Szoke Storms to Victory at the ‘Drome
The looming sky gave an ominous feeling to the feature event of the Canadian Superbike Championship this past weekend at Autodrome St Eustache, located just outside of La Belle Province’s city of Montreal.
Szoke starting from pole position launched his Mopar Express Lane backed BMW1000RR off the line cleanly to settle into second spot. Szoke reclaimed the lead early and pulled clear of the field for the 22-lap feature claiming the checkered 6.203 seconds ahead of his nearest competitor.
“The bike was fantastic all weekend, right out of the box,” said Szoke on the podium after his 61st Canadian Superbike victory. “We have a great setup here, and this is my strongest track. Our bike’s running amazing, and we had it dialled for the race. We ran into a bobble in the last corner which we determined was a fuel pump. I’m not sure that could have happened at a more convenient time.”
Szoke was sniffing at his lap record during qualifying on Saturday which he set in July of 2015 at a 44.813 sec around the 1.93 km / 1.2 miles (10 Turns) circuit. Szoke claimed the Dalton Timmins Pole Position award posting the quickest lap at a 0:44.921 on Saturday afternoon, just a tenth shy of the record he was hoping for.
“We have a great setup and the Dunlop tire wear is fantastic. I have the lap record here at a 44.8, and I felt we could beat that today. I tried to do it at the end of the SuperPole session, but I had a little bobble—just pushing too hard.”
Catch coverage of Mopar Canadian Superbike Round Three of the Canadian Superbike Championship by tuning into TSN Canada’s Sports Leader.
Szoke takes his 33 point lead to the next Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship Double Header event held at Atlantic Motorsports Park in Shubenacadie Nova Scotia.
More, from a press release issued by Statoni Racing:
June 23-25, Autodrome St-Eustache, QC was the third round of the 2017 Canadian Superbike Championship.
Stacey took advantage of the good weather and did the Thursday test day “Although this is technically my home track, I don’t ride here much and this was the first time this year. With the mixed weather forecast for the weekend I needed the track time” said Stacey.
With the rain early Friday, the crew used the time to make changes to the front and rear suspension on the BLKRDR by Motovan/FTR CBR600RR. The track dried out in the afternoon enough to verify the changes were in the right direction.
Saturday afternoon and Stacey qualified 11th for the Liqui Moly Pro Sport BikeSport class for what we thought was a third row start. She qualified 19th in Mopar Pro Superbike.
Sunday race day was sunny for morning warm up. The forecasted weather was threatening for the start of the Liqui Moly Pro Sport BikeSport but it remained dry. It turned out the grid configuration was to be 3-2-3 so Stacey would start from row five. She got an average start and moved into the top ten in what was to be a four way fight for seventh. There were multiple position changes throughout the race. With rain drops starting to fall on the final laps, Stacey made a bold move on the last lap entering the stadium section to retake 8th position. With a defensive line through the last turn she was able to hold on to the finish line. She had improved her lap time by over a second from qualifying and set a personal best in the race. “We made some further changes to the bike this weekend which really helped. I enjoyed the race and was able to push harder. Hopefully we can carry this progress through for the remaining rounds” said Stacey.
“I would like to thank Pat and Dad for for improving the bike all weekend. Also to Motovan Inc (BLK RDR program), FTR and sponsors, the corner workers, medical staff, CSBK staff and the fans and supporters in the stands and on social media”.
The next round is at Atlantic Motorsport Park, NS, July 14-16.
Support for this round: BLK RDR by Motovan, FTR, R&M Electrical
Product Support: Shoei Helmets North America, TCX Focus on Boots, Five Advanced Gloves, Olympia Moto Sports, Forsaken Motorsports, SpeedAngle, Physical Park, 613 Motorsport, Powersports Canada, SBS Brakes
Thanks to: Pat Milligan, the Stacey Nesbitt Supporters Club, Mum & Dad
To keep up to date on Stacey Nesbitt, visit her social media at;
Website: http://www.statoniracing.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/statoniracing/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/statoniracing_staceynes…
Twitter: https://twitter.com/StatoniRacing
You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU23ptw5sM1CEmDO…
More, from a press release issued by Ben Young Racing:
Young Just Shy of Podium Finish at St-Eustache
Collingwood, ON CANADA – Collingwood ON’s Ben Young had hoped to improve upon the third-place finish he earned last year during his Autodrome St-Eustache debut in the MOPAR Canadian Superbike Championship. An exciting last lap dash to the finish line fell just shy of the desired result.
Still nursing nagging aches and pains from a wild crash during the CSBK series’ debut at Grand Bend Motorplex the Scot-Build Developments BMW team knew that a solid set up was going to be key to allow Young to make the most of the weekend.
Friday’s limited practice sessions were affected by poor weather only allowing for marginal improvements. The amount of traffic on the track made it a struggle for Young to get consistent clear laps while trying help his team find the setup they knew he’d need to battle hard for the win.
Things quickly heated up during Saturday’s thrilling Dalton Timmis Insurance SuperPole qualifying. Young was second fastest in Pro MOPAR Superbike, piloting his BMW S1000RR to a 0:46.051 ahead of seven other racers within the 46-second zone.
Starting from the middle of the front row Young has been able to constantly put his Scott Cartier and Willie Vass prepared machine in prime position for an early attack.
Young’s launch off the line wasn’t as spectacular as his first ever pro CSBK Superbike holeshot that he managed to execute last season. Young would have his work cut out for him as the current champion and fellow BMW rider Jordan Szoke seemed to have found a comfort level and set up that left the field of very competent racers and their team’s scratching their heads.
The ever-threatening skies had the potential to change the outcome for the two-wheeled combatants by the end of the race. Only time would tell if the forecasted threat of thunderstorms would even out the playing field.
Throughout the opening laps Young would periodically be close enough to show a wheel to notify Kenny Riedmann and Bodhi Edie that he was ready to take advantage of any small error the two might make dueling for position.
The Autodrome St-Eustache track is known for not being too forgiving. Young’s smooth riding style and patience would surly present an opportunity to pass Riedmann and Edie.
Time was running out for the Scottish-born 24-year-old so he began looking for any way to surgical separate the riders battling back and forth for second spot on the podium on the tough-to-pass Autodrome St-Eustache circuit.
Throughout the race Young tried to take advantage of the battle ahead of him but the high probability for carnage from second back to fourth would obliterate points he now desperately needed. Young saw his opening to secure third place on the last lap coming out of the final corner. Drafting Riedmann, Young slipped alongside him just before the finish line and narrowly missed the podium by 0.065 of a second earning a fourth-place finish.
Young currently sits fourth overall in the national Mopar Pro Superbike point standings
“During the race, we encountered grip issues and I struggled to get a good drive out of the corners.” Said Young. “My only option near the end of the race was trying to put myself into a passing position by being late on the brakes. Being so close to the podium is very frustrating as it doesn’t reflect how hard this team works.”
Young’s partners for his 2017 CSBK Championship season include; Scot-build Developments, BMW Motorrad Canada, AXO Racing, Arai Helmets, ACF-50, Hindle Exhaust, Woodcraft, Bickle Racing, SBS Brakes, Motion Pro, Human 2.0, K-Tech Suspension & Epic Racewear.
The 24 year old pilot of the #86 BMW S1000RR is also a proud “Laps for Muscular Dystrophy” (Laps4MD) rider who’s pledged to donate $1 for every lap he lead this season. These donations go to Muscular Dystrophy Canada to help make a difference in the lives of over 50,000 Canadians affected by a neuromuscular disorder.
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.