Photo: CSBK/Rob O’Brien
Jordan Szoke won the Pro Superbike race at Grand Bend Motorplex on Sunday, but it wasn’t easy.
Ben Young grabbed pole position in Sunday’s qualifying (wet conditions Saturday caused the delay), and there was a solid battle between Young, Szoke and Samuel Trepanier for the lead. Young broke free, built up a healthy lead and looked poised to win  … and then ran into lapped traffic on the last go-round, giving Szoke his chance to get by.
Young finished second, Trepanier third. Michael Leon was fourth, Trevor Daley fifth.
In Pro Sport Bike, Mitch Card was the winner, taking victory from Tomas Casas, who was second. Dylan Bauer was third, Will Hornblower fourth, Sebastien Tremblay fifth. David MacKay had looked about to put up a pretty good race in when he crashed out of the lead. MacKay already has a podium from Shannonville, and if he can keep that speed up, he’s sure to be in the mix for the wins this season.
Mike Grass won Amateur Superbike, with Jason Vettorel, then Luc LaBranche behind. Nicolas Meunier won Amateur Sport Bike, his second win in a row, with Mike Grass in second and Luc Labranche in third.
Jake Leclair won both Lightweight Sport Bike races again, giving him four straight this season, and an undefeated record so far. In Race 1, Alex Berthiaume was second, and Ryan White third. Race 2 saw the same podium lineup.
Full race results are at the Canadian Superbike website.
So, after two races, Szoke leads the Pro Superbike championship, with 56 points to Young’s 44. Matt McBride’s 40 points still keep him in third. In Pro Sport Bike, Casas leads with 53 points to Card’s 44 points, with MacKay in third at 39 points. Michael Van Ek leads Amateur Superbike, Luc LaBranche leads Amateur Sportbike, and Jake Leclair owns Lightweight Sport Bike. For full standings, visit the Canadian Superbike website.
Watch the Pro Sport Bike race below:
https://youtu.be/Ojfrgjq1LRQ
Isle of Man TT results
Michael Dunlop was reckoned the man to beat at the Isle of Man TT last week, but in the end it was the battle between Peter Hickman and Dean Harrison in the Senior TT final that proved to be the most exciting race. Hickman and Harrison were both on fire all week long, but Hickman prevailed in the final showdown, getting past Harrison halfway through the sixth lap, after Harrison had led the entire race.
Earlier in the week. Harrison had set a new lap record during the Superbike event, with a 134.432 mph lap. Hickman fired back with a 135.452 mph lap in the Senior TT, breaking the record again.
Meanwhile, Dunlop didn’t earn as many wins as everyone thought, but still walked away with three top-spot finishes, putting him at 18, five behind John McGuinness and eight behind Joey Dunlop, the all-time leader.
2018 IOMTT results
Superbike
1. Michael Dunlop
2. Conor Cummins
3. James Hillier
Supersport 1
1. Michael Dunlop
2. Dean Harrison
3. Peter Hickman
Superstock
1. Peter Hickman
2. Michael Dunlop
3. Dean Harrison
Supersport 2
1. Dean Harrison
2. Peter Hickman
3. James Hillier
Lightweight
1. Michael Dunlop
2. Derek McGee
3. Michael Rutter
TT Zero
1. Michael Rutter
2. Daley Matheson
3. Lee Johnston
Senior TT
1. Peter Hickman
2. Dean Harrison
3. Conor Cummins
Sidecar 1
1. Ben Birchall/Tom Birchall
2. John Holden/Lee Cain, Silicone Engineering Honda
3. Tim Reeves/Mark Wilkes, Honda
Sidecar 2
1. Ben Birchall/Tom Birchall
2. John Holden/Lee Cain, Silicone Engineering Honda
3. Tim Reeves/Mark Wilkes, Honda
MotoGP moves
Although the 2018 campaign is far from over, the silly season is already upon us. The biggest news is Jorge Lorenzo is out at Ducati, and in with Honda. He’s off to the Repsol factory team and Dani Pedrosa is on his way out at the end of the season. Rumour has it that Pedrosa will retire, but there really isn’t any firm indication either way.
Meanwhile, tired of his inconsistency, Suzuki has given the boot to Andrea Iannone. Crazy Joe’s roller-coaster string of highs and lows hasn’t had enough highs for the factory team, and he’s been replaced by Joan Mir.
