FOUR-RIDER FIGHT HEADS EAST TORONTO, ON For the second time in the past three years the Parts Canada Superbike Championship is heading for a dramatic down to the wire finale. And once again Atlantic Motorsport Park in Shubenacadie, NS will be a key battleground in the war for the title. Four riders come into this weekend’s doubleheader event, the penultimate stop on the 2005 tour, with a solid shot at claiming Canada’s biggest motorcycle road racing prize. Francis Martin of Rock Forest, QC leads the standings with 198 points, but just two points behind him is Brantford, ON ace Jordan Szoke. Calgary’s Clint McBain is just another two points behind with 194. Meanwhile, lurking in fourth in the standings with 179 points is Granby, QC rider Pascal Picotte, who shot into contention for the title after sweeping the doubleheader at the previous event at Mosport International Raceway. This weekend’s races are the sixth and seventh rounds of the eight-race series, which wraps up at Shannonville Motorsport Park on the Labour Day Weekend of Sept. 2-4. Picotte is bidding for a third straight Canadian Superbike crown, a feat not managed since Steve Crevier won three in a row from 1991-93. But his championship aspirations appeared to be over after he was injured in a practice fall at the Parts Canada Superbike season opener at Shannonville in May. Picotte was dominant at Mosport, however, qualifying on pole and leading both races lights-to-flag on his Picotte Performance Yamaha YZF-R1. Riding the Snobgirls / Laval Moto Suzuki GSX-R1000, Martin won the Shannonville season opener and has two other podium finishes to his credit this season. He has never won at AMP, but is a past national Superbike champion, taking the title for Kawasaki in 1999. Although he hasn’t won yet in 2005, Szoke hasn’t finished lower than fourth in the first five races of the season on his Fast Company Honda CBR1000RR. The Canadian Superbike champion in 1998 and 2002, Szoke has won twice at AMP. McBain has been the other winner this season on the Team Suzuki / Blackfoot Suzuki GSX-R1000. He scored a popular home sweep at the second and third rounds of the series at Race City Motorsport Park but suffered a big crash in the first race of the Mosport doubleheader. He bounced back to claim second place behind Picotte the next day and stay in contention for a possible first Canadian Superbike crown. A succession of challengers will be eager to mix it up with this foursome and the tight 2.56km (1.6-mile), 11-turn AMP circuit has a tradition of serving up the closest races of the season. Steve Crevier of Maple Ridge, BC sits fifth in points with 138 on the Diablo Performance Honda CBR1000RR. The six-time national champion has more AMP Superbike victories than any other racer with five. Just a point behind Crevier is McBain’s teammate on the Blackfoot Suzuki team, Kevin Lacombe. The Granby, QC rider won last year’s Superbike feature at AMP. The Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX-10Rs showed improved form at Mosport. Matt McBride of Mississauga, ON placed a career high fourth in the second race, while Tom Kipp of Chardon, OH was third a day earlier. They come to AMP seventh and ninth in points, respectively. Action this weekend will also include a doubleheader for the Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike Championship. Honda rider Crevier leads the standings despite seeing his three-race win streak come to an end at Mosport. He has 216 points to the 193 of Suzuki’s McBain, while another Calgary racer, Chris Peris is creeping up in third after winning both Mosport rounds on his Topline Yamaha YZF-R6. Sunday’s racing will also include features for the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike, Canadian Thunder and Suzuki SV650 National Cup competitors. Mark Douglas of Warkworth, ON holds a slim 11-point lead over Woodstock, ON’s James Collins, 125-114 in Amateur 600 Sport Bike after taking his first career series win at Mosport. Vancouver’s Olivier Spilborghs is third in points with 81. All three are aboard Yamahas. Buell rider Bill Card of Wellesley, ON leads the Canadian Thunder standings after sweeping the doubleheader at Mosport, while 15-year-old Karl Daigle of Roxton Pond, QC has won the last three SV650 Cup features to take command of that series. Qualifying for the Parts Canada Superbike and Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike series will take place Friday afternoon with feature races set for Saturday and Sunday. The International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike, Canadian Thunder and Suzuki SV650 National Cup competitors will qualify Saturday for their Sunday features. Action from this weekend will be shown later this summer in a one-hour show on TSN. For more series information, visit www.cdnsuperbike.com All Time Atlantic Motorsport Park Superbike Wins: Steve Crevier (Maple Ridge, BC) 5; Don Munroe (Halifax, NS) 3; Rueben McMurter (London, ON) 2; Jordan Szoke (Brantford, ON) 2; Gary Goodfellow (Vancouver, BC) 1; Miguel Duhamel (Repentigny, QC) 1; Michel Mercier (Thetford Mines, QC) 1; Mark Kowalski (Kitchener, ON) 1; Pascal Picotte (Granby, QC) 1; Kevin Lacombe (Granby, QC) 1 Atlantic Motorsport Park Fast Facts Win battle tightens up “¦Pascal Picotte’s sweep of the doubleheader at Mosport International Raceway moved him into a tie with Jordan Szoke for second on the all-time national Superbike win list. Both riders now have 15 career victories, while Steve Crevier leads with 22 wins. Crevier due? “¦Although Steve Crevier has won more Superbike nationals at AMP than any other rider with five, he has been shut out at the east coast venue since 2001, the year he also won the last of his six Canadian Superbike titles. Experience counts “¦When Kevin Lacombe won last year’s Parts Canada Superbike feature at AMP it ended a string of dominance by the three most successful racers in the history of the national series. Prior to that, Pascal Picotte won at the track in 2003, Jordan Szoke in 1999 and 2002, and Steve Crevier in 2000 and 2001. 2005 Point Standings Parts Canada Superbike: 1. Francis Martin (Suzuki) 198; 2. Jordan Szoke (Honda) 196; 3. Clint McBain (Suzuki) 194; 4. Pascal Picotte (Yamaha) 179; 5. Steve Crevier (Honda) 138 Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike: 1. Steve Crevier (Honda) 216; 2. Clint McBain (Suzuki) 193; 3. Chris Peris (Yamaha) 185 International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike: 1. Mark Douglas (Yamaha) 125; 2. James Collins (Yamaha) 114; 3. Olivier Spilborghs (Yamaha) 81 Canadian Thunder: 1. Bill Card (Buell) 145; 2. Darren James (Buell) 127; 3. Derek Vammus (Ducati) 120 Suzuki SV650 National Cup: 1. Karl Daigle 193; 2. Alain Lefebvre 170; 3. Norm Tang 136 Provisional Weekend Schedule Friday August 5 1:45 p.m. 2:10 p.m. Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike Qualifying 3:15 p.m. 3:55 p.m. Parts Canada Superbike Qualifying Saturday August 6 1:20 p.m. Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike Race 1 16 laps 2:20 p.m. Canadian Thunder Qualifying Heat 8 laps 3:10 p.m. Parts Canada Superbike Race 1 22 laps 4:00 p.m. 4:20 p.m. Suzuki SV650 National Cup Qualifying 4:30 p.m. 5:20 p.m. International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike Qualifying Sunday August 7 1:00 p.m. Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike Race 2 16 laps Canadian Thunder Race 12 laps International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike Race 12 laps 3:00 p.m. Parts Canada Superbike Race 2 22 laps Suzuki SV650 National Cup Race 12 laps