McCORMICK EYES FIRST NATIONAL TITLE TORONTO, Ont. (August 17) Brett McCormick’s bid for his first Canadian Superbike Championship by Parts Canada title, and a perfect season, reaches its final and likely toughest hurdle this weekend. The 20-year-old from Saskatoon holds a commanding lead in the standings entering the season finale doubleheader at Mosport International Raceway, enjoying a 55-point advantage of Brantford, Ont.’s Jordan Szoke. With a race win worth 50 points, only a major upset could prevent McCormick from scooping the number one plate. Completing a perfect season is another matter. The rider of the radX / BMW Motorrad Canada BMW S1000RR has never won a Superbike national at Mosport in three prior visits while Szoke has practically owned the rolling 3.9km (2.459-mile) road circuit through his career, having claimed nine national Superbike wins at the venue and five of the last six. For McCormick to complete a perfect run of seven race wins in seven starts in 2011 he will have to end Szoke’s reign at the Mosport venue. Although McCormick has been in command of the Canadian Superbike Championship by Parts Canada point standings from the beginning of the season he has seen his advantage over Szoke dwindle in recent rounds. The Competition Systems Kawasaki Race Team rider has claimed pole position in qualifying in the two most recent events and has finished second to McCormick in four straight races. Szoke has won the last five national Superbike titles, and he will not let that streak come to an end without a fight. Other racers figure to be in the lead fight in this weekend’s pair of Superbike feature races and there is a fierce battle for third in the final standings brewing, with four riders covered by just 14 points. Andrew Nelson of Kars, Ont. and Mississauga, Ont.’s Michael Ferreira are tied for third on 155 points. Riding the Nelson Racing / GymMax / Monette Sports BMW S1000RR Nelson finished second in the season opener at Circuit ICAR but is coming off his worst result of the season (13th) at Atlantic Motorsport Park two weeks ago. Ferreira is McCormick’s teammate on the radX / BMW Motorrad Canada factory team and has a top finish of third at Shannonville Motorsport Park earlier this season. Local heroes Alex Welsh and Jodi Christie are tied for fifth with 141 points. Uxbridge, Ont.’s Welsh has a pair of third place finishes to his credit on the Z1 CycleTech / Kenwood Suzuki GSX-R1000 while Christie, from Keene, Ont., is coming off a career best third place finish at Atlantic Motorsport Park with the Jodi Christie Racing / Cameron Cycle / Blue Streak Racing Honda CBR600RR. Wildcards include Woodbridge, Ont.’s Frank Trombino (Suzuki Canada / Hindle / Sturgess Cycle Suzuki GSX-R1000), a two-time Mosport winner, Matt McBride of Mississauga, Ont. (Riders Choice BMW S1000RR), and two-time Superbike champion Francis Martin of Sherbrooke, Que. (Couturier Racing / ProPulsion BMW S1000RR). A tight battle for the Pirelli Pro Sport Bike Championship will also be resolved at Mosport this weekend. Coming off his second win of the season at AMP two weeks ago, Honda’s Christie leads Suzuki rider Welsh by 24 points in the standings, 234-217. Trombino is third with 165 points, just two ahead of Warman, Sask.’s Bodhi Edie on the Edie Racing / Acceleration Racing / Honda Canada Honda CBR600RR. Maple Ridge, B.C.’s Steve Crevier is in position to lock up an 11th national title at Mosport. The rider of the MotoSport Plus of Kingston entry holds a strong 61-point lead, 263-202, over Cody Matechuk in the Harley-Davidson XR1200 Cup standings. Cochrane, Alta.’s Matechuk won the season opener on his Halifax-based Privateers Harley-Davidson machine but Crevier has claimed the last four race wins. Samuel Proulx of Magog, Que. lies third in the standings for the Sherbrooke Harley-Davidson team. Burlington, Ont.’s Jody Greening carries a solid 37-point lead in the K&N Performance Filters Amateur Superbike class into Mosport with his BFE / ProStar / Sturgess Cycle Honda CBR600RR. Caledon, Ont.’s Kristopher Garvie (Tracksport Technologies / Kahuna