Szoke looks to add to legacy in Mopar CSBK finale at CTMP

TORONTO, Ont. – A perfect season in any sport is considered a once-in-a-lifetime achievement. The National Football League’s Miami Dolphins went 17-0 in 1972 and have been waiting for someone to match them ever since.

But at this weekend’s doubleheader final round of the Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Jordan Szoke will be bidding for his third perfect season, and second in succession, in addition to claiming an 11th Canadian Superbike title.

The 37-year-old racer from Lynden, Ont. went unbeaten for the first time in 2010 before running the table again in 2015, capping off his remarkable year with a doubleheader sweep at CTMP.

This season Szoke has victories in all five Mopar CSBK races aboard the Mopar Express Lane / Motovan / BMW Motorrad BMW S1000RR and enjoys a commanding 51-point lead, 268-217, over Kenny Riedmann heading into this weekend’s doubleheader.

A weekend sweep would not only assure Szoke of his third perfect campaign, but also give him 59 Canadian Superbike race wins and 14 at CTMP, both all-time records.

However, with two points paying races on tap this weekend and 50 points for a race win, it would not take much for Riedmann to turn the tables on the defending champion. The 24-year-old from Belfountain, Ont. has finished second to Szoke in each race this year and led most of the most recent round at Atlantic Motorsport Park.

The rider of the Sturgess Cycle / Liqui Moly / Joe Rocket Kawasaki ZX-10R Ninja came within a turn of ending Szoke’s perfect 2015 season at CTMP last year and will be looking to close the deal this time around.

Another rider capable of upsetting Szoke is top BCR Pro Rookie of the Year contender Ben Young. The 23-year-old from Collingwood, Ont. lies third in the point standings with 186 points on the Tim Horton’s / Scot-Build Developments / BMW Motorrad BMW S1000RR and has finished on the podium four times this year.

Also worth watching will be Warman, Sask.’s Bodhi Edie. The 20-year-old rider of the Trip-Dub Racing / Z1 Cycle Tech / Birkett Freight Solutions Yamaha YZF-R1 has been out of action most of the summer after a qualifying crash at Autodrome St-Eustache in June, but is due back at CTMP this weekend and scored his only career Canadian Superbike win on the high-speed 3.9km (2.459-mile) 10-turn track in 2013.

There is also a tight battle for fourth in the Mopar CSBK standings, with only 11 points separating the three contenders. Beaconsfield, Que.’s Michael Leon enjoyed a season-high fourth place finish at AMP on the Royal Distributing Race Team / BMW Motorrad / Pro 6 Cycle BMW S1000RR. Riding the MotoNation / Laval Moto Kawasaki ZX-10R Ninja, Mirabel, Que. rider Tremblay has a history of strong results at CTMP, while Mississauga, Ont.’s Daley had his most competitive weekend of the season at AMP with the OneSpeed Yamaha YZF-R1M.

A highlight of Friday’s action will be the debut of special Dunlop Qualifying Tires for the Dalton Timmis Insurance Pole Position Shootout, as riders make an assault on Brett McCormick’s five-year-old track record of one minute, 20.866 seconds.

In other doubleheader action at CTMP this weekend, Riedmann is in position to claim his third straight Liqui Moly Pro Sport Bike title on his Kawasaki ZX-6R. He comes into the two races with a massive 98-point lead, 220-122, over rookie Pro Alex Coelho of Brossard, Que. on the Black Sheep Racing / Liqui Moly / A.G. Graphique Kawasaki ZX-6R, while former two-time Superbike champion Michael Taylor of Toronto is just a further point back in third riding the Triumph Canada / GP Bikes / Goderich Toyota Triumph 675.

Last year’s co-winner of the BCR Pro Rookie of the Year Award Tomas Casas of Peterborough, Ont. has two podium finishes on the Peterborough Cycle Salvage / Parts Canada Yamaha YZF-R6.

Jean-Marc Bilger of Montreal comes to CTMP leading the Magneti Marelli Amateur Superbike class on his BMW S1000RR, while Ottawa’s Chris Brent tops the Shoei Premium Helmets Amateur Sport Bike class with a Honda CBR600RR.

In the closest points battle, Ile Perrot, Que.’s Eric Quintin enjoys a slender one-point advantage over Windsor, N.S. rider Brandon Pemberton in the Kawasaki Ninja 300 Spec National Series.

