The 2020 Canadian Superbike roadracing series is going ahead, but it’s going to look a lot different from the original plan.
Back in January, CSBK organizers posted up a fairly standard six-round racing season for 2020. The series opened and closed at Shannonville, and also visited Grand Bend, ICAR, Shubenacadie and CTMP (aka Mosport). This is the 40th anniversary of Canadian superbike championship racing, and organizers had lots of special stuff planned—and then COVID-19 happened.
First, CSBK had to cancel the Shannonville opener, the Grand Bend race and ICAR. The new plan was to open the 2020 series with the doubleheader at Shubenacadie’s Atlantic Motorsport Park on the July 31-August 2 weekend. Now, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic and the politics surrounding it, that Shubie opener is also canned. Instead, the racing season opens on Saturday, July 25, at Calabogie.
CSBK visits Calabogie every once in a while, although it’s been a while since the series raced the Pro Superbike and Pro Sport Bike classes there. In 2019, the CSBK Lightweight Sport Bike class raced at Calabogie in mid-summer.
This time, the CSBK season opener will see registration run through Pro6. Head over to the Pro6 trackday signup, and you can see the form there. That’s an unusual way for CSBK to do business, but we’re living in strange times, and this is how the superbike series must operate if it wants a 2020 season.
Obviously, the event is going to look different, with social distancing rules in place and no spectators. The only people allowed? CSBK staff, racers and very limited crews, and Pro6 trackday riders.
What’s coming after Calabogie? Right now, CSBK is waiting for some other factors to work out—government rules and scheduling factors at other facilities. Expect to see some answers on the rest of the schedule soon, but don’t expect spectators at any CSBK events this season.
