From a press release issued by Canadian Superbike series organizers:

PICOTTE ALL THE WAY

MONTREAL, QC – Granby, QC’s Pascal Picotte led every lap of a restarted race to win the Parts Canada Superbike Invitational at the Molson Indy Montreal Sunday.

Riding the Team Yamaha / Picotte Performance Yamaha YZF-R1 Picotte beat the DXS Diablo Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 of Maple Ridge, BC’s Steve Crevier by 2.175 secs. Frank Trombino of Kleinburg, ON placed third on the Brooklin Cycle Yamaha YZF-R1.

“This is home for me and it’s a great feeling to win here,” said Picotte, who clinched his second straight Parts Canada Superbike crown last weekend at Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant. “To see the way the fans reacted was amazing.”

The race was the first motorcycle event at the 4.3-km (2.7-mile) Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve since 1987. It did not count as an official round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship but featured a purse of $12,000 from Parts Canada.

Granby racer Kevin Lacombe grabbed the lead at the start of the race, originally scheduled for 12 laps but crashed his Lacombe Racing / Brooklin Cycle Yamaha YZF-R1 halfway around the first lap. The race was stopped and rescheduled for 10 laps.

On the second start Picotte took the lead from Jordan Szoke and Trombino and was in control.

“Right away I put in two really good laps and got a gap,” Picotte explained. “From there I decided to put it on cruise control and my plan worked out really well.”

Crevier was only fifth off the start but passed the Honda Canada / Fast Company Honda CBR1000RR of Andrew Nelson and Trombino before the end of the first lap. He then moved up to second when Szoke retired his Honda Canada / Fast Company Honda CBR1000RR on lap 3 with a damaged clutch.

Szoke had been the fastest rider through practice on Friday and Saturday.

“I was quite jumpy off the start and Pascal got a good jump,” said Crevier, a six-time Canadian national Superbike champion. “After that I just ran my own race.”

Francis Martin of Rock Forest, QC finished fourth on his Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX-10R after starting seventh in the 18-bike field.

His teammate Matthew McBride of Mississauga, ON placed fifth on another Kawasaki ZX-10R, edging the DXS Diablo Racing Team Suzuki of Harrowsmith, ON’s Jeff Williams after a racelong fight.

After running off the track on the second lap Nelson, from Kars, ON placed seventh.

Lacombe managed to get his Yamaha repaired in time to take the restart from the back of the field and came through to finish 12th.

The race will receive same day television coverage on Quebec’s RDS Sunday evening and be shown later this year on English language TV.

The Parts Canada Superbike Championship concludes next weekend at Shannonville Motorsport Park near Belleville, ON.

For more series information, visit www.cdnsuperbike.com

Results of Sunday’s Parts Canada Superbike Invitational at the Molson Indy Montreal at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve showing finishing position, rider name, hometown, type of motorcycle and laps completed:

1.Pascal Picotte, Granby, QC, Yamaha YZF-R1; 2. Jordan Szoke, Brantford, ON, Honda CBR1000RR; 3. Kevin Lacombe, Granby, QC, Yamaha YZF-R1; 4. Frank Trombino, Kleinburg, ON, Yamaha YZF-R1; 5. Steve Crevier, Maple Ridge, BC, Suzuki GSX-R1000; 6. Francis Martin, Rock Forest, QC, Kawasaki ZX-10R; 7. Andrew Nelson, Kars, ON, Honda CBR1000RR; 8. Jeff Williams, Harrowsmith, ON, Suzuki GSX-R1000; 9. Matthew McBride, Mississauga, ON, Kawasaki ZX-10R; 10. Bill Card, Wellesley, ON, Honda CBR600RR; 11. Hugo Brisson, St-Sauveur, QC, Kawasaki ZX-10R; 12. Jean-Francois Cyr, St-Lin, QC, Honda CBR1000RR; 13. Brian Nielsen, Edmonton, AB, Yamaha YZF-R1; 14. Chris Murray-Audain, Scarborough, ON, Yamaha YZF-R6; 15. Darryn Wilbur, Maple, ON, Yamaha YZF-R6; 16. Elie Daccache, Ottawa, ON, Suzuki GSX-R1000; 17. Benoit Pilon, St-Jerome, QC, Yamaha YZF-R1; 18. Pat Barnes, Toronto, ON, Kawasaki ZX-6RR