Szoke scores Mopar CSBK pole at AMP

SHUBENACADIE, N.S. (July 15, 2016) – Jordan Szoke continued his mastery of Dalton Timmis Insurance SuperPole qualifying at Atlantic Motorsport Park on Friday. The Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship points leader claimed his third pole position and third $600 cheque of the 2016 season in qualifying for this weekend’s third and fourth rounds of the Canadian Superbike series, sponsored by Honda Canada and Pro Cycle.

Riding his Mopar Express Lane / Motovan / BMW Motorrad BMW S1000RR, the 37-year-old Lynden, Ont. rider turned a lap at one minute, 7.759 seconds around the 2.56km (1.6-mile) 11-turn track north of Halifax for an average speed of 136.011km/h.

The defending Mopar CSBK champ finished 1.102 secs. clear of Collingwood, Ont. rookie Pro Ben Young in the 15-minute Dalton Timmis SuperPole shootout, while Belfountain, Ont.’s Kenny Riedmann set the third fastest time and completes the front row for this weekend’s pair of 22-lap races.

“We’ve had a fantastic bike all year and I felt really comfortable today,” said Szoke, who has not been beaten in Canadian Superbike action since July 27, 2014, winning 10 races in a row. “It’s nice to have ‘Corndog’ [Jon Cornwell] back helping with our suspension work. We missed him at [the previous round] at St-Eustache.”

Szoke also picked up a Rockwell Watch from distributor Motovan for his pole position performance, and a critical four more points toward the Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship. Szoke now has 166 points to the 131 of Riedmann, with a race win worth 50 points.

Szoke is going for a record eighth Canadian Superbike win at AMP in Saturday’s opening race.

“I’m going to do what I can early in the race,” he explained. “Around here I have a lot more experience than a guy like Ben, and I’m going to use that to my advantage, especially when it comes to passing.”

The 23-year-old Young enjoyed his best ever Mopar CSBK qualifying performance to grab second spot on the starting grid on his first visit to AMP with a time of 1:08.861 on the Tim Horton’s / Scot-Build Developments / BMW Motorrad BMW S1000RR.

Young received a $500 cheque from Dalton Timmis Insurance and three points in the Pro Superbike standings, allowing him to close slightly on Riedmann, who picked up two points for qualifying third. Young now has 112 points.

“I wasn’t sure how the session would go since we didn’t practice this morning and we’d made a lot of changes to the bike,” said Young, who like many racers elected to sit-out the damp morning practice period. “We might do a little more work on the front end for the races, but right now I think it’s really about me getting more comfortable with the track.”

Young is currently on top of the Brooklin Cycle Racing Pro Rookie of the Year standings.

Riedmann battled back from a nasty highside early in qualifying to snatch the third fastest time of 1:09.123 on the Sturgess Cycle / Liqui Moly / Joe Rocket Kawasaki ZX-10R Ninja.

“I really knocked the wind out of myself,” admitted Riedmann, who has finished second to Szoke in all three Mopar CSBK races so far this year. “But I’m going into tomorrow pretty happy and looking forward to going for the win.”

Michael Leon of Beaconsfield, Que. put on a late charge to set a time of 1:09.327 on the Royal Distributing Race Team / BMW Motorrad / Pro 6 Cycle BMW S1000RR.

“I don’t feel I rode that well,” Leon admitted. “We’ve made some big changes to the gearing and I couldn’t get in a groove. The last two or three laps I just sucked it up.”

BCR Pro Rookie of the Year contender Samuel Trepanier of St-Isidore-de-Laprairie, Que. qualified fifth on the Blysk Racing / Elle Skin BMW S1000RR with a time of 1:09.491. The former Amateur ace found a switch to a softer rear spring made a big difference in his lap times.

Lining up on the third row of the grid will be Mirabel, Que.’s Sebastien Tremblay, who turned a 1:09.809 on the MotoNation / Laval Moto Kawasaki ZX-10R and said he felt he could lap consistently at that pace.

Seventh fastest was Trevor Daley aboard the OneSpeed Yamaha YZF-R1M, who lapped at 1:10.246. Like Riedmann, the Mississauga, Ont. racer came back from an early fall to set his time.

