As roadracing makes a proper post-COVID comeback in Canada, the country’s most successful Pro Superbike pilot is badly injured after a motocross crash.
Jordan Szoke, the 2020 Pro Superbike champion in the Canadian Superbike series, posted this to social media on May 12: “At approximately 3:30pm on Tuesday May 10th, I had a serious crash on my moto bike at Walton raceway. I suffered a fractured jaw, punctured neck, broken and plated right leg and shattered left ankle.
I’d like to thank everyone that was there to help me, the paramedics, doctors, nurses and hospital staff. Special thanks to Brian Couture and Jacob Black for staying by my side.
I’d also like to thank Canadian Kawasaki Motors for there ongoing and continued support.
It’s going to be a long road to recovery, but with the help of my family, friends and fans I will be back.”
That sounds … painful. But it’s got to hurt even more to look at the calendar and realize the CSBK season was supposed to start on the June 9-12 weekend, with a race at Grand Bend Motorplex. Szoke had just finished wrapping up some testing on his Kawasaki ZX-10R at Grand Bend last week, getting his machine dialed in for the season-opener. Now, it’s hard to imagine he’ll make that race; it would be impressive to see Szoke return at all this season.
No doubt he is still hoping to race in 2022, if doctors can fix him up and he can push through physical rehab. However, with the Calabogie and Shubenacadie races both in July this year, Szoke would no doubt find it difficult to return to race form by then. Maybe we’ll see him at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in August, if everything goes well.
This isn’t the first time that off-track training has caught Szoke. He broke his thumb in a trials competition in 2014, costing him the Pro Superbike title that year. However, he still ended up putting most of that season in and earning enough points to end third overall in the title hunt.
However, that’s part of Szoke’s schtick: He trains hard, rides hard, and wins on everything. At one point, he was Canada’s trials riding champ, a superbike champ, and also held a downhill mountain bike title, all at the same time. This year, he’s been messing around with a Kawasaki flat track bike as well, suggesting he’ll head to the oval soon, maybe after he finally retires from Pro Superbike racing, as he’s hinted at the past few years.
Or maybe not. Szoke’s got more CSBK titles than anyone else, and is very much in the running for first at any race weekend. If he recovers from this injury to his previous form, he may spank a few up-and-comers yet.
That sounds … painful. But it’s got to hurt even more … knowing that an adult can not spell “their”.
(thank Canadian Kawasaki Motors for there ongoing)
I imagine he’s probably shot full of painkillers and I’m impressed he’s posting at all.
Maybe its time to hang up the road racing leathers Jordan, but remain a team owner.
You’re 43 now, even Valentino Rossi has moved on to other things.
You’ve got nothing left to prove to anyone.
I wonder what Brett McCormick is doing ?
“I wonder what Brett McCormick is doing ?”
Re-living his past glories in the pages of Inside Motorcycles, like Al Bundy on a high school football jag.
His season-ending crashes always come away from roadracing, not on-track.
Szoke is still one of the three fastest guys in Canada any weekend, and probably still has more track knowledge than any other roadracer.
Not now. Was a great rider.