Szoke outlasts Dumas, Young to grab pivotal victory in race two of three at CTMP
Bowmanville, ON – The Pro Superbike tripleheader at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park delivered another new winner in race two, as reigning champion Jordan Szoke claimed a crucial victory after another thrilling battle on Sunday.
Szoke’s weekend had previously been off to a rocky start, as unusual circumstances left him ninth in qualifying before he struggled to sixth in race one. However, the Canada General Warranty Kawasaki rider demonstrated why he is a 14-time national champion in race two, methodically picking his way through the lead four-rider battle before sealing the win with a penultimate lap pass on championship leader Alex Dumas.
The much-needed win slightly trims Szoke’s deficit to the top of the standings, as his title defence now sits 41 points away with three races to go, though Dumas again executed his ability to limit the damage with a strong second-place finish.
The rookie teenager was briefly shunted to third with three laps to go as Young and Szoke renewed their storied rivalry out front, but he only needed one more lap to place his Liqui Moly MPG FAST Riding School Suzuki back into the top two spots.
Race one winner Young desperately tried to catch Dumas at the line, but he ultimately settled for third as his deficit increases again to 13 points. The Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW rider will be looking to settle the score in race three this afternoon, knowing Dumas will have one hand on the trophy if he enters the final round with a points lead.
Sebastian Tremblay continued his stellar dual-threat season with another stellar fourth-place finish, as the Liqui Moly Pro Sport Bike championship leader ran behind the lead trio for the entire race and seemed poised for a podium spot before ultimately settling for crucial points inside the top-five.
Rounding out the five best finishers was race one podium finisher Trevor Daley, who got scrappy with the frontrunner on lap one but ultimately couldn’t replicate his pace from earlier in the day, settling for fifth after a thrilling battle with Dewildt Honda’s Steven Nickerson and a charging Tomas Casas.
Casas’ efforts were enough to secure him the second FAST Riding School Hard Charger award of the day, as the Parts Canada Yamaha rider slipped as far back as 16th on the opening lap before storming his way to sixth across the line.
Szoke’s win and Tremblay’s top-four result will see Kawasaki make a massive jump in the Constructors Championship, as they leapfrog BMW for second in the overall table, though Suzuki retains a 47-point gap atop the standings thanks to Dumas and Daley.
The full results from race two can be found here, while race three – the final leg of the historic tripleheader – is set to get underway at roughly 4 p.m. EST.
