Jordan Szoke rode the roller coaster to double victory this weekend during the Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship held at Atlantic Motorsports Park in Shubanancie Nova Scotia Canada.
This infamous track is one of Szoke’s favourites he ironically had his Superbike debut in 1997 and has been unbeaten at the circuit in Superbike action since 2014.
Szoke started from pole position on Saturdays race after setting the fastest time and claiming the Dalton Timmins Pole Position award a day earlier. Szoke snatched the hole shot and was unchallenged for the remainder of the 22 lap race claiming the checkered 11.09 seconds clear of the field.
“Because of the way you have to set up the motorcycle here, because it is so bumpy, you can’t really slow down too much,” said Szoke about the rough AMP track surface. “The bike wants to beat you up, so you’ve got to push the whole time here. I’m just as exhausted now as if I was battling someone, but I can’t complain. Obviously we had an amazing setup right out of the box.
New grid position rules came into place for Sunday, determined with input from the riders. Szoke once again started from pole position having claiming the fastest lap of the race from the day previous.
He once again maintained control of the 22 lap feature by turn 2 of the first lap. The defending champion was ahead by 10.22 seconds by the 17th lap when a red flag shortened the race giving Jordan the victory.
“I was spent. I’m not gonna lie,” said a visibly fatigued Szoke during the podium presentation. “It’s the most physically demanding track we go to in North America, for sure. You’re white-knuckling it the whole time. it might look easy, but it’s definitely not.”
Szoke set the fastest lap in every practice, qualifying and race session during the weekend, including a fast lap at 1:07.769 in Sunday’s Feature race.
“We don’t stop working,” Szoke noted about his dedicated crew. “We keep pushing forward; we’ll look at this race and go forward from here. That’s what you’ve got to do. These guys behind us are pushing hard, and we’ve got to stay on our game. Now we have to win a Championship.”
More, from a press release issued by Ben Young Racing:
A Pair of Podiums for Young at Atlantic Motorsport Park
SHUBENACADIE, NS – Collingwood, ON based Pro Superbike rider Ben Young was determined to improve upon his results from Autodrome St-Eustache where he finished just off the podium in fourth. Young’s return visit to Atlantic Motorsport Park (AMP) saw him earn a pair of podium finishes at the ever-popular East Coast doubleheader round.
On Friday Young earned a spot in the Top 10 to Dalton Timmis SuperPole. After putting in some very sold laps, Young missed out on a final fast lap at the end of the session as the checkered flag flew on his out lap. Young would start from the middle of the second row in each of the two MOPAR Pro Superbike feature races.
Young got a solid start in Saturday’s feature however an incident involving two riders would bring out the Red Flag to allow medical staff to attend to one of the riders. After a thorough assessment of the downed riders that grid was reset and Canada’s top superbike racers were battling for position once again.
Young seemed to be struggling in the opening laps but it wasn’t long before he was mixing it up with Michael Leon, Samuel Trepanier and Andrew Nelson before eventually securing fourth place. Young seemed fired up posting lap times faster than the top three lap after lap. The question remained, was there enough time to challenge for third place?
Young missed a gear entering the front straight allowing Trepanier to take over fourth place however a few laps later Young would return the favour and began his quest to challenge for third with only three laps left. It began to appear that Young would once again have to settle for fourth place however the rider in second who was trying to defend his position may have pushed too hard and crashed on the last lap allowing Young to make a return visit to the podium with a third-place finish.
An unfortunate incident during Sunday’s morning warm up would find Young’s “A” bike unridable leaving the Scot-Build Developments BMW team scrambling to build a bike to take on the demanding AMP “Rollercoaster” in time for the feature.
Young launched off the line in the second race of the doubleheader weekend and began to battle with Bodhi Edie, Trepanier and Leon for third. Eventually the pack was collectively on the hunt for second place which was currently occupied by Kenny Riedmann. Within a few more laps Young would make the pass on Edie going into Turn #9 and secured third place.
Young was now on the tail of Riedmann with Leon in tow, but a two-rider crash a few positions back would bring out the Red Flag stopping the race and making the results official. Young would earn his second podium of the weekend with another hard fought third-place finish.
This past weekend’s results launched Young back into third-place overall in the MOPAR Pro Superbike Point Standings.
“We tossed away the ‘A’ bike this morning during practice. Unfortunately, it hit the wall and it was just too damaged to repair for the feature race in the afternoon,” said Young. “I caught Kenny and I didn’t want to show him what I had. It was unfortunate that the red flag came out and it ended the way it did. I’m happy to hear the two riders that went down were okay. I was saving my last push for the end of the race because I know Kenny would come right back.”
