It’s the pinnacle of Canadian Superbike racing—the annual visit to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville. The Track Formerly Known As Mosport always hosts the hottest race weekend of the season for two reasons: First, the Pro Superbike series hosts a tripleheader, not the usual doubleheader. Second, it attracts more wildcard talent than any other race.
That’s true again this year, with westerner Torin Collins (who’s raced in Europe and is currently in MotoAmerica) signed to race a Kawasaki for the weekend. Former Pro Superbike and Pro Sport Bike champion Jodi Christie is also slated to return to the series he won in 2011-2013. Christie is going to once again race in Pro Sport Bike, piloting the Suzuki GSX-R750 that Ben Young set up for the Daytona 200 last winter and rode in the CSBK season-opener. It’s a big switch for Christie, who was a Honda man for his big career victories, but after stellar finishes at the Edmonton round on his late father’s Yamaha R7 (riding in the Pro Twins class), Christie looks ready to find success on other machinery:
“I had an unbelievable weekend at RAD Torque Raceway, and it was so nice to be back amongst so many old friends at the track. When Ben suggested I ride his Suzuki at CTMP, I told him I wanted to think about it for a few days, but truthfully I knew my answer right away,” Christie said in a post on CSBK’s website. “It has been a dream of mine to return to CTMP and this opportunity to work alongside Ben is a dream come true.”
Big ups to Ben Young for lending him the bike! But Christie and Collins aren’t the only high-profile wild cards at this weekend’s race. Charles Aubrie is also going to ride a Kawasaki ZX-10 under the Turcotte Performance banner.
Charles who? You’d be forgiven for not knowing the name, but Aubrie hauls from France and is an experienced racer in cuthroat FIM series over in Europe. He’s moved up from the French Superbike Championship (FSBK) into Moto2, where he’s currently 24th overall this season. It might not sound like much, sitting that far back, but remember that Moto2 is basically a knife-fight-in-a-phone-booth style series, and Aubrie is highly experienced in the hotly-competed sort of contest we can expect this weekend.
With all this new talent in the series, it seems unlikely that we will see Sebastien Tremblay knocked off his perch atop the Pro Sport Bike series or Ben Young knocked from his lead in Pro Superbike, especially since Tremblay only needs a few points to clinch his series. But things could get wild, and a combination of canny racing and luck could mean a big change-up elsewhere in the standings. And even if that doesn’t happen, we expect top-tier racing from all the talent at Mosport.
Remember that this is the weekend that CSBK also hosts a Bagger Racing League event, potentially setting our country up for that spectacle as well.
The weekend schedule is, as always, subject to change, especially when you factor in the weather, but you can see the plan for now listed at the CSBK website here. You can find links for tickets and other details there as well.
I wish ALL the racers and the organizers a safe and entertaining weekend. May the sun shine !
The sheer amount of talent and the volume of past winners in the pro class grids are IMMENSE. This weekend is going to be one of the best rounds in years. I cant’ wait. Baggers will be cool too!