CALABOGIE, Ont. Kevin Lacombe claimed pole position for Sunday’s opening round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Calabogie Motorsports Park with a spectacular effort in Pirelli Superpole qualifying on Saturday. The Granby, Que. racer took his Team Toyota Yamaha / Fast Company Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 around the 2.81km Calabogie Stadium Track in one minute, 8.440 seconds, beating the time of defending series champion Jordan Szoke by just six-thousandths of a second. “It was an excellent lap for sure but I think I could have done a little better,” said Lacombe. “Out of turn 1 I had a wobble and in the last turn I got sideways. We’ve struggled since we got here but we found a good set-up this morning.” For his performance Lacombe earned the $500 Inside Motorcycles Pole Position Award and four points toward the Parts Canada Superbike Championship. Szoke settled for the second starting spot for Sunday’s race on his Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX-10R and Michael Barnes of Boca Raton, Fla. qualified third with a time of 1:09.100 riding the Acceleration Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000. Brett McCormick of Saskatoon will complete the front row for Sunday’s race, sponsored by Waste Management of Canada and the Ottawa Citizen, after setting a time of 1:09.108 on the Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX-10R. This marked the first time a North American motorcycle road racing series has used the Superpole single-bike qualifying format. The system has been popularized in the World Superbike Championship. McCormick was the third of the 10 riders to take his Superpole lap, and his time stood up until Barnes, the eighth rider in line, edged ahead of him. Szoke was next and turned his 1:08.446, putting the pressure on Lacombe, the final rider of the session. Szoke is trying to claim his third straight Parts Canada Superbike Championship and his fifth Canadian national title. “I had a little moment coming onto the front straight. The front end tucked a little,” Szoke said. “It was still a good time, I guess just not good enough. But I feel we’re strong. I think we’re still the favorites for the race.” The Team Suzuki / Blackfoot / Picotte Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000s will fill the second row of Sunday’s starting grid. Matthew McBride of Mississauga, Ont. set the fifth fastest time in the Pirelli Superpole session with a 1:09.570. He was followed by Calgary’s Chris Peris at 1:10.079 and Francis Martin of Sherbrooke, Que. with a 1:10.962. The remaining Pirelli Superpole qualifiers were Steve Crevier of Maple Ridge, B.C. in eighth aboard the Deeley Harley-Davidson Canada / Ruthless Racing Buell 1125R, Jeremy Stepper of Calgary ninth on the Stepper Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 and Hamilton, Ont.’s Ross Millson 10th riding the RMP Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000. Szoke opened his bid for a third straight Yoshimura Pro 600 Sport Bike title with pole position for Sunday’s season opener. Szoke recorded a time of 1:09.364 on his Kawasaki ZX-6R to edge Peris, who recorded a 1:09.410 on his Suzuki GSX-R600. McCormick completed the top three with a time of 1:09.932 on another Kawasaki ZX-6R. Valter Bartolini of Bologna, Italy qualified fastest for the Canadian Thunder class with a time of 1:11.291 riding the NCR-Ducati 848. Bartolini’s teammate Andrew Nelson of Kars, Ont. was second with a time of 1:11.711 on the second NCR-Ducati and Dave Estok of New Smyrna Beach, Fla. claimed third on the starting grid with a 1:12.729 riding the Deeley Harley- Davidson Canada / Ruthless Racing Buell 1125R. Ottawa racer Jim Proulx set the fastest time in Canadian Sport Twins qualifying with a 1:14.081 on his Buell XB12R. Jodi Christie of Keene, Ont. claimed pole for the Armour Bodies Amateur 600 Sport Bike class with a time of 1:11.881 on his Yamaha YZF-R6 In other qualifying action at Calabogie Motorsports Park, Rob Busby of Brantford, Ont. was fastest in the Suzuki SV650 National Cup with a time of 1:15.735 and St-Colonban, Que.’s Raphael Archambault led the Honda CBR125R Challenge competitors with a fastest lap of 1:34.649. Races in all national classes are scheduled to go Sunday. Practice starts at 9:00 a.m. with the first race slated for 11:30 a.m. This weekend’s event will be shown on TSN and TSN-HD on Tuesday, Sept. 9 from 1:00-2:00 p.m. and again on Saturday, Sept. 13 from 4:00-5:00 a.m. All times are Eastern. Calabogie, Ont. — Starting line-up for Sunday’s opening round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Calabogie Motorsports Park showing starting position, rider name, hometown, type of motorcycle and qualifying time: 1. Kevin Lacombe, Granby, Que., Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:08.440; 2. Jordan Szoke, Brantford, Ont., Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:08.446; 3. Michael Barnes, Boca Raton, Fla., Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:09.100; 4. Brett McCormick, Saskatoon, Sask., Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:09.108; 5. Matthew McBride, Mississauga, Ont., Suzuki GSX- R1000, 1:09.570; 6. Chris Peris, Calgary, Alta., Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:10.079; 7. Francis Martin, Sherbrooke, Que., Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:10.962; 8. Steve Crevier, Maple Ridge, B.C., Buell 1125R, 1:11.333; 9. Jeremy Stepper, Calgary, Alta., Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:11.519; 10. Ross Millson, Hamilton, Ont., Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:12.311; 11. Franklyn Dominguez, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:11.986; 12. Karl Daigle, Granby, Que., Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:12.724; 13. Csaba Werner, North York, Ont., Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:12.765; 14. Todd Scott, Bedford, N.S., Suzuki GSX-R750, 1:13.040; 15. Andrew Dunlap, Truro, N.S., Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:13.090; 16. John-Ross MacRae, Calgary, Alta., Suzuki GSX- R750, 1:13.170; 17. Marie-Josee Boucher, Montreal, Que., Honda CBR1000RR, 1:13.214; 18. Brian Blaauwendraat, Truro, N.S., Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:13.545; 19. Matt Cooper, Guelph, Ont., Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:13.649; 20. Terry Steeves, Dartmouth, N.S., Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:13.783; 21. Elie Daccache, Ottawa, Ont., Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:13.831; 22. Dan Henri, Orleans, Ont., Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:14.082; 23. Steve Bourdeau, Verdun, Que., Suzuki GSX- R600, 1:14.280; 24. Chris Murray-Audain, Scarborough, Ont., Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:14.359; 25. Mark MacDonald, Sydney, N.S., Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:14.906; 26. Zenon Nelson, Bowmanville, Ont., Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:15.454; 27. Dean Plater, Ottawa, Ont., Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:15.480; 28. Rick Langille, Nauwigeuauk, N.B., Honda CBR600RR, 1:16.410; 29. Cory Canfield, Oakfield, N.S., Suzuki GSX- R600, 1:16.423; 30. Dave Young, Woodstock, Ont., Suzuki GSX-R1000, No Time; 31. Alex Welsh, Uxbridge, Ont., Triumph Daytona 675, No Time