Szoke takes third straight Autodrome St-Eustache win
ST-EUSTACHE, Que. (July 6, 2014) – For the third year in a row Jordan Szoke scored the Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship victory at Autodrome St-Eustache on Sunday and became the first racer to claim four national Superbike wins at the venue.
The Brantford, Ont. rider took the lead on lap five of the 22-lap race and was never headed the rest of the way on his Waznie Racing / BMW Motorrad / Mopar Express Lane BMW S1000RR to win the second round of the 2014 national championship.
Early race leader Jodi Christie of Keene, Ont. settled for second spot riding the Jodi Christie Racing / Honda Canada / Accelerated Technologies Honda CBR1000RR and Sebastien Tremblay of Longueuil, Que. finished a career high third aboard the MotoNation / Laval Moto / CrossfitLaval.com Kawasaki ZX-10R.
Szoke completed the race distance in 16 minutes, 49.798 seconds for an average speed of 150.589km/h (90.353 mph).
“The bike is working better than ever this year,” said Szoke after his 45th career Canadian Superbike race win. “The changes we have made in the off-season have made a big difference and I feel like I’m braking better than I ever have.”
Szoke had earned the Magneti Marelli SuperPole award in qualifying on Saturday but was beaten off the line at the start of Sunday’s race by Christie and Raphael Archambault on the Mako Performance / Town & Country Suzuki GSX-R600.
Szoke quickly got ahead of Archambault and erased Christie’s early lead, setting the race’s fastest lap at 45.447 secs. on lap three. The BMW rider got ahead of Christie on the backstraight on lap five and held off the Honda rider from there.
“The plan was to get a good start and grab the holeshot but that obviously didn’t work,” Szoke said. “I didn’t want Jodi to get away and once I passed him I tried to slow the pace down, into the 46s, and then I was going to put my head down at the end.”
Szoke managed to get a little breathing room two laps from the end while working through lapped traffic, as Christie went off track when he was caught on the outside of a backmarker while going through turn one.
His second win of the season also allowed Szoke to open up a 22-point lead over Christie in the Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship point standings, with 112 points to Christie’s 90 after two of five races.
Christie nearly got by Szoke as they lapped slower traffic two laps from the end.
“I tried drafting both Jordan and the lapper close to the outside wall but that was a stupid move on my part,” Christie admitted. “That gave Jordan the inside going into the first turn and I was on the outside of everybody and I was going in with a lot of speed. I had to stand it up and go across the grass.
“I need to win races and my only thought right now is the championship. It’s annoying, because I know the bike is capable and so far the issues have been just rider error.”
Tremblay made a great start from fifth on the grid to lead a four-rider battle for third in the early laps. But after first Archambault crashed in turn six on lap three, and then the OCM Motor Sports / egopay.com Kawasaki ZX-10R of Franklyn Dominguez and Frank Trombino’s Trombino Racing / Royal Plumbing Aprilia RSV4 collided at the same spot two laps later, Tremblay was left with a lonely race to third spot.
“The start helped and I was able to get right behind Szoke and then got Raphael on the straight,” Tremblay explained. “We still have some set-up work to do on the bike, adapting it to the new Dunlop tires, but it’s improving quickly.”
Trevor Daley recovered from an early-race electronics problem to charge up to a fourth place finish on his ProStar Motorsports / One Speed Chop Shop Honda CBR1000RR. The Mississauga, Ont. rider faded to the back of the pack on lap three when the engine started losing power, but after shutting off the main ignition he found things returned to normal and he was able to work his way back through the pack, passing Kristopher Garvie for fourth spot on lap 15.
Daley remains third in the Mopar Superbike standings with 71 points to Tremblay’s 66.
Caledon, Ont.’s Garvie settled for fifth on his Honda Canada / Fast Company Honda CBR1000RR, but found his bike much improved from Saturday, when he could only manage the 11th best qualifying spot.
Will Hornblower and Stephane Houle battled for sixth for most of the race, the scrap going in favour of the Sarnia, Ont. rider on his Hornblower Racing / Blue Streak Yamaha YZF-R6 on the final lap. Gatineau, Que.’s Houle settled for seventh aboard the ASM Motorsports / Jim Keay Ford / Wheelsport Kawasaki ZX-10R.
In other action at St-Eustache, Archambault of Terrebonne, Que. scored his first career national Pro win in a thrilling Hindle Exhaust Pro Sport Bike battle. Riding his Suzuki GSX-R600, Archambault held off the Honda CBR600RR of Christie by just 0.274 secs, after the pair traded the lead in the closing laps.
Opening round winner Kenny Reidmann of Belfountain, Ont. finished third on the Reidmann Racing / Castrol Triumph 675 as he struggled with a shifting issue, while a late charge saw Daley snatch fourth on his Honda CBR600RR. Jean-Francois Cyr of Terrebonne, Que. completed the top five aboard the CyRacing / RaceLine Triumph 675.
