly derailed his weekend before he was ultimately able to hold on for a thrilling one-second victory over Guillaume Lavallee.
Lavallee will be looking for a measure of revenge in round two aboard his Yamaha, while round one pole-sitter Julien Lafortune will be eager to make up for a difficult showing of his own for Kawasaki, though all three Quebec-born riders will lose their home-track advantage to fourth-place finisher Brad Macrae.
Macrae will aim to “do the double” and champion both Amateur classes in 2021, but he will have his work cut out for him down the Andretti straight as he brings his lesser-powered Yamaha sport bike into the fight once more.
That won’t be an issue for him in the Brooklin Cycle Racing Amateur Sport Bike category, however, where he will aim to hold off hometown teenager Matthew Simpson and build upon his eleven-point gap atop the standings.
Macrae was dominant at Calabogie and should be the frontrunner again in round two, especially after a harrowing crash in regional racing for Simpson, though the Bowmanville, ON native escaped major injuries and will look to continue the hot start to his Amateur career at his home circuit.
Joining the support classes at CTMP will be the Pro Superbike feature class, who will embark on the series’ first ever tripleheader this weekend. Tickets are still available for the event, which will take place just an hour east of Toronto, ON.
For more information on the CSBK Canadian Superbike Championship, visit www.csbk.ca
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August 5 2021
Toronto, Ontario – The upcoming second round of the COVID-delayed 2021 Canadian Superbike Championship will feature the return of the special sticky, soft option Dunlop “Q” rear slick tire. These special tires will come into play on Friday mid-afternoon, August 13 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, north-east of Oshawa, ON.
In the second and final Yuasa Batteries Pole Qualifying session, the top ten competitors from the earlier, initial “Q1” session will be provided with a special rear tire option courtesy of spec tire supplier Pro 6 and Dunlop.
After the first Qualifying session for the entire Pro Superbike field, the special Dunlop slick “Q” tires will be released to the top ten riders from that opening Yuasa Batteries Pole session. This will give the final ten competitors time to get the new tire on warmers and adjust their machines to take advantage of the increased rear grip, prior to the start of the final “Q2” session, scheduled to start at 2:45 PM EST and run for 20 minutes.
Video coverage of the final Superbike Qualifying will be available online later Friday afternoon, presented by Canadian Kawasaki Motors.
CSBK last used Q-spec tires in 2019, also in August at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, or “old Mosport.” The “Q” tire option made its debut at C.T.M.P. in 2016. This year, the latest KR451 rear Dunlop slick tire will be provided, in the 0516 compound.
CTMP is the only venue to offer the top racers from the feature class the opportunity to utilize the super-soft rear rubber in their final “Q2” session, which will finalize the grid for the weekend’s races.
For the first time ever, the 2021 CTMP event will have three Pro Superbike Feature races presented by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and all three National events will utilize the same grid established during Friday’s Yuasa Batteries Pole Qualifying sessions.
The famed 4-kilometer long, ten-turn venue, host to Grand Prix races for both two and four-wheeled competitors, is expected to provide close racing due to the slipstreaming nature of the long, uphill Mario Andretti-named back straight.
The 2021 CSBK Championship chase is headed by double race winner Alex Dumas of Desmaures, QC, aboard a Liqui Moly/FAST Riding School/M.P.G.-backed Suzuki GSX-R1000. The 18-year-old points leader has not previously competed at CTMP.
Canada General Warranty-backed Kawasaki ace Jordan Szoke of Lynden, ON, won all four 2020 events, including both races at CTMP, on his way to a record 14th career Canadian title. Last year Szoke earned pole for the weekend with a lap of 1:22.99, just 0.5 seconds ahead of the BMW of Beaconsfield, QC veteran Michael Leon.
In 2019, Friday rain forced Qualifying to move to Saturday morning, and then a crash by eventual series champ Ben Young of Collingwood, ON, stopped “Q” action early. Nonetheless, Young took pole for BMW with a lap of 1:21.59, the last lap completed with the “Q” tire.