Powersports Kawasaki ZX-6R) and Thorton, Ont. rider Amzy Nawaz (Velocity Sportsgear Kawasaki ZX-6R) are in a tight battle for second. With two straight wins Garvie has opened up a daunting 70-point lead in the Inside Motorcycles Amateur Sport Bike class heading into Mosport’s doubleheader. Just a point separates Toronto’s Edward Rudkowski (Suzuki GSX-R600) and Proulx (Sherbrooke Harley-Davidson Suzuki GSX-R600) for second place. The battle for the Honda CBR125R Challenge crown is tight, with St-Lazare, Que.’s Stacey Nesbitt carrying a three-point lead over Falmouth, N.S. rider Austin Shaw-O’Leary. Scott Lingelbach of Wellesley, Ont. is third in the standings. Qualifying for this weekend’s races takes place Friday, and feature races in all six national classes are slated for Saturday and Sunday. For ticket information call 1-800-866-1072 or go to www.mosport.com. 2011 Point Standings Parts Canada Superbike: 1. Brett McCormick (BMW) 274; 2. Jordan Szoke (Kawasaki) 219; 3. Andrew Nelson (BMW) 155; 3. Mike Ferreira (BMW) 155; 5. Alex Welsh (Suzuki) 141; 5. Jodi Christie (Honda) 141 Pirelli Pro Sport Bike: 1. Jodi Christie (Honda) 237; 2. Alex Welsh (Suzuki) 213; 3. Frank Trombino (Suzuki) 165 Harley-Davidson XR1200 Cup: 1. Steve Crevier 263; 2. Cody Matechuk 202; 3. Samuel Proulx 174 K&N Performance Filters Amateur Superbike: 1. Jody Greening (Honda) 202; 2. Kristopher Garvie (Kawasaki) 165; 3. Amzy Nawaz (Kawasaki) 163 Inside Motorcycles Amateur Sport Bike: 1. Kristopher Garvie (Kawasaki) 233; 2. Edward Rudkowski (Suzuki) 163; 3. Samuel Proulx (Suzuki) 162 Honda CBR125R Challenge: 1. Stacey Nesbitt 313; 2. Austin Shaw-O’Leary 310; 3. Scott Lingelbach 252 All Time Superbike National Wins at Mosport International Raceway Jordan Szoke (Brantford, Ont.) 9; Pascal Picotte (Granby, Que.) 5; Don Munroe (Halifax, N.S.) 2; Frank Trombino (Kleinburg, Ont.) 2; Clint McBain (Cochrane, Alta.) 2; Rueben McMurter (London, Ont.) 1; Gary Goodfellow (Vancouver, B.C.) 1; Linnley Clarke (Barrie, Ont.) 1; Jeff Sneyd (Mississauga, Ont.) 1; Martin Gaudreault (Longueuil, Que.) 1; Francis Martin (Sherbrooke, Que.) 1; Steve Crevier (Maple Ridge, B.C.) 1 Mosport International Raceway Fast Facts “¦A win by BMW’s Brett McCormick in either of this weekend’s races at Mosport International Raceway would have historical overtones. The first Superbike race in Canada was won by American John Long on a BMW at Mosport in September, 1978. “¦In the nine years that Mosport has hosted a Canadian Superbike Championship doubleheader a rider has swept both events five times. Pascal Picotte did it 2004 and 2005 and Jordan Szoke managed the feat in 2006, 2009 and 2010. “¦This is the first time Mosport has played host to the final round of the Canadian Superbike Championship. “¦Mosport was the scene of Szoke’s 25th career National Superbike win, in 2008. He is currently the all-time wins leader with 36 victories. Provisional Weekend Schedule Friday, August 19 10:05 a.m. 10:45 a.m. Parts Canada Superbike Pre-Qualifying for Pirelli SuperPole 1:00 p.m. 1:20 p.m. Pirelli Pro Sport Bike Qualifying 1:30 p.m. 1:50 p.m. Inside Motorcycles Amateur Sport Bike Qualifying 2:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. Parts Canada Superbike Championship Pirelli SuperPole 3:55 p.m. 4:15 p.m. Harley-Davidson XR1200 Cup Qualifying 4:25 p.m. 4:45 p.m. K&N Performance Filters Amateur Superbike Qualifying 4:55 p.m. 5:15 p.m. Honda CBR125R Challenge Qualifying Saturday, August 20 1:00 p.m. Pirelli Pro Sport Bike Race (14 laps) Inside Motorcycles Amateur Sport Bike Race (12 laps) Harley-Davidson XR1200 Cup Race (14 laps) 2:50 p.m. Parts Canada Superbike Championship Race (20 laps) Honda CBR125R Challenge Race (8 laps) K&N Performance Filters Amateur Superbike Race (12 laps) Sunday, August 21 11:35 a.m. Honda CBR125R Challenge Race (8 laps) 1:00 p.m. Pirelli Pro Sport Bike Race (14 laps) Inside Motorcycles Amateur Sport Bike Race (12 laps) Harley-Davidson XR1200 Cup Race (14 laps) 2:50 p.m. Parts Canada Superbike Championship Race (20 laps) K&N Performance Filters Amateur Superbike Race (12 laps)