Keene, Ont.’s Christie now trails Reidmann by five points, 96-91, for the lead of the Pro Sport Bike standings.
Peterborough, Ont.’s Tomas Casas swept both Amateur events at Autodrome St-Eustache on his OCM Motor Sports / Peterborough Cycle Salvage Yamaha YZF-R6.
In the Magneti Marelli Amateur Superbike race, Casas took the lead for good on lap 10 of 16 and finished 4.991 secs. clear of teammate Stacey Nesbitt of St-Lazare, Que. on the OCM Motor Sports / FTR / Honda Canada Honda CBR600RR. Levis, Que.’s Alexandre Guay placed third aboard his Yamaha YZF-R6.
Fifth place race finisher Pedro Sousa leads the Amateur Superbike standings by six points over Nesbitt, 79-73, while Casas has moved up to fifth with 53 points.
Casas led all the way to win the Bell Helmets Amateur Sport Bike, finishing 4.236 secs. clear of Guay, who snatched the runner-up spot from the Black Sheep Racing Kawasaki ZX-6R of Longueuil, Que. rider Alex Coelho on the final lap.
Casas now leads the Amateur Sport Bike standings by seven points, 92-85 over Nesbitt, who finished fourth in Sunday’s race.
Alexandre Cleary of St-Jerome, Que. picked up the Dion Device Hard Luck Award at St-Eustache after he crashed during the Amateur Sport Bike race, bringing out the red flag. He was unhurt in the incident.
The Ipone Prize Pack for Professionalism & Presentation in Amateur Sport Bike on Sunday went to C&C Racing rider Carson Brook from East Lawrencetown, N.S.
Eric Quintin of Notre Dame de L’Ile Perrot, Que. completed a sweep of the weekend’s Honda CBR250R National Race Series events thanks to a narrow win over Cameron Walker on Sunday. Quintin edged the Oakville, Ont. racer by just 0.022 secs. on his Centre Hamel Honda-backed entry.
Pascal Bastien of Laval, Que. completed the podium finishers.
With the win Quintin takes over the Honda CBR250R series points lead with 183 points to the 178 of Walker.
The Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship continues at Atlantic Motorsport Park in Shubenacadie, N.S. July 25-27. For ticket information call the track at (902) 758-2237 or the Atlantic Roadracing League at (902) 499-3610. Fans can also visit www.atlanticmotorsportpark.com or www.atlanticmotorsportpark.com for more information.
The official Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship website, www.csbk.ca, will have full race video coverage of Saturday’s round of the Honda CBR250R National Race Series from Autodrome St-Eustache, as well as Sunday’s Hindle Pro Sport Bike and Mopar Pro Superbike feature events.
ST-EUSTACHE, Que. (July 6) – Results of Sunday’s second round of the Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship at Autodrome St-Eustache, showing finishing position, rider name, hometown, type of motorcycle and laps completed:
1. Jordan Szoke, Brantford, Ont., BMW S1000RR, 22
2. Jodi Christie, Keene, Ont., Honda CBR1000RR, 22
3. Sebastien Tremblay, Longueuil, Que., Kawasaki ZX-10R, 22
4. Trevor Daley, Mississauga, Ont., Honda CBR1000RR, 21
5. Kristopher Garvie, Caledon, Ont., Honda CBR1000RR, 21
6. Will Hornblower, Sarnia, Ont., Yamaha YZF-R6, 21
7. Stephane Houle, Gatineau, Que., Kawasaki ZX-10R, 21
Did Not Finish
Jean-Francois Cyr, Terrebonne, Que., Triumph 675, 11
Franklyn Dominguez, St-Lazare, Que., Kawasaki ZX-10R, 5
Frank Trombino, Kleinburg, Ont., Aprilia RSV4, 5
Raphael Archambault, Terrebonne, Que., Suzuki GSX-R600, 3
Did Not Start
Louie Raffa, Ste-Marthe, Que., Honda CBR600RR
Marco Sousa, Schomberg, Ont., BMW S1000RR
Hugo Fournier, L’Islet, Que., Yamaha YZF-R6
Caleb Noiles, Upper Cloverdale, N.B., Honda CBR600RR
Elie Daccache, Newcastle, Ont., Yamaha YZF-R6
Kenny Reidmann, Belfountain, Ont., Triumph 675
Philippe Masse, St-Hyacinthe, Que., Kawasaki ZX-6R
Time of Race: 16:49.798
Average Speed: 150.589km/h
Margin of Victory: 3.877 secs.
Fastest Lap: 45.447 by Jordan Szoke on lap 3
Lap Leaders: Jodi Christie, 1-4, Jordan Szoke, 5-22