Canadian Superbike infrastructure is being packed up and moved back to Ontario, after a disastrous weekend at Atlantic Motorsports Park—but at least all competitors and staff are out of the situation safely.
The CSBK weekend at Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, was hit by torrential rain on Saturday, July 22, requiring the series’ officials to cancel racing. Not only was the track itself unsafe, with gravel washed across the asphalt at the end of the infamous Rollercoaster section, but the road to the track was washed out in multiple places.
That meant, even if the weather was clear and the track cleaned up, which might have been possible on Sunday, emergency personnel would be unable to get to the track in case of emergency. And even if the road was cleared, there was an ongoing disaster situation across the region, with four dead due to floodwaters and others requiring high-risk rescues in wind and torrential rain. Racing was just not an option under those conditions.
Riders, their teams and some event staff were stranded at the racetrack from Saturday morning onwards because of the conditions. Starting Sunday night, some were able to leave on hastily-repaired roadways, and the last at the track were gone by Tuesday morning.
But at this point, it does not appear realistic to re-schedule the Shubenacadie round for 2024, as the expense and time required make one trip east a considerable difficulty for many of the series’ teams—and a re-schedule would mean doubling that difficulty. Likewise, it seems unrealistic to expect a make-up race at any of the Ontario tracks, and none of Quebec’s facilities are an option at this point.
CSBK’s website says “More information regarding the return to racing will be provided when available, with round four scheduled for August 18-20 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. ” So, Mosport is next, and then the season-closer at Shannonville, unless we hear otherwise. Perhaps we shall see another race added to the Shannonville weekend? Aside from that, it’s difficult to imagine CSBK officials finding any other way to jam in more racing this year, as it was already difficult enough without the disaster in Nova Scotia.
In other CSBK news, here’s an update on the TSN broadcast schedule:
The following TSN airdates will showcase a pair of exciting races from round two of the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship at Grand Bend Motorplex, featuring both the feature GP Bikes Pro Superbike class and the Liqui Moly Pro Sport Bike category.
Pro Sport Bike race three, the first of a Grand Bend doubleheader, will include a special time slot of 5:30 pm ET on Friday, July 28, on TSN2. The following week will show race four of the feature Pro Superbike class.
The full list of dates can be found below.
Liqui Moly Pro Sport Bike – Round 2, Race 1
Thursday, July 27 at 3 pm ET on TSN2
Friday, July 28 at 5:30 pm ET on TSN2 *special time slot
GP Bikes Pro Superbike – Round 2, Race 2
Monday, July 31 at 2 pm ET on TSN5
Tuesday, August 1 at 2:30 pm ET on TSN2
Wednesday, August 2 at 12 pm ET on TSN5
Thursday, August 3 at 3:30 pm ET on TSN2
Friday, August 4 at 12:30 pm ET on TSN3 and TSN4
Check your local channel guide for TSN’s listings, if you plan to tune in.