Competition begins on Friday with qualifying. Feature races in all five national classes will be held Saturday and Sunday.

For more information and to order tickets, call the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Hotline at 1-800-866-1072 (Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm ET), visit online at www.canadiantiremotorsportpark.com, or email [email protected].

2016 Point Standings

Mopar Pro Superbike: 1. Jordan Szoke (BMW) 268; 2. Kenny Riedmann (Kawasaki) 217; 3. Ben Young (BMW) 186; 4. Michael Leon (BMW) 149; 5. Sebastien Tremblay (Kawasaki), Trevor Daley (Yamaha) 138

Liqui Moly Pro Sport Bike: 1. Kenny Riedmann (Kawasaki) 220; 2. Alex Coelho (Kawasaki) 122; 3. Michael Taylor (Triumph) 121

Magneti Marelli Amateur Superbike: 1. Jean-Marc Bilger (BMW) 175; 2. Chris Brent (Honda) 142; 3. Jacob Shaw-O’Leary (Honda) 121

Shoei Premium Helmets Amateur Sport Bike: 1. Chris Brent (Honda) 188; 2. Jacob Shaw-O’Leary (Honda) 139; 3. Eric Richard (Honda) 99

Kawasaki Ninja 300 Spec National Series: 1. Eric Quintin (Kawasaki) 369; 2. Brandon Pemberton (Kawasaki) 368; 3. Jared Walker (Kawasaki) 293

Recent Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Superbike National Wins

2015 – Jordan Szoke (BMW S1000RR) / Jordan Szoke (BMW S1000RR)

2014 – Frank Trombino (Aprilia RSV1000) / Jodi Christie (Honda CBR1000RR)

2013 – Bodhi Edie (BMW S1000RR) / Alex Welsh (Suzuki GSX-R1000)

2012 – Kevin Lacombe (BMW S1000RR) / Alex Welsh (Suzuki GSX-R1000)

2011 – Brett McCormick (BMW S1000RR) / Jordan Szoke (Kawasaki ZX-10R)

Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Fast Facts

…The year-end payout for the four national classes at CTMP (excluding the Kawasaki Ninja 300 Series) will be a total of $64,000, 20 percent more than last season, with the biggest single payout going to the Mopar Pro Superbike champ at $10,000. The Kawasaki class is new this season.

…The only win for an Aprilia in CSBK competition came courtesy of Frank Trombino in a wet race one at CTMP in 2014. It was his third career victory at the track, after he had scored back-to-back wins on a Yamaha in 2000 and 2001. Ducati scored its sole CSBK feature success at CTMP in 1995, with Jeff Sneyd aboard.

…Jordan Szoke has swept the doubleheader at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park four times. Pascal Picotte of Granby, Que. also managed the feat, pulling it off twice.

Provisional Weekend Schedule

Friday, August 19

12:45 p.m. – 1:10 p.m. Dalton Timmis Insurance Pro Superbike Elimination Qualifying

1:20 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. – Shoei Premium Helmets Amateur Sport Bike Qualifying

1:55 p.m. – 2:10 p.m. — Dalton Timmis Insurance Pro Superbike Top 10 Qualifier

2:30 – 2:55 p.m. – Magneti Marelli Amateur Superbike Qualifying

3:35 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. – Liqui Moly Pro Sport Bike Qualifying

Saturday, August 20

11:15 a.m. – 11:35 a.m. – Kawasaki Ninja 300 Spec Series Qualifying

1:00 p.m. – Liqui Moly Pro Sport Bike Race (14 laps)

Shoei Premium Helmets Amateur Sport Bike Race (12 laps)

Kawasaki Ninja 300 Spec Series Race (10 laps)

3:00 p.m. – Mopar Pro Superbike Race (20 laps)

Magneti Marelli Amateur Superbike Race (12 laps)

Sunday, August 21

1:00 p.m. – Liqui Moly Pro Sport Bike Race (14 laps)

Shoei Premium Helmets Amateur Sport Bike Race (12 laps)

Kawasaki Ninja 300 Spec Series Race (10 laps)

3:00 p.m. – Mopar Pro Superbike Race (20 laps)

Magneti Marelli Amateur Superbike Race (12 laps)