Are you ready for roadracing’s return? If you haven’t got your coolers cleaned up and your folding chairs dug out of the shed, well, it’s time. The Canadian Superbike series resumes this weekend at Shannonville, with qualifying starting on Friday, and races on Saturday and Sunday.
The biggest storyline this year is What Will Ben Young Do? The BMW-mounted rider has taken the last two Pro Superbike titles, and looks to be the strongest contender in the top class again this year, especially since his strongest competition does not appear to be planning to contest the entire CSBK season. Although we’ve seen no concrete announcement, it appears that Alex Dumas is planning to race in New England this summer.
Dumas campaigned a GSX-R1000 in CSBK over the past few seasons, winning the 2021 title. This year, it looks like Dumas might race a wildcard in CSBK, perhaps Mosport, but he hasn’t publicly stated any plans to race in Canada otherwise.
To further make things interesting, Ben Young is also going to be racing a Suzuki GSX-R750 in the Pro Sport Bike class. Young ran that Gixxer down at the Daytona 200 this past March and acquitted himself well. Now, he will be the first top-tier Pro rider to challenge both the Sport Bike and Superbike series this summer. It’s a most interesting move, as this was not uncommon in the past; Jordan Szoke famously starred both series for years, as did the guys who were the front-runners before him.
This could be a double-edged sword for Young, as twice the racing means twice the glory if you win, but also twice the faffing about to repair your bike and twice the danger of crashing and missing out on points. But given the sharp competition in Pro Sport Bike, it seems this could be the best bracket to watch this year!
Not only is Dumas an unlikely appearance this spring in Pro Superbike, but Tomas Casas, who’s been piloting a Yamaha R1, also says he won’t be racing the start of the year. Casas says other commitments and also the expense of racing will confine him to appearances in the final two rounds of the year. Casas was always a threat to the front-runners, finishing fourth last year in the standings, although he has never challenged for the literbike title (he’s a double champ in the Pro Sport Bike series, though).
Jordan Szoke returns in Pro Superbike, once again riding a Kawasaki. He will likely be Young’s stiffest competition, particularly as Szoke isn’t coming off the same health problems he faced at the start of the 2023 campaign.
Of course, it’s all conjecture until the racing starts anyway. And that will happen this Saturday—find ticket information and other details here.
