Szoke and Christie take Superbike title battle down to the wire

TORONTO, Ont. – The summer-long battle for the Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship reaches its climax this weekend with just 13 points separating title contenders Jordan Szoke and Jodi Christie heading into the doubleheader finale at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

Brantford, Ont.’s Szoke leads the championship chase with 158 points as he goes after an unprecedented 10th national title on his Mopar Express Lane Parts Canada BMW S1000RR while Christie, from Keene, Ont., sits on 145 points and is bidding for his first Canadian number one plate riding the Jodi Christie Racing / Honda Canada / Accelerated Technologies Honda CBR1000RR.

With four points available for setting the fastest time in Magneti Marelli SuperPole qualifying on Friday and a maximum of 52 points on offer in each Superbike race, the battle is wide open heading into the weekend.

Szoke is an acknowledged master of CTMP’s legendary 3.9km (2.459-mile) 10-turn layout, and the 35-year-old has won 10 of his 45 career national Superbike wins at the track. However, his efforts this weekend may be compromised by a right thumb injury suffered last weekend while competing in an Observed Trials event.

The 22-year-old Christie, meanwhile, comes into the weekend riding a wave of momentum after scoring a dramatic, last-lap, last-turn victory over Szoke in the previous Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship round at Atlantic Motorsport Park, his first victory of the season after Szoke took the opening two rounds.

While Szoke and Christie have owned the top two steps of the podium through the opening three rounds of the season, there are plenty of other racers who could play spoiler in the title battle this weekend. Mississauga, Ont.’s Trevor Daley lies third in points with 102 and the rider of the ProStar Motorsports / One Speed Honda CBR1000RR already has a third-place finish to his credit earlier this season at Shannonville Motorsport Park.

Just 11 points back of Daley is Longueuil, Que.’s Sebastien Tremblay, who took a career-high third at Autodrome St-Eustache on his MotoNation / Laval Moto /CrossFitLaval.com Kawasaki ZX-10R. Tremblay has a history of strong races at CTMP, and qualified on the front row in 2012 as a Superbike rookie.

Kristopher Garvie of Caledon, Ont., the 2013 Sunoco / Brooklin Cycle Racing Pro Rookie of the Year is just a further three points behind on the Honda Canada / Fast Company / Platinum Painting Honda CBR1000RR.

Will Hornblower of Sarnia, Ont. leads this year’s Sunoco / BCR Rookie of the Year standings on his Hornblower Racing / Blue Streak Yamaha YZF-R6.

This weekend’s doubleheader will see the first series appearance of Kelowna, B.C.’s Marcel Irnie on the MobiBuff / Irnie Racing / World’s Best Motorcycles BMW S1000RR. Irnie competed in July’s AMA Pro SuperBike event at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

There is also a possible entry from Uxbridge, Ont.’s Alex Welsh, winner of two Superbike nationals at CTMP and runner-up in last year’s Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship standings.

Action at CTMP includes doubleheaders for the Hindle Exhaust Pro Sport Bike, Magneti Marelli Amateur Superbike, Bell Helmets Amateur Sport Bike Championships and the Honda CBR250R National Race Series.

The Pro Sport Bike class is wide open with the top four racers within 16 points of each other after action at AMP. Shannonville winner Kenny Riedmann of Belfountain, Ont. leads with 99 points on the Riedmann Racing / Castrol Triumph 675, just four ahead of three-time defending class champion Christie, aboard a Honda CBR600RR. Fellow Honda riders Garvie and Daley are third and fourth in points with 88 and 83, respectively.

Honda CBR1000RR rider Pedro Sousa of Mississauga, Ont. enjoys a 17-point lead, 116-99, over Peterborough, Ont.’s Tomas Casas, riding the OCM Motor Sports / Peterborough Cycle Salvage Yamaha YZF-R6, in the Amateur Superbike standings.

In the Amateur Sport Bike class, only a point separates Casas from St-Lazare, Que. teammate Stacey Nesbitt on the OCM Motor Sports / Honda Canada / FTR Honda CBR600RR, with Ariss, Ont. Triumph 675 rider James Moore lurking 29 points back in third.

There is also only a point between Honda CBR250R series leader Eric Quintin of Notre Dame de l’Ile Perrot, Que. and Falmouth, N.S.’s Jacob Shaw-O’Leary.

