The Parts Canada Superbike series is looking a little light on its feet for 2010. Already battered by the withdrawal of three factory-sponsored teams (Buell, Blackfoot Suzuki, and Yamaha), the series now loses two of the six tracks used in 2008 and 2009.
There will still be seven races, with double-headers at Calgary’s Race City, Mosport, and Atlantic Motorsport Park, plus a single round at the ICAR Circuit at the old Mirabel airport.
Calabogie is off the schedule after two seasons, the track saying it doesn’t have the finances to carry the race this year but hopes to return as a venue in 2011. And Shannonville has also been dropped, for murky reasons that have been left unstated. The track says it’s open to having a Labour Day National as has been the case for decades, but with the announcement of the new National schedule has scheduled a RACE Regional to replace it.
The schedule looks like this:
Round 1, May 28-30, Circuit ICAR, Mirabel, Quebec
Round 2-3, June 24-27, Race City Motorsport Park, Calgary, Alberta
Round 4-5, July 8-11, Mosport International Raceway, Bowmanville, Ontario
Round 6-7, August 5-8, Atlantic Motorsport Park, Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia.
Once again the class structure is being tweaked a bit. Parts Canada Pro Superbike, Yoshimura Pro Sport Bike, Armour Bodies Amateur Sport Bike, and the Honda CBR125R Challenge will return, but the SV650 National Cup has been replaced by a new Sports Twins Pro/Am division, similar to the now defunct National Thunder class.
It will be open to liquid-cooled twins producing no more than 75 horsepower and air-cooled twins of up to 90 horsepower.
The Pro Honda Oils Women’s Cup is tentatively scheduled to share the bill with the regular national classes at ICAR and Mosport.
The Parts Canada Superbike Championship is pleased to have the ongoing support of Parts Canada, Pirelli, Canadian Kawasaki Motors, Honda Canada, BMW Motorrad Canada, and Deeley Racing.
Wow! It seems to me all types of racing worldwide is on a decline. Here’s a question though, with the so called recession that the world has gone through, do you think the manufacturers used this as a way to drop out when in reality they could still afford to do it? Greed maybe? Dysfunctional racing organizations and tracks? No fan support? Who really knows?!? hmmmmmmmm!
Geez, that really is too bad. After a year in which I was hoping to ride to Calabogie and Shannonville (but couldn’t make due to work), I’m really sad to see these go. Only Mosport remains for me… With manufacturers that make millions upon millions off us from buying their bikes withdrawing from the series, I guess it can be expected that these tracks that make far, far less money are struggling. On that front, are these tracks family, or Canadian, owned?
Actually Shannonville wasn’t even MENTIONED in the press release.
No Shannonvile? WTF?