The top 10 qualifiers were rounded out by Tomas Casas of Peterborough, Ont. riding the Peterborough Cycle Salvage / Parts Canada Yamaha YZF-R6, and rookies Derrick Whyte of Oshawa, Ont. on the Snow City / Kawasaki / Lucas Oil Kawasaki ZX-10R Ninja and Philip Leckie of London, Ont. riding the S.C.I. / Crashburn Cycles Kawasaki ZX-6R.

In other action at AMP, Riedmann kept his perfect record intact by qualifying on pole for this weekend’s pair of Liqui Moly Pro Sport Bike Championship races. Riding his Kawasaki ZX-6R Ninja, Riedmann turned a lap at 1:09.734 to secure his third pole of the season. The two-time defending class champion has won each of the first two races this season.

With his final qualifying lap Casas jumped into second in Pro Sport Bike qualifying with a time of 1:10.999 on the Yamaha YZF-R6, bumping Toronto’s Michael Taylor back to third on the Triumph Canada / GP Bikes / Goderich Toyota Triumph 675R with a time of 1:11.365.

Local ace Ron Munroe of Beaver Bank, N.S. qualified fourth fastest for this weekend’s races after setting a time of 1:11.678 aboard the Freedom Cycle / ARL Kawasaki ZX-6R Ninja.

Falmouth, N.S.’s Jacob Shaw-O’Leary was the fastest qualifier in Magneti Marelli Amateur Superbike qualifying with a time of 1:11.354 on his Honda CBR600RR. Shaw-O’Leary also led Shoei Premium Helmets Amateur Sport Bike qualifying, setting a time of 1:12.024 before a crash ended his session early. He was unhurt in the incident.

Windsor, N.S.’s Brandon Pemberton had the fastest practice time for the Kawasaki Ninja 300 Spec National Series at 1:19.913. The Ninja 300 competitors will qualify Saturday morning.

The Society of the Atlantic Roadracing League, which handles regional racing at AMP, is presenting a pair of regional class events in addition to the national schedule. Blaine Pellerine of Ardoise, N.S. set the fastest practice time for the Pro Cycle / ARL Sportsman Invitational class at 1:14.727 on his Yamaha YZF-R6 while Debert, N.S.’s Gary McKinnon paced the Canadian Kawasaki / ARL Lightweight Supersport Invitational competitors with a time of 1:18.720 on a Kawasaki Ninja 250.

The regional racers will also run their qualifying on Saturday morning.

Action at AMP continues on Saturday with feature races in all five national classes. Practice opens at 9:00 a.m. with the first race, an 18-lapper for the Pro Sport Bike class, scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m. There will also be a full set of feature races on Sunday.

Event information is available online at www.procycleonline.com and www.procycleonline.com or by calling Pro Cycle at (902) 468-2518.

SHUBENACADIE, N.S. (July 15) – Starting line-up for this weekend’s fourth and fifth rounds of the Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship at Atlantic Motorsport Park, showing starting position, rider name, hometown, type of motorcycle and qualifying time:

1. Jordan Szoke, Brantford, Ont., BMW S1000RR, 1:07.759 (136.011km/h)
2. Ben Young, Collingwood, Ont., BMW S1000RR, 1:08.861
3. Kenny Riedmann, Belfountain, Ont., Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:09.800
4. Michael Leon, Beaconsfield, Que., BMW S1000RR, 1:09.327
5. Samuel Trepanier, St-Isidore-de-Laprairie, Que., BMW S1000RR, 1:09.491
6. Sebastien Tremblay, Mirabel, Que., Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:09.809
7. Trevor Daley, Mississauga, Ont., Yamaha YZF-R1, 1:10.246
8. Tomas Casas, Peterborough, Ont., Yamaha YZF-R6, 1:11.365
9. Derrick Whyte, Oshawa, Ont., Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:11.800
10. Philip Leckie, London, Ont., Kawasaki ZX-6R, 1:12.358
11. Michael Taylor, Toronto, Ont., Triumph 675, 1:12.143
12. Stacey Nesbitt, St-Lazare, Que., Honda CBR600RR, 1:12.255
13. Alex Coelho, Brossard, Que., Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:12.731
14. Franklyn Dominguez, Montreal, Que., Kawasaki ZX-10R, 1:12.902
15. Reiner Griese, Picton, Ont., BMW S1000RR, 1:18.683