Mixed Results for Young at Grand Bend
Another challenging end to the weekend for Ben Young with mixed results at round two of the Canadian Superbike Championship. Young dominated almost every session across the weekend, taking pole position on Friday, finishing race one with a comfortable lead, and topping all practice sessions. Unfortunately, Young crossed the line in 11th in Sunday’s race after oil on the track caused a crash which took him out of contention for the win.
Young has always proved a strong racer at Grand Bend, and the weekend was no exception. The team (including Steve Weir who had been unable to join them at the track since 2019) got the brand new BMW M 1000 RR absolutely perfect, despite its first visit at the track, and Young put in consistent 1.02s laps, ultimately taking Pole by finishing over half a second faster than the nearest competition.
Saturday brought perfect weather for race one of the weekend. Title rival Dumas got the holeshot but Young passed immediately on the brakes at the end of the back straight on the opening lap to take the lead. He put his head down, completing consistently low 1.03s laps, and taking the new race record with a blistering 1.02.83. Young looked and felt great aboard the Van Dolder Home Team BMW and cruised to a comfortable race win, collecting maximum points for the win and for laps lead.
Drama ensued on Sunday with a sky that threatened rain. Right before the race was due to start, the heavens opened. On the out lap of the delayed race, Young hit oil and crashed out. For the second weekend in a row, he was forced to take a pit stop, this time switching bikes. He rolled back onto the track 3 laps down, put his head down and finished in 11th position. Young continues to show the resilience and grit found in only the best racers.
Young said: “I was lapping the same times as the race winner, and feel confident we’d have had the win in the bag if it weren’t for the oil which put me out along with many other riders throughout the day. Looking onwards to the next race though – there’s a lot of season left.”
The next race will be held at Atlantic Motorsports Park, Shubenacadie, NS on July 20-23rd.
Young’s partners for his 2022 Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship season include; BMW Motorrad Canada, Van Dolder’s Home Team, Scot-build Developments Inc, Parts Canada, HJC Helmets, Alpinestars, Hindle Exhaust, Clearlite, Primitive Patterns, DP Brakes, alphaRacing, Vass Performance Cycle, Cartier Racing and Bickle Racing.
To keep up-to-date on Ben Young throughout the year visit; www.BenYoungRacing.com, www.facebook.com/BenYoungRacing and on Twitter and Instagram: @benyoung_86.
