Szoke takes 50th Superbike win at Atlantic Motorsport Park
SHUBENACADIE, N.S. (August 2, 2015) – Jordan Szoke claimed a milestone 50th career Canadian Superbike race win and closed in on his 10th national title with victory in the Pro Cycle and Honda Canada-sponsored fifth round of the Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship at Atlantic Motorsport Park on Sunday.
The Lynden, Ont.-based racer took the lead from Kenny Riedmann on the 12th lap of the 22-lap race and pulled clear to win by 4.662 secs. on his Mopar Express Lane / BMW Motorrad BMW S1000RR. Riedmann placed second on the GE Capital / Sturgess Cycle Kawasaki ZX-10R and defending Mopar CSBK champion Jodi Christie settled for third after leading the first nine laps aboard his Accelerated Technologies / Honda Canada Honda CBR1000RR.
Szoke completed the 56.32km (35.2-mile) race distance in 25 minutes, 32.703 seconds for an average speed of 132.284km/h (79.370 mph).
His fifth victory of the season gives Szoke an almost unassailable lead of 91 points at the top of the Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship standings heading into the season finale doubleheader at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park August 14-16. The 36-year-old now has 275 points to the 184 of Riedmann, who took over second spot from Christie in the title race with Sunday’s result.
There are 108 points available at CTMP, 50 points for each race win, two points in each race for leading the most laps and four points for qualifying fastest.
“It’s great to get my 50th win here; this place is so challenging on a Superbike. They’re really animals around here,” said Szoke, who also tied a record with his seventh career Superbike win at AMP. “My focus is still on the championship, not records. Now I have to go to Mosport [CTMP], get the championship, and then get my head down at that track.”
Szoke had taken the top spot in Magneti Marelli SuperPole qualifying on Saturday but Christie got the jump off the start with Riedmann slotting into second ahead of Szoke. These three quickly pulled away from the rest of the field and stayed in order until lap 10, when Riedmann got by Christie in turn 4 and Szoke quickly followed through into second.
Two laps later Szoke grabbed the lead from Riedmann through turn 4 and quickly set about pulling away from the Belfountain, Ont. racer. Szoke turned the fastest lap of the race, a 1:08.869 on lap 13 and followed that up with a 1:09.072 on the next tour.
By lap 15 Szoke was almost two seconds clear of Riedmann and by lap 18 the margin had grown to 4.014 secs.
“Jodi is such a good starter, I was content to wait and see what he and Kenny would do,” explained Szoke, who has not been beaten in a Superbike feature this year. “We were in the [one minute] 10s, fairly slow early when the tires were good, but even at that pace it is still hard to pass.
“Around halfway I decided to up the pace, get my head down and see what I could do. Kenny went into [turn] 4 really well, but I have done a lot of passing in [turns] 4 and 5; I always find a way to make it work there. He got a little wheelie going up the hill and that gave me my opportunity.”
Riedmann picked up his second straight runner-up finish in Mopar CSBK action and his third podium in a row after injuring his shoulder in the season opener at Calabogie MotorSports Park.
“It took me a while to get something working on Jodi, and then I thought I had a shot at winning this for a second, then Jordan came by,” Riedmann said. “Our first season on the Superbike got off to a bumpy start, and it has taken me a while, and these other two guys have so much experience. The bike is still faster than I am at the moment, and it will be another learning curve at Mosport [CTMP].”
Christie dropped away steadily in third place as he battled brake worries and handling issues, finally finishing up 15.503 secs. back in third spot. He goes to the season finale third in the standings with 182 points.
“Our bike was good; if anything went wrong it wasn’t for a lack of effort,” said the 22-year-old from Keene, Ont. “I started having trouble with the brakes fading. I made some adjustments and then I started having some front end handling issues.
“I’m very frustrated. I’m surrounded by people who are working so hard for me but I can’t seem to put it all together right now. My head is getting the best of me at the moment.”
Trevor Daley ran a lonely race to fourth place on his One Speed / Parts Canada / Suzuki Canada Suzuki GSX-R1000 as he battled with hand injuries that have plagued him since a crash in testing for the season opener. The Mississauga, Ont. racer was recently diagnosed with three fractures of the scaphoid.
Beaconsfield, Que.’s Michael Leon took fifth aboard the Royal Distributing / Multi-Tact BMW S1000RR.
Rookie Pro Tomas Casas had been running in fifth on his Parts Canada / Peterborough Cycle Salvage Yamaha YZF-R6 but ran off track in turn 7 on lap 16, falling behind Leon and Sebastien Tremblay and rejoining just in front of fellow rookie and former Amateur sparring partner Stacey Nesbitt.
Tremblay, Casas and Nesbitt engaged in an exciting battle for sixth over the final six laps, with Casas getting in front of the MotoNation / Laval Moto Kawasaki ZX-10R of Tremblay two laps from the end. Tremblay, riding with a knee injury sustained during Saturday practice, salvaged seventh with Nesbitt eighth on the FTR / Honda Canada Honda CBR600RR.
Longueuil, Que.’s Tremblay goes to the season finale fourth in the Mopar CSBK standings with 155 points to the 134 of Daley and Leon’s 96.
St-Lazare, Que.’s Nesbitt and Peterborough, Ont. racer Casas are now tied for seventh in the overall rankings and share first place in the Pro Rookie race with 92 points each.
Ron Munroe of Beaver Bank, N.S. placed ninth in Sunday’s race on his Freedom Cycle Kawasaki ZX-10R and Wellington, Ont.’s Reiner Griese completed the top 10 aboard a BMW S1000RR.
