The winningest rider in Canadian Superbike is back again for 2022, with Jordan Szoke confirming his return for another Pro Superbike campaign.
Szoke is back with Kawasaki, repping The Green as well as the company’s new S4-R Racing Oils brand. Good news for Szoke, as COVID-19 hit his sponsorship hard, like the rest of Canada’s roadracing sector. It’s good to see he can return for 2022, and it’s fitting he’s back on a ZX-10R. There was certainly some conjecture that he might move to Ducati, as the Italian brand returns to CSBK and would benefit from Szoke’s superstar representation, but that’s obviously not happening this season.
Szoke convincingly won the shortened 2020 CSBK Pro Superbike series, but he was third overall in the standings for 2021; he won Race 2 and Race 3 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, but that wasn’t enough to get past series newcomer Alex Dumas, and disappointing results at the Calabogie season-opener, as well as CTMP’s Race 1, meant Ben Young also passed him in the standings.
The Brantford-based rider still finished well ahead of other up-and-comers, though, and now is looking to get his 15th superbike title this summer. It’ll be a tough battle, but a more open season, including a return to tracks such as Shubenacadie, where Szoke has long dominated, will likely work in his favour.
There will be plenty of questions about retirement, as Szoke has been bandying the idea about for a while now, but has also been clear that he wants to retire in front of his fans in the stands, not a racetrack closed to the public because of social distancing rules. This summer, with spectators returning, will he decide to retire? If he’s still out there at the front of the pack, the answer will be much harder to guess.
Press release
Canadian Kawasaki Motors and Kawasaki S4-R Racing Oils Return with Jordan Szoke in
2022
Toronto, ON – Canadian Kawasaki Motors and Kawasaki S4-R Racing Oils are excited to announce that 14- time Canadian Superbike champion Jordan Szoke will once again ride a Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R in his quest for the 2022 CSBK title.
After landing another podium finish in the 2021 Superbike championship, Szoke is ready to reclaim his title of champion and secure a 15th title.
“Though 2021 came with its share of challenges, it also offered us a great opportunity to find out what the new Ninja ZX-10R was capable of and to try new things with the bike,” Szoke said.
“We’re going to take what we learned last year and put it to good use this upcoming season.”
Szoke’s history with Kawasaki started back in 1998 when he scored his first National Superbike Championship with Team Green at only 19 years old.
He has since won 78 races, making him the winningest pilot in the series’ history. Jordan is prepared to mark his 80th win this season.
“That’s obviously a significant milestone,” he said. “But the focus is first and foremost on being competitive, taking full advantage of the bike’s potential, and taking things one race at the time to regain that number 1 plate.”
Szoke will be riding a 2022 Ninja ZX-10R with support from Kawasaki S4-R Racing Oils. The new ZX-10R is the most advanced and competitive iteration yet, featuring World Superbike-derived technology including integrated aerodynamic winglets and a razor-sharp chassis.
The team’s efforts will also aid in the future development of Kawasaki S4-R racing oils, with race-proven analysis helping further refine one of the most advanced high-performance oils on the market.
The CSBK confirmed a four-event calendar for 2022 with the season opener scheduled for June 9th at Grand Bend.