Action at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park opens Friday with qualifying, including the Magneti Marelli SuperPole in the Pro Superbike division. Feature races in all five national classes will run Saturday and Sunday.

For ticket information call 1-800-866-1072 or (905) 983-9141, email [email protected] or visit www.canadiantiremotorsportpark.com.

The official Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship website, www.csbk.ca, will have full race video coverage of both of this weekend’s Mopar Pro Superbike races, as well as Sunday’s Hindle Pro Sport Bike feature and the deciding round of the Honda CBR250R National Race Series.

2014 Point Standings

Mopar Pro Superbike: 1. Jordan Szoke (BMW) 158; 2. Jodi Christie (Honda) 145; 3. Trevor Daley (Suzuki/Honda) 102; 4. Sebastien Tremblay (Kawasaki) 91; 5. Kristopher Garvie (Honda) 88

Hindle Exhaust Pro Sport Bike: 1. Kenny Reidmann (Triumph) 99; 2. Jodi Christie (Honda) 95; 3. Kristopher Garvie (Honda) 88

Magneti Marelli Amateur Superbike: 1. Pedro Sousa (Honda) 116; 2. Tomas Casas (Yamaha) 99; 3. Stacey Nesbitt (Honda) 76

Bell Helmets Amateur Sport Bike: 1. Tomas Casas (Yamaha) 138; 2. Stacey Nesbitt (Honda) 137; 3. James Moore (Triumph) 109

Honda CBR250R National Race Series: 1. Eric Quintin 270; 2. Jacob Shaw-O’Leary 269; 3. Cameron Walker 217

Recent Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Superbike National Wins

2013 – Bodhi Edie (Warman, Sask.) BMW; Alex Welsh (Uxbridge, Ont.) Suzuki

2012 – Kevin Lacombe (Granby, Que.) BMW; Alex Welsh (Uxbridge, Ont.) Suzuki

2011 – Brett McCormick (Saskatoon, Sask.) BMW; Jordan Szoke (Brantford, Ont.) Kawasaki

2010 – Jordan Szoke (Brantford, Ont.) Honda; Jordan Szoke (Brantford, Ont.) Honda

2009 – Jordan Szoke (Brantford, Ont.) Kawasaki); Jordan Szoke (Brantford, Ont.) Kawasaki

2008 – Jordan Szoke (Brantford, Ont.) Kawasaki; Clint McBain (Cochrane, Alta.) Suzuki

Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Fast Facts

…With 10 national Superbike wins at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Jordan Szoke is the all-time leader for Superbike national wins at the track. Included in that number is an impressive string of six out of a possible eight victories between 2008 and 2011. His first triumph at the venue came in 1999.

…Of the 33 Canadian Superbike nationals held at CTMP, only one racer besides Szoke has won more than two. Granby, Que.’s Pascal Picotte picked up five victories at the track, all between 2003 and 2005.

…Of the 12 years CTMP has hosted a doubleheader for the national series, the two races have been swept on four occasions. Picotte pulled off the double in 2004 and 2005, and Szoke did the same in 2009 and 2010.

Provisional Weekend Schedule

Friday, August 15

1:00 p.m. – 1:20 p.m. – Hindle Pro Sport Bike Qualifying

1:30 p.m. – 1:50 p.m. – Bell Helmets Amateur Sport Bike Qualifying

2:30 p.m. – 3:10 p.m. – Mopar Pro Superbike Magneti Marelli SuperPole Qualifying

3:30 p.m. – 3:50 p.m. – Honda CBR250R National Race Series Qualifying

4:00 p.m. – 4:20 p.m. – Magneti Marelli Amateur Superbike Qualifying

Saturday, August 16

1:00 p.m. – Hindle Exhaust Pro Sport Bike Race (14 laps)

Bell Helmets Amateur Sport Bike Race (12 laps)

Honda CBR250R National Race Series Race (10 laps)

3:30 p.m. – Mopar Pro Superbike Race (20 laps)

Magneti Marelli Amateur Superbike Race (12 laps)

Sunday, August 17

1:00 p.m. – Hindle Exhaust Pro Sport Bike Race (14 laps)

Bell Helmets Amateur Sport Bike Race (12 laps)

Honda CBR250R National Race Series Race (10 laps)

3:00 p.m. – Mopar Pro Superbike Race (20 laps)

Magneti Marelli Amateur Superbike Race (12 laps)