After qualifying on the front row Sarnia, Ont.’s Will Hornblower ran fifth in the early laps on his 402bike.com / Bob’s Motorsport Yamaha YZF-R6 before retiring to the pits after eight laps.
In other action at AMP on Sunday, Riedmann took over the lead of the Hindle Exhaust Pro Sport Bike standings after scoring his third win in a row on his Triumph 675R. The defending class champion took the lead from Christie on lap 3 of the 18-lap race and held off the Honda CBR600RR rider by just 0.120 secs. at the finish.
Riedmann now leads Christie by nine points in the standings, 239-230, heading into the final doubleheader weekend at CTMP.
Darren James solidified his hold on third place in the point standings by finishing third in Sunday’s race on the Ruthless Racing / Trev Deeley Yamaha YZF-R6. The North Vancouver racer now has 166 points.
After running third much of the race Hornblower settled for fourth aboard his Yamaha YZF-R6 and Casas finished fifth with another Yamaha YZF-R6.
Dartmouth, N.S.’s Rob Forsyth rode his Yamaha YZF-R6 to victory in the Magneti Marelli Amateur Superbike race, finishing 1.057 secs. clear of the BMW S1000RR of St-Isidore-de-Laprairie, Que.’s Samuel Trepannier. Lee Hammond of Lakeview, N.S. was third riding a Kawasaki ZX-6R.
With the result Trepannier takes over the lead of the Amateur Superbike standings with 190 points to the 178 of Brossard, Que.’s Alex Coelho, who placed seventh in Sunday’s race on his Kawasaki ZX-6R.
Forsyth also won the Bell Helmets Amateur Sport Bike race, beating the Pro Cycle Honda CBR600RR of Falmouth, N.S.’s Jacob Shaw-O’Leary by 2.091 secs.
Coelho completed the podium in third spot and now leads the Amateur Sport Bike standings by 42 points, 243-201, over London, Ont.’s Philip Leckie heading into the final two races at CTMP. Leckie placed fourth at AMP on Sunday aboard his Suzuki GSX-R600 after an intense dice with Coelho.
Halifax rider Brendan Hanrahan won the Atlantic Roadracing League Lightweight Super Sport regional event on his Kawasaki ZX250 and Jeff O’Leary of Falmouth, N.S. claimed the ARL Invitational race on his Honda CBR600RR.
The official Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship website, www.csbk.ca, will have full race video coverage of Sunday’s Hindle Exhaust Pro Sport Bike and Mopar Pro Superbike feature National events.
The 2015 Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship concludes with a doubleheader event at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, in Bowmanville, Ont., August 14-16. Ticket information is available through www.mosport.com, emailing [email protected], or by calling (905) 983-9141, Tickets can also be purchased by following the blue ticket link in the event info section at www.mosport.com,
SHUBENACADIE, N.S. (August 2) – Results of Sunday’s fifth round of the Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship at Atlantic Motorsport Park, showing finishing position, rider name, hometown, type of motorcycle and laps completed:
1. Jordan Szoke, Brantford, Ont., BMW S1000RR, 22 (132.284km/h)
2. Kenny Riedmann, Belfountain, Ont., Kawasaki ZX-10R, 22
3. Jodi Christie, Keene, Ont., Honda CBR1000RR, 22
4. Trevor Daley, Mississauga, Ont., Suzuki GSX-R1000, 22
5. Michael Leon, Beaconsfield, Que., BMW S1000RR, 22
6. Tomas Casas, Peterborough, Ont., Yamaha YZF-R6, 22
7. Sebastien Tremblay, Longueuil, Que., Kawasaki ZX-10R, 22
8. Stacey Nesbitt, St-Lazare, Que., Honda CBR600RR, 22
9. Ron Munroe, Beaver Bank, N.S., Kawasaki ZX-10R, 22
10. Reiner Griese, Wellington, Ont., BMW S1000RR, 21
11. Geoff Cole, Elmsdale, N.S., Yamaha YZF-R6, 21
Did Not Finish
Will Hornblower, Sarnia, Ont., Yamaha YZF-R6, 8
Did Not Start
Darren James, North Vancouver, B.C., Yamaha YZF-R6
Louie Raffa, Ste-Marthe, Que., Honda CBR600RR
Time of Race: 25.32.703
Average Speed: 132.284km/h
Margin of Victory: 4.662 secs.
Fastest Lap: 1:08.869 by Jordan Szoke on lap 13
Lap Leaders: Jodi Christie 1-9, Kenny Riedmann 10-11, Jordan Szoke 12-22
Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship point standings after five of seven rounds, showing position, rider name and point total:
1.Jordan Szoke, 275
2. Kenny Riedmann, 184
2. Jodi Christie, 182
4. Sebastien Tremblay, 155
5. Trevor Daley, 134
6. Michael Leon, 96
7. Stacey Nesbitt, 92
7. Tomas Casas, 92
9. Justin Knapik, 55
10. Mike Zottmann, 54
11. Reiner Griese, 52
12. Franklyn Dominguez, 48
13. Ross Millson, 46
14. Shane Caravan, 44
15. Bez Cajee, 40
16. Sean Huffman, 31
17. John Crump, 30
18. Spero Benias, 27
19. Kristopher Garvie, 25
20. Jim Proulx, 23
20. Ken LaLonde, 23
22. Chris Murray-Audain, 21
22. Ron Munroe, 21
24. Geoff Cole, 17
25. Colin Lolacher, 14
26. Ernie McCafferty, 14
27. Will Hornblower, 1