Szoke aims to stay unbeaten as Superbikes head west

TORONTO, Ont. – Nine-time national champion Jordan Szoke will try to keep his perfect 2015 win record intact as the Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship makes its first visit to Edmonton’s Castrol Raceway this weekend.

The Brantford, Ont. veteran has won the first two events in the 2015 series and enjoys a 20-point lead, 111-91, over defending champion Jodi Christie heading into this weekend’s doubleheader. With 50 points available for a race win in each of the Superbike feature events, this weekend’s action could go a long way to resolving the battle for the Mopar Canadian Superbike title.

This weekend’s Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship doubleheader represents a sort of homecoming for the series. George Morin claimed the first national Expert Superbike crown at the old Edmonton International Speedway in 1979 and also won at the track in 1980.

Szoke has proven himself to be a man for all season as he tries to claim an unprecedented 10th Canadian Superbike crown. In mid-June he won the 2015 season opener at a sun-kissed Calabogie MotorSports Park, near Ottawa, and two weeks ago rode his BMW Motorrad / Mopar Express Lane BMW S1000RR to a clear victory in the pouring rain at Quebec’s Autodrome St-Eustache.

On both occasions he was chased home by Keene, Ont.’s Christie. Riding the Accelerated Technologies / Honda Canada Honda CBR1000RR SP, Christie gave Szoke all he could handle at Calabogie but was unable to challenge the BMW rider at St-Eustache.

The 22-year-old Christie does come into this weekend’s action with a slight edge, having competed in last weekend’s Edmonton Motorcycle Roadracing Association (EMRA) regional event at Castrol Raceway and winning Saturday’s Expert Superbike event on the 2.7km (1.69-mile) 14-turn road course.

A closely-matched group of national challengers, as well as some hot local riders, should add to the excitement this weekend.

Longueuil, Que.’s Sebastien Tremblay heads to Edmonton third in Mopar Canadian Superbike points with 76 after a pair of third place finishes aboard his MotoNation / CrossFit Laval Kawasaki ZX-10R.

Despite battling an early season shoulder injury, Kenny Riedmann of Belfountain, Ont. lies fourth in the standings with 59 points on his GE Capital / Sturgess Cycle-backed Kawasaki ZX-10R, while last year’s series runner-up, Mississauga, Ont.’s Trevor Daley is coming back from a hand injury. The OneSpeed / Suzuki Canada / Parts Canada Suzuki GSX-R1000 rider is seventh in points after two rounds.

Ranged against the national regulars will be Calgary’s Mike Zottmann, who won last Sunday’s EMRA Expert Superbike event aboard his Bow Cycle / Vortex Kawasaki ZX-10R, and defending EMRA champion Justin Knapik of Edmonton, who was a close second to Zottmann on Sunday with his Echo Cycle / Dunlop-backed Kawasaki.

In other action at Castrol Raceway, Christie will take a 21-point lead, 102-81, over fellow Honda CBR600RR rider Louie Raffa into this weekend’s doubleheader for the Hindle Exhaust Pro Sport Bike Championship. Christie took the victory at Calabogie while Ste-Marthe, Que.’s Raffa claimed a popular home win at St-Eustache aboard his Centre Hamel Honda-backed entry.

Defending class champion Riedmann is third in points with 76 after a second and a fourth so far this season on his Triumph 675R.

Local Pro Sport Bike challengers this weekend should include Calgary’s Mike Yurko aboard the Redline Motorsports / Dunlop Yamaha YZF-R6 and Neil Carlson of Edmonton riding the Freight Train Racing / Hindle Kawasaki ZX-6R.

St-Lin Laurentides, Que.’s Stephane Chimot holds a 91-80 lead over Notre Dame de L’ile Perrot, Que. rider Martin Cote in the Magneti Marelli Amateur Superbike class while Alex Coelho of Brossard, Que. enjoys a clear 39-point lead, 109-70 over London, Ont.’s Philip Leckie in the Bell Helmets Amateur Sport Bike division.

Action at Castrol Raceway opens Thursday with a Mopar CSBK-organized test day. Qualifying, including the Magneti Marelli SuperPole in the Pro Superbike division, takes place on Friday while feature races go Saturday and Sunday.

