The CSBK championship is tightening up, with polewinner Alex Dumas almost regaining the series lead at the Calabogie round. Dumas continued his winning streak at the eastern Ontario track, bagging both first-places in the Pro Superbike class aboard his Suzuki GSX-R1000 and closing to within a single point of Ben Young.
BMW-mounted Young was second in both ProSBK races, and that was good enough to keep him in front of Dumas.
Trevor Daley almost took third in both races, but in the first race, he went into the weeds in Turn 8 and that let Sebastien Tremblay take his place. Daley still managed eighth, and in Race 2, he kept it together and took that third slot.
So, at the weekend’s finish, we now see a very interesting scenario set up for the rest of the summer’s racing. Young is still in front, and CSBK heads to Shubenacadie next—a very challenging track where Young’s raced before, and Dumas hasn’t. We understand Dumas is headed out to the Nova Scotia event early, hoping to get as much track time in as possible to learn the Rollercoaster and other intricacies of Atlantic Motorsport Park, but he’ll have to learn quickly, or else Young might pad his lead again.
And then, after Shubie, we’ll head to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, formerly known as Mosport. If Jordan Szoke is back for that weekend and he’s in fighting shape, there could be an epic three-way battle for the front. It doesn’t seem likely, but don’t rule anything out yet.
The rest of the show
Elsewhere in the CSBK weekend, Trevor Dion took pole for Pro Sport Bike, but Elliot Vieira got past him in Race 1, with David McKay rounding out that podium. In Race 2, McKay prevailed with a last-lap pass (in the last corners, really!) over Dion. Tough luck for Dion in both races, but he’s still in front in the standings, with Vieira and McKay (who took third in Race 2) following 2-3.
Pro Sport Bike has racing that’s often as entertaining as Pro Superbike, and with the races headed the tight bends of Shubenacadie, expect a highly enjoyable weekend as this class continues to twist and turn. McKay has the benefit of experience there, and no doubt that will make a difference.
In Amateur Superbike, Julien Lafortune led every lap in the Sunday race and padded his lead over most of the pack by a considerable margin. John Fraser is still hot in pursuit, though, and the second-placer in Sunday’s race is also still second overall in the standings, and with his Nova Scotia background, he should be able to mount a very strong bid to get past Lafortune at Shubenacadie, a track that isn’t kind to newcomers. Marc Labossiere finished third in the Am SBK showdown; like Lafortunate, Labossiere is from Quebec, and given Calabogie’s proximity to the ON/QC border, it’s no surprise the amateur ranks were filled with Quebecois riders.
That was also true in Amateur Sport Bike, where Paul Etienne Courtois beat out second-place Guillaume Lavallee and third-place Bobby Desjardins for the win—all three riders hail from Quebec, and so did most of the rest of this class. Courtois’ win puts him in front of the amateur 600 standings now.
In the Pro/Am Lightweight class, Jared Walker won his third and fourth straight races, while Andrew Cooney took the wins in the Amateur Lightweight division.
Watch CSBK on TV!
As the summer rolls on, Canadian Superbike’s television broadcasts are now starting on TSN. See the press release below:
Press release
TSN announces first broadcast dates for CSBK Pro Sport Bike opener
Toronto, ON – The Canadian Superbike Championship has confirmed the initial air dates of the Liqui Moly Pro Sport Bike class on TSN, with Canada’s premier sports channel showing race one footage from the Grand Bend Motorplex.
In addition to its usual coverage of the feature Pro Superbike class, TSN has also expanded its broadcast schedule to include all eight episodes of the Pro Sport Bike category in 2022, beginning with the opening contest on TSN 2 on July 11, at 3 pm ET. The full schedule of air dates for episode one can be found below:
Monday July 11, 3:00pm ET (12:00pm PT) on TSN 2
Tuesday July 12, 1:00pm ET (10:00am PT) on TSN 4 and TSN 5
Friday July 15, 1:00pm ET (10:00am PT) on TSN 4 and TSN 5
The first race of the 2022 Liqui Moly Pro Sport Bike season was as exciting as promised, with a wide-open group of contenders battling it out for the championship, including former champion Will Hornblower and reigning runner-up David MacKay.
CSBK first partnered with TSN in 1995 as part of the national weekend in St-Eustache, QC, and has since grown its audience to feature national coverage on the country’s premier sports channel.
The expanded coverage of the Pro support class will come with it a change in the broadcast booth, as regular national announcer Frank Wood will be joined by new colour commentator Michael Leon.
Leon is a familiar name in the paddock thanks to his long and successful career in the Pro Superbike class, where he still competes aboard his Royal Distributing BMW machine, and will bring a new perspective into the Pro Sport Bike action.
“Since I was a boy, I always wanted to go fast!” Leon said. “During my early days, growing up on the streets of Montreal, QC, I could be found zipping around the neighborhood on my bicycle, pretending I was riding on the most challenging racetracks of the world.”
Michael has been competing at the highest level of motorcycle road racing in Canada since turning Pro in 1998. He has raced machines varying from lightweight small-displacement machines, to twin middleweights, and to full blown Superbikes, including 9 different brands of manufacturers.
Leon won the RACE regional Pro Superbike #1 plate in 2012 and 2017, as well the inaugural regional 2021 Pro 6 GP Pro Superbike championship at Calabogie. In 2013, he also raced at the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb on the first ever Canadian manufactured all electric Superbike.
The broadcast of the opening Liqui Moly Pro Sport Bike race will coincide with the upcoming third round of action at Atlantic Motorsports Park, which will feature the return of CSBK to the east coast near Halifax, NS on July 21-24.
