A wild weekend of racing at Mosport saw BMW Motorrad and Brett McCormick grab their first Canadian Superbike titles as the 2011 Parts Canada series wound up.
McCormick grabbed the championship with a breath-taking last-lap, last-corner pass on defending champ Jordan Szoke and his Competition Systems Kawasaki in Saturday’s race, giving the Saskatoon native six wins out of six races.
However, the perfect win record wasn’t to be, as in Sunday’s damp season finale McCormick crashed on the last lap while trying to pass Szoke for the lead, leaving Szoke as the only racer to have put together a perfect all-win season, which he did in 2010 for his seventh national title.
“This is one of the greatest wins of my career,” said Szoke. “It’s tough seeing your number one plate taken away, especially after having it for so long (Szoke held it for the past five seasons) but this will make the winter a little easier.”
McCormick, no doubt buoyed by his new title, didn’t seem overly upset by the incident. “It was my first moment the whole race,” he explained. “I got to the apex (of T-1) and the back end came around on me.”
Second was Matt McBride on the Rider’s Choice BMW S1000RR, a career high in national competition for the Mississauga racer. Two-time national champion and all-round good guy Francis Martin was third, finishing his career on the podium – he’d announced his retirement from racing that morning. “This is a good way to finish; I’m very happy to finish on the box,” said Martin, who was national champion in 1999 and 2005.
In Saturday’s race, McCormick’s dramatic last-lap pass of Szoke was helped by what seemed to be a touch of fuel starvation on Szoke’s bike. Onlookers said it sounded as though the bike wasn’t running cleanly as Szoke tried to drag-race McCormick to the line, which Szoke confirmed by stating his bike ran short of fuel as he and McCormick raced through the final few corners.
“It’s just one of those things,” he said. “Brett ran wide out of turn eight and I tried to get inside him and I just had no power. But no excuses. Brett deserves the number one plate; he’s a great talent. I’m glad I was able to give him a battle today.”
Kars, Ont. ace Andrew Nelson finished the season third on another BMW S1000RR behind McCormick and Szoke courtesy of a third and a fourth place at the final round. He had to work particularly hard for his Saturday third place, as McCormick’s team-mate Mike Ferreira, Jodi Christie on a Honda CBR600RR, and McBride were all scrapping with him for the final podium spot.
Another note-worthy finisher was Marie-Josee Boucher of Montreal, who qualified seventh and collected a 10th and a seventh place on the weekend, giving her eighth overall in the standings. As far as we can recall, that’s the highest a female racer has ever finished in the national series superbike class.
Alex Welsh of Uxbridge, Ont. completed a sweep of the weekend’s Pirelli Pro Sport Bike races on his Z1 CycleTech / Kenwood Suzuki GSX-R600, but Jodi Christie clinched the title on his Jodi Christie Racing / Cameron Cycle / Blue Streak Racing Honda CBR600RR.
Woodbridge, Ont.’s Frank Trombino placed third on the Suzuki Canada / Hindle / Sturgess Cycle Suzuki GSX-R600 to secure third in the final point standings, while Bodhi Edie of Warman, Sask. finished fourth on his Edie Racing / Acceleration Racing / Honda Canada Honda CBR600RR and was named Pro Rookie of the Year.
Stacey Nesbitt made international racing history by becoming the first woman to clinch a national road racing title as she locked up the Honda CBR125R Challenge at Mosport on Sunday. The 13-year-old St-Lazare, Que. rider edged Richmond, Ont.’s Eric Green by just 0.178 sec for her fourth straight win.
Steve Crevier won the final Harley-Davidson XR1200 Cup race to clinch that championship. In the Amateur classes, Kristopher Garvie of Caledon, Ont. clinched the Inside Motorcycles Amateur Sport Bike title with a fourth place finish in Sunday’s first of two races on his Tracksport Technologies / Kahuna Powersports Kawasaki ZX-6R. Both races were won by Magog, Que.’s Samuel Proulx on the Sherbrooke Harley-Davidson Suzuki GSX-R600. Aubrey Bailey of Parry Sound, Ont. took second each time on his HT Motorsports / ProStar / Velocity Yamaha YZF-R6 and Thornton, Ont.’s Amzy Nawaz was third in both races aboard the Velocity Sportsgear Kawasaki ZX-6R.
Jody Greening of Burlington, Ont. rode a cautious race to seventh to clinch the K&N Performance Filters Amateur Superbike title on his BFE / ProStar / Sturgess Cycle Honda CBR600RR.
Final Season Parts Canada Superbike Standings
1. Brett McCormick, Saskatoon, Sask. (BMW S1000RR), 328 points
2. Jordan Szoke, Brantford, Ont. (Kawasaki ZX-10R), 318
3. Andrew Nelson, Kars, Ont. (BMW S1000RR), 226
4. Michael Ferreira, Mississauga, Ont. (BMW S1000RR), 216
5. Jodi Christie, Keene, Ont. (Honda CBR600RR), 195
6. Alex Welsh, Uxbridge, Ont., (Suzuki GSX-R1000), 164
7. Francis Martin, Sherbrooke, Que. (BMW S1000RR), 133
8. Marie Josee-Boucher, Montreal, Que. (Honda CBR1000RR), 123
9. 9. Matt McBride, Mississauga, Ont. (BMW S1000RR), 120
10. Rob Busby, Brantford, Ont. (BMW S1000RR), 120.
