Notes from the world of go-fast.
Canadian Superbike runs at CTMP this weekend
This weekend, we see the second round of the 2021 CSBK championship, including a Pro Superbike tripleheader at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. And today (Thursday, August 12) is your last chance to buy tickets. CTMP will discontinue ticket sales at noon. If you want to watch the races, click here to buy tix online, and for other details.
As for the actual weekend, CSBK has posted a schedule here. Note that there’s one Pro Superbike race Saturday, and two on Sunday, which is surely going to create complications! Currently, going into the weekend, Alex Dumas has a 17-point lead, but one mechanical mishap could destroy that lead, considering how much racing is jammed into the weekend. Ben Young, the 2019 champ, is behind him in the standings, and Jordan Szoke, winningest man in Canadian racing history, is third.
MotoGP mayhem
Maverick Vinales has been suspended from the factory Yamaha team ahead of this week’s racing at the Red Bull Ring. Wait, what? Here’s what the factory had to say about the affair:
“Yamaha regrets to announce that Maverick Viñales’ entry to this weekend’s Austrian MotoGP™ event has been withdrawn by the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team.
The absence follows the suspension of the rider by Yamaha due to the unexplained irregular operation of the motorcycle by the rider during last weekend’s Styria MotoGP™ race.
Yamaha’s decision follows an in-depth analysis of telemetry and data over the last few days.
Yamaha’s conclusion is that the rider’s actions could have potentially caused significant damage to the engine of his YZR-M1 bike which could have caused serious risks to the rider himself and possibly posed a danger to all other riders in the MotoGP™ race. The rider will not be replaced at the Austrian GP.
Decisions regarding the future races will be taken after a more detailed analysis of the situation and further discussions between Yamaha and the rider.“
There’s considerable speculation as to what exactly Vinales did to incur the wrath of team management, as a slap-down of this scale is unheard-of in GP racing. There’s also considerable speculation as to Yamaha’s plan for the rest of the year. Will it bring Vinales back? His contract with Yamaha ends this season, so maybe the team just wants to cut him out altogether. Or maybe Yamaha will bring Rossi back to the factory team, for the rest of the season?
https://www.motogp.com/en/news/2021/08/12/is-this-the-reason-why-yamaha-suspended-vinales-in-austria/385401