Photo: Bob Szoke
ST-EUSTACHE, Que. – For the third year in a row, Jordan Szoke scored the Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship victory at Autodrome St-Eustache, becoming the first racer to claim four national Superbike wins at the venue.
Szoke, from Brantford, Ont., took the lead on lap five of the 22-lap race and was never headed the rest of the way on his Waznie Racing / BMW Motorrad / Mopar Express Lane BMW S1000RR.
Early race leader Jodi Christie of Keene, Ont., settled for second riding the Jodi Christie Racing / Honda Canada / Accelerated Technologies Honda CBR1000RR, while Sebastien Tremblay of Longueuil, Que. finished a career-high third aboard the MotoNation / Laval Moto / CrossfitLaval.com Kawasaki ZX-10R.
“The bike is working better than ever this year,” said Szoke after his 45th career Canadian Superbike race win. “The changes we have made in the off-season have made a big difference.”
Pole-sitter Szoke was beaten off the line at the start of Sunday’s race by Christie and Raphael Archambault on the Mako Performance / Town & Country Suzuki GSX-R600., but quickly got ahead of Archambault and erased Christie’s early lead, setting the race’s fastest lap at 45.447 secs. on lap three. The BMW rider got ahead of Christie on the back straight on lap five and held off the Honda rider from there.
Szoke managed to get a little breathing room two laps from the end while working through lapped traffic, as Christie went off track when he was caught on the outside of a backmarker while going through turn one.
“I tried drafting both Jordan and the lapper close to the outside wall but that was a stupid move on my part,” Christie stated. “That gave Jordan the inside going into the first turn and I was on the outside of everybody and I was going in with a lot of speed. I had to stand it up and go across the grass.
“I need to win races and my only thought right now is the championship. It’s annoying, because I know the bike is capable and so far the issues have been just rider error.”
Tremblay made a great start from fifth on the grid to lead a four-rider battle for third in the early laps. But after first Archambault crashed in turn six on lap three, and then the OCM Motor Sports / egopay.com Kawasaki ZX-10R of Franklyn Dominguez and Frank Trombino’s Trombino Racing / Royal Plumbing Aprilia RSV4 collided at the same spot two laps later, Tremblay was left with a lonely race to third spot.
Trevor Daley recovered from an early-race electronics problem to charge up to a fourth place finish on his ProStar Motorsports / One Speed Chop Shop Honda CBR1000RR. The Mississauga, Ont. rider faded to the back of the pack on lap three when the engine started losing power, but after shutting off the main ignition he found things returned to normal and he was able to work his way back through the pack, passing Kristopher Garvie for fourth spot on lap 15.
Daley remains third in the Mopar Superbike standings with 71 points to Tremblay’s 66. Caledon, Ont.’s Garvie settled for fifth on his Honda Canada / Fast Company Honda CBR1000RR, finding his bike much improved from Saturday, when he could only manage the 11th best qualifying spot. Will Hornblower and Stephane Houle battled for sixth for most of the race, the scrap going in favour of the Sarnia, Ont. rider on his Hornblower Racing / Blue Streak Yamaha YZF-R6 on the final lap. Gatineau, Que.’s Houle settled for seventh aboard the ASM Motorsports / Jim Keay Ford / Wheelsport Kawasaki ZX-10R.
Houle was the last finisher, as only seven riders actually completed the race – not a good sign of the health of the Pro level of the series, to say the least.
Raphael Archambault of Terrebonne, Que. scored his first career national Pro win in a thrilling Hindle Exhaust Pro Sport Bike battle. Riding his Suzuki GSX-R600, Archambault held off the Honda CBR600RR of Christie by just 0.274 secs, after the pair traded the lead in the closing laps.
Opening round winner Kenny Reidmann of Belfountain, Ont. finished third on the Reidmann Racing / Castrol Triumph 675 as he struggled with a shifting issue, while a late charge saw Daley snatch fourth on his Honda CBR600RR. Jean-Francois Cyr of Terrebonne, Que. completed the top five aboard the CyRacing / RaceLine Triumph 675.
Peterborough, Ont.’s Tomas Casas swept both Amateur events on his OCM Motor Sports / Peterborough Cycle Salvage Yamaha YZF-R6. In the Magneti Marelli Amateur Superbike race, Casas took the lead for good on lap 10 of 16 and finished 4.991 secs. clear of team-mate Stacey Nesbitt of St-Lazare, Que. on the OCM Motor Sports / FTR / Honda Canada Honda CBR600RR. Levis, Que.’s Alexandre Guay placed third aboard his Yamaha YZF-R6.
Fifth place race finisher Pedro Sousa leads the Amateur Superbike standings by six points over Nesbitt, 79-73, while Casas has moved up to fifth with 53 points.
Casas led all the way to win the Bell Helmets Amateur Sport Bike chase, finishing 4.236 secs. clear of Guay, who snatched the runner-up spot from the Black Sheep Racing Kawasaki ZX-6R of Longueuil, Que. rider Alex Coelho on the final lap. Casas now leads the Amateur Sport Bike standings by seven points, 92-85 over Nesbitt, who finished fourth in Sunday’s race.
Eric Quintin of Notre Dame de L’Ile Perrot, Que. completed a sweep of the weekend’s Honda CBR250R National Race Series events thanks to a narrow win over Cameron Walker on Sunday. With the win, Quintin takes over the Honda CBR250R series points lead with 183 points to the 178 of Walker.
Next race July 27, Atlantic Motorsport Park, Shubenacadie, N.S.
Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship point standings after two of five rounds
1.Jordan Szoke, Brantford, Ont., BMW S100R, 112
2. Jodi Christie, Keene, Ont., Honda CBR1000RR, 90
3. Trevor Daley, Mississauga, Ont., Honda CBR1000RR, 714. Sebastien Tremblay, Longeuil, Que., Kawasaki ZX-10R, 66
6. Frank Trombino, Kleinburg, Ont., Aprilia RSV4, 33
7. Will Hornblower, Sarnia, Ont., Yamaha R6, 21
8. Franklyn Dominguez, St. Lazare, Que., Kawasaki ZX-10R, 25
9. Stephane Houle, Gatineaut, Que, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 25
10. Marco Sousa, Schomberg, Ont., BMW S1000RR23
Nowhere else left in Quebec to go – sad isn’t it ?
I can’t believe they’re still racing at St. Eustache. With 45 second lap times, it’s not a racetrack, it’s a Wal-Mart parking lot.
Yeah, I did a double take when I saw that number.
I found it too short and tight on my vintage GS550. Can’t imagine what a superbike is like there. But Mirabel is worse for safety and closed to bikes, Ste-Jovite is a rich guy’s private playground and super-expensive when he does rent it, and the less said about St-Croix the better.