Dumas and Suzuki chasing more history as Award battles continue at CTMP next weekend
Toronto, ON – While the main title standings capture the headlines in the Canadian Superbike Championship, the separate Award races have been equally as exciting to begin the 2021 campaign, and that trend will continue into the first ever Pro Superbike tripleheader at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park this weekend, August 13-15.
The newest campaign will see four side championships handed out this summer, a major overhaul from years past when only the Brooklin Cycle Racing Pro Rookie of the Year Award was offered to the feature class.
The additional awards will feature the first ever Constructors Championship, the Yuasa Batteries sponsored Pole Position Championship, and – new to this weekend – the FAST Riding School Hard Charger Award.
Leading the Rookie of the Year standings in historic fashion is teenage sensation Alex Dumas, who became the first ever rider to win his Pro Superbike debut before winning again in race two to sweep the opening round at Calabogie.
Dumas could clinch the award as early as this weekend, with a 65-point lead already in hand and 160 points on offer at CTMP. The Liqui Moly MPG FAST Riding School Suzuki rider is chasing one of the best rookie seasons in CSBK history, as he aims to capture the Pro Superbike feature title in just his first year north of the border.
Trailing Dumas in the fight for second will be Jordan Royds and fellow Suzuki rider Guillaume Fortin, with Royds taking a four-point advantage into round two aboard his IBEW-sponsored BMW.
Dumas’ round one performance also bolstered a surprising start for Suzuki in the new Constructors Championship, as they lead BMW by 30 points entering the tripleheader event at “Old Mosport.” A pair of victories and a pair of fourth place finishes from OneSpeed’s Trevor Daley has given the Hamamatsu factory an early advantage, but one that won’t be without a challenge in round two.
BMW and Kawasaki have split every race win at CTMP since 2014, with Suzuki’s last victory at the circuit coming in 2013, and the track has been especially kind to reigning champion Jordan Szoke (Kawasaki) and 2019 champion Ben Young (BMW) over that span as they look to close the gap for their respective factories in round two.
The weekend will also see the return of Dewildt Powersports rider Steven Nickerson and with it the reunion of Honda to the feature class grid, who have not scored a point since 2019 and will look to make up for lost ground in the Constructors standings.
Leading the Yuasa Batteries Pole Position Championship into Friday’s qualifying session will be Young, who showed zero signs of rust in his return to the series at round one as he blitzed the field to pole position and ten points in the award standings.
The Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW rider has captured pole twice before at CTMP and will aim for the hat trick to begin the weekend, though Dumas, Szoke, and second-place qualifier from round one Tomas Casas all figure to be in the mix during qualifying.
Szoke sits third in the Pole Position standings after qualifying in the same spot at Calabogie, while Dumas will aim to fix the lone blemish on his season so far and improve upon his fourth place standing in round two.
The newest entry to the awards showcase, the recently announced FAST Riding School Hard Charger Award, will go to the rider “deemed to have produced the best effort in context of that race, specifically overcoming a potentially wide range of challenges.”
While there will be no season-long standings in the awards battle, the added incentive may provide for some thrilling racing in the midfield, as the weekend is sure to provide plenty of drama throughout the grid amidst all three races.
The second round of the CSBK season is set to get underway on Friday, August 13, with five National classes stealing the spotlight alongside the awards battles. Tickets are still available for the event, which will take place just an hour east of Toronto, ON.