For more information on the CSBK Canadian Superbike Championship, visit www.csbk.ca
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August 8 2021
Toronto, Ontario – While the main title standings capture the headlines in the Canadian Superbike Championship, the separate Award races have been equally as exciting to begin the 2021 campaign, and that trend will continue into the first ever Pro Superbike tripleheader at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park this weekend, August 13-15.
The newest campaign will see four side championships handed out this summer, a major overhaul from years past when only the Brooklin Cycle Racing Pro Rookie of the Year Award was offered to the feature class.
The additional awards will feature the first ever Constructors Championship, the Yuasa Batteries sponsored Pole Position Championship, and – new to this weekend – the FAST Riding School Hard Charger Award.
Leading the Rookie of the Year standings in historic fashion is teenage sensation Alex Dumas, who became the first ever rider to win his Pro Superbike debut before winning again in race two to sweep the opening round at Calabogie.
Dumas could clinch the award as early as this weekend, with a 65-point lead already in hand and 160 points on offer at CTMP. The Liqui Moly MPG FAST Riding School Suzuki rider is chasing one of the best rookie seasons in CSBK history, as he aims to capture the Pro Superbike feature title in just his first year north of the border.
Trailing Dumas in the fight for second will be Jordan Royds and fellow Suzuki rider Guillaume Fortin, with Royds taking a four-point advantage into round two aboard his IBEW-sponsored BMW.
Dumas’ round one performance also bolstered a surprising start for Suzuki in the new Constructors Championship, as they lead BMW by 30 points entering the tripleheader event at “Old Mosport.” A pair of victories and a pair of fourth place finishes from OneSpeed’s Trevor Daley has given the Hamamatsu factory an early advantage, but one that won’t be without a challenge in round two.
BMW and Kawasaki have split every race win at CTMP since 2014, with Suzuki’s last victory at the circuit coming in 2013, and the track has been especially kind to reigning champion Jordan Szoke (Kawasaki) and 2019 champion Ben Young (BMW) over that span as they look to close the gap for their respective factories in round two.
The weekend will also see the return of Dewildt Powersports rider Steven Nickerson and with it the reunion of Honda to the feature class grid, who have not scored a point since 2019 and will look to make up for lost ground in the Constructors standings.
Leading the Yuasa Batteries Pole Position Championship into Friday’s qualifying session will be Young, who showed zero signs of rust in his return to the series at round one as he blitzed the field to pole position and ten points in the award standings.
The Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW rider has captured pole twice before at CTMP and will aim for the hat trick to begin the weekend, though Dumas, Szoke, and second-place qualifier from round one Tomas Casas all figure to be in the mix during qualifying.
Szoke sits third in the Pole Position standings after qualifying in the same spot at Calabogie, while Dumas will aim to fix the lone blemish on his season so far and improve upon his fourth place standing in round two.
The newest entry to the awards showcase, the recently announced FAST Riding School Hard Charger Award, will go to the rider “deemed to have produced the best effort in context of that race, specifically overcoming a potentially wide range of challenges.”
While there will be no season-long standings in the awards battle, the added incentive may provide for some thrilling racing in the midfield, as the weekend is sure to provide plenty of drama throughout the grid amidst all three races.
The second round of the CSBK season is set to get underway on Friday, August 13, with five National classes stealing the spotlight alongside the awards battles. Tickets are still available for the event, which will take place just an hour east of Toronto, ON.
For more information on the CSBK Canadian Superbike Championship, visit www.csbk.ca
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August 3 2021
Late last month it was announced that a limited number of tickets for the Superbike Doubleheader Weekend, August 13th to 15th, would officially go on sale.
Tonight is your last chance to get tickets at the "Advanced Pricing" rate! Prices will go up after 12:00 AM Midnight tonight.
Ticket sales will be done completely online. No tickets will be available at the gate so that all contact tracing information can be completed ahead of time.
Camping will also be available for the event when combined with a Weekend Superticket. No Saturday-only tickets will be available. Tickets will only be available to purchase for the weekend or Sunday only. As usual, children 16 and under are free.
All spectators will be required to wear a mask while on the property, except when eating, drinking or while they are at their own campsite and with members of their own family.
Click here for ticket details or to place your order now! Stay tuned for more details and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @CTMPOfficial.
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