For ticket information call (780) 461-5801, or visit castrolraceway.tix.com or www.castrolraceway.com. Fans can also email [email protected].

The official Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship website, www.csbk.ca, will have full race video coverage of both of this weekend’s Mopar Pro Superbike races, as well as Sunday’s Hindle Pro Sport Bike round.

2015 Point Standings

Mopar Pro Superbike: 1. Jordan Szoke (BMW) 111; 2. Jodi Christie (Honda) 91; 3. Sebastien Tremblay (Kawasaki) 76; 4. Kenny Riedmann (Kawasaki) 59; 5. Franklyn Dominguez (Kawasaki) 48

Hindle Exhaust Pro Sport Bike: 1. Jodi Christie (Honda) 102; 2. Louie Raffa (Honda) 81; 3. Kenny Reidmann (Triumph) 76

Magneti Marelli Amateur Superbike: 1. Stephane Chimot (Honda) 91; 2. Martin Cote (Honda) 80; 3. Alex Coelho (Kawasaki) 78

Bell Helmets Amateur Sport Bike: 1. Alex Coelho (Kawasaki) 109; 2. Philip Leckie (Suzuki) 70; 3. Alexandre Cleary (Suzuki) 65

Previous Edmonton Superbike National Wins

2001 (Namao) – Steve Crevier (Maple Ridge, B.C.) Honda

1980 (Edmonton Int’l Speedway) – George Morin (Mississauga, Ont.) Kawasaki

1979 (Edmonton Int’l Speedway) – George Morin (Mississauga, Ont.) Kawasaki

Castrol Raceway (Edmonton) Fast Facts

…Former Canadian Superbike champion George Morin will serve as Grand Marshall for this weekend’s event at Castrol Raceway. The Mississauga, Ont. racer won the first two Superbike nationals at the old Edmonton International Speedway, or Speedway Park, in 1979 and 1980 and took the national crown both years.

…. Castrol Raceway is a multi-purpose motorsports facility. In addition to the road course there is a quarter-mile International Hot Road Association (IHRA) drag strip, a three-eighths mile clay oval, 10-acre motocross track and mini-sprint kart track. The facility’s Mopar Rocky Mountain Nitro Jam Nationals is the largest, most-attended IHRA event in Canada and Castrol Raceway was voted North America’s top IHRA racing facility in 2006 and 2009.

…The Jordan Szoke ‘win watch’ will continue this weekend in Edmonton. With his triumph at Autodrome St-Eustache the Brantford, Ont. veteran now has 47 career national Superbike wins to his credit as he closes in on a milestone 50 victories. The number two rider on the all-time list is Maple Ridge, B.C.’s Steve Crevier with 26 national Superbike triumphs.

…The city of Edmonton has a well-earned reputation as a racing hotbed that predates the emergence of Castrol Raceway. In addition to hosting national motorcycle events, the old Edmonton International Speedway staged major international car races, including rounds of the Can-Am Challenge Cup for sports cars between 1968 and 1973, and again in 1981. Denis Hulme of New Zealand, the 1967 Formula 1 World Champion, was the Can-Am star, winning four races in a row from 1968 to 1971.

Provisional Weekend Schedule

Friday, July 10

1:00 p.m. – 1:20 p.m. – Hindle Exhaust Pro Sport Bike Qualifying

1:30 p.m. – 1:50 p.m. – Bell Helmets Amateur Sport Bike Qualifying

2:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. – Mopar Pro Superbike Magneti Marelli SuperPole Qualifying

4:00 p.m. – 4:20 p.m. – Magneti Marelli Amateur Superbike Qualifying

Saturday, July 11

1:00 p.m. – Hindle Exhaust Pro Sport Bike Race (14 laps)

Bell Helmets Amateur Sport Bike Race (12 laps)

2:45 p.m. – Mopar Pro Superbike Race (16 laps)

Magneti Marelli Amateur Superbike Race (12 laps)

Sunday, July 12

1:00 p.m. – Hindle Exhaust Pro Sport Bike Race (14 laps)

Bell Helmets Amateur Sport Bike Race (12 laps)

3:00 p.m. – Mopar Pro Superbike Race (16 laps)

Magneti Marelli Amateur Superbike Race (12 laps)