PICOTTE SHATTERS RECORD SHUBENACADIE, NS Pascal Picotte kept his hot streak in the Parts Canada Superbike Championship alive with a record breaking performance in qualifying at Atlantic Motorsport Park Friday. Riding the Picotte Performance Yamaha YZF-R1, the Granby, QC native claimed pole position for this weekend’s sixth and seventh rounds of the eight-race series with a lap at one minute, 7.425 seconds around the 2.56km (1.6-mile) circuit. The time, which came on Picotte’s final lap of the qualifying session, smashed the previous lap record of 1:08.247 set a year ago by Kevin Lacombe. The performance gave Picotte his second straight MPM / Array Pole Award. He topped qualifying at the previous round at Mosport International Raceway, where he also swept both ends of the doubleheader. Parts Canada Superbike series points leader Francis Martin of Rock Forest, QC qualified second with a time of 1:07.877 aboard the Snobgirls / Laval Moto Suzuki GSX-R1000 and Kevin Lacombe recorded the third best time of 1:07.970 riding the Team Suzuki / Blackfoot Suzuki GSX-R1000. “It was a hard lap,” Picotte said. “I went into turn 1 sideways, I had a wheelie out of turn 2. I gave it all I had.” Picotte’s effort also kept him in the thick of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship title battle. The two-time defending series champion, currently fourth in the standings, earned four points for taking pole, bringing his season total to 183. Martin picked up three points, giving him 201. A race victory is worth 50 points. After this weekend’s doubleheader the series wraps up at Shannonville Motorsport Park on the Sept. 2-4 Labour Day Weekend. Jordan Szoke and Clint McBain, second and third in the standings with 196 and 194 points respectively, failed to add to their totals. Szoke qualified seventh on the Fast Company Honda CBR1000RR with a time of 1:08.756 and McBain set the fifth best time, a 1:08.547 riding a Team Suzuki / Blackfoot Suzuki GSX-R1000. “I’m going to try everything I can to beat Pascal [in the races],” Martin said. “But I really need to beat Jordan and Clint.” Maple Ridge, BC’s Steve Crevier will complete the front row for this weekend’s two races after setting the fourth best time on Friday of 1:08.347. Tom Kipp will join McBain and Szoke on row two of the grid. The Chardon, OH racer was sixth fastest with a time of 1:08.562 on his Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX-10R. The first of the 22-lap Superbike features is set to go Saturday afternoon, with the back half of the twin bill slated for Sunday. In other action at AMP, points leader Crevier claimed pole for the pair of Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike races and nearly broke the lap record in the process. Crevier set a time of 1:08.711 on his Honda CBR600RR. The time was just .002 secs. off the record set by Frank Trombino in 2003. Kipp qualified second with a 1:09.126 on his Kawasaki ZX-6RR and Kleinburg, ON’s Trombino was third at 1:09.244 aboard the Trombino Yamaha Racing Yamaha YZF-R6. Practice sessions were also held Friday for the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike, Canadian Thunder and Suzuki SV650 National Cup series. Points leader Mark Douglas of Warkworth, ON paced the Amateur 600 Sport Bike competitors with a best lap of 1:13.477 on his Yamaha YZF-R6. Keene, ON rider Paul Glenn led the Suzuki SV650 Cup riders at 1:17.176. The International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike, Canadian Thunder and Suzuki SV650 National Cup competitors will qualify Saturday for their Sunday features. Action from this weekend will be televised later this summer in a one-hour show on TSN. For more series information, visit www.cdnsuperbike.com Staring grid for this weekend’s sixth and seventh rounds of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Atlantic Motorsport Park in Shubenacadie, NS, showing starting position, rider name, hometown, type of motorcycle and qualifying time: 1.Pascal Picotte, Granby, QC, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:07.425*; 2. Francis Martin, Rock Forest, QC, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:07.877; 3. Kevin Lacombe, Granby, QC, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:07.970; 4. Steve Crevier, Maple Ridge, BC, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:08.347; 5. Clint McBain, Calgary, AB, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:08.547; 6. Tom Kipp, Chardon, OH, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:08.562; 7. Jordan Szoke, Brantford, ON, Honda CBR1000RR, 1:08.756; 8. Matthew McBride, Mississauga, ON, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:09.131; 9. Frank Trombino, Kleinburg, ON, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:09.319; 10. Andrew Nelson, Kars, ON, Honda CBR600RR, 1:10.098; 11. Jeremy Burgess, Hammonds Plains, NS, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:10.378; 12. Jeff Williams, Harrowsmith, ON, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:10.890; 13. Brian Nielsen, Edmonton, AB, Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:11.191; 14. Erick Beausejour, Val Senneville, QC, Honda CBR600RR, 1:11.217; 15. Stuart Nodell, Ajax, ON, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:11.750; 16. Dave Young, Woodstock, ON, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 1:11.763; 17. Jean Paul Tache, North Bay, ON, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:11.930; 18. Zenon Nelson, Bowmanville, ON, Suzuki GSX-R600, 11:12.135; 19. Sean Heydorn, Aurora, ON, Honda CBR600RR, 1:12.329; 20. Hugo Brisson, Prevost, QC, Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:12.359; 21. Fred Silver, Greenwood, NS, Kawasaki ZX-6RR, 1:12.484; 22. Nicolas Audet, St-Henri, QC, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:13.265; 23. Todd Scott, Bedford, NS, Honda CBR600RR, 1:13.322; 24. Terry Steves, Bathurst, NB, Honda CBR600RR, 1:13.764; 25. Rick Langille, Nauwigewauk, NB, Honda CBR600RR, 1:13.779; 26. Blaine Pellerine, Halifax, NS, Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:13.846; 27. Trevor MacDonald, St-Zotique, QC, Suzuki GSX-R600, 1:16.079 * — New lap record