Young added, “Considering the weekend we had and the year we’ve had so far, we got back on the podium and salvaged some crucial points. We’ll continue to battle for the win at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park next month.”
Young’s partners for his 2017 CSBK Championship season include; Scot-build Developments, BMW Motorrad Canada, AXO Racing, Arai Helmets, ACF-50, Hindle Exhaust, Woodcraft, Bickle Racing, SBS Brakes, Motion Pro, Human 2.0, K-Tech Suspension & Epic Racewear.
The 24 year old pilot of the #86 BMW S1000RR is also a proud “Laps for Muscular Dystrophy” (Laps4MD) rider who’s pledged to donate $1 for every lap he lead this season. These donations go to Muscular Dystrophy Canada to help make a difference in the lives of over 50,000 Canadians affected by a neuromuscular disorder.
To keep up-to-date on Ben Young throughout the year visit; www.BenYoungRacing.com, www.facebook.com/BenYoungRacing and on Twitter and Instagram: @benyoung_86.
More, from a press release issued by GP Suspension:
GP Suspension riders took the first 2 top steps of the podium in The AFM’s 12 lap Formula Pacific race, Sunday July 17th. Wyatt Farris took the win on his CT Racing/ GP Suspension Kawasaki ZX10R, 10 seconds ahead of Chris Siglin on his GP Suspension BMW S1000RR. Both riders credited their front end feel and Penske 8987 rear shocks for their finishes. “The front end was super planted”, Farris commented. “I really had no issues in the 110 degree heat and my Pirelli’s and tuning from the guys at GP Suspension were spot on”. Chris Siglin commented “What a great race! Things were hot and slippery about half way through, but the bike wasn’t hard to ride. The Suspension was spot on, yet again. Thanks to GP suspension for the great product and support”.
GP Suspension produces custom racing suspension for professional and amateur road racers, cruisers and ADV bikes. With unmatched trackside support, telephone support and manufacturing in Oxnard, CA; GP Suspension is easy to match to any particular rider and get them to the top step of the podium in short time.
More, from a press release issued by Quarterley Racing/On Track Development:
Quarterley Racing’s Draik Beauchamp tops the Podium with a Solo ride in WERA Pitt 2 hr. endurance race:
Saturday July 15th:
Draik Beauchamp “ The Draik” Moto America KTM Cup competitor and current third place points holder took advantage of the opportunity to learn the Pitt track in preparation for the upcoming MA round. Riding solo in the Ultralight Endurance race on a spec KTM Cup bike, he completed 58 laps in the full 2 hour race with a best lap of 2:00.853. With the team’s bikes and spares out West for the Sonoma round, limited set up and spares made for a potential practice only event, but he came through with flying colors. Second place went to the duo of Nate Minster and Alex Dumas, both 2017 KTM Cup competitors also completing 58 laps as well, taking the opportunity to learn the Pitt course. Minster and Dumas were invited to share in the event by Quarterley Racing as the other team riders could not attend. Team manager Bob Robbins: “We are willing to work with other kids and parents that approach us in the interest of personal improvement of all of these young riders in r acecraft and speed. Of course we will work hard to fill the championship podium with our team as we are leading the series with the top three, but in the big picture, the faster others go, the faster we must go to stay ahead and that drives our riders to find more speed and have a better chance of becoming top riders in the next step of their potential career on 600’s. In America, we obviously need to recognize some young talent, and the KTM Cup platform is the perfect training ground for discovering and developing future front runners.
Quarterley Racing/On Track Development with successful veteran pro rider Dale Quarterley, is an entry level pro racing program focused on bringing young riders up to speed as they set their sights on a future and the next step towards top level pro racing. The team offers Moto America full support on a team owned “Ready To Race” 390 Cup bike for a Wild Card entry or multiple events.
Contact is [email protected] or phone 610-217-9926.
Team sponsors include:
Beta Tools—Inter-Tech Supplies—Motorex—Regina Chains—Scott Powersports—Street & Competition
Woodcraft Technologies
Draik Beauchamp personal sponsors:
129photos, Law offices of Ogle, Elrod, and Baril, Spider Graphix, Tint One, Pit Pass Radio, Sportbike Leather Service, SaferMoto.com, Red Fox Racing, Cycle Gear, Trever White at Harper VW, LS2 Helmets
More, from a press release issued by Royal Distributing Racing:
Royal Distributing Racing Team News: 4th and 5th Place for Royal Distributing at Nova Scotia Double Header
Racer Michael Leon had solid results at the Mopar Canadian Superbike double header weekend held at the tight and twisty Atlantic Motorsport Park July 15th and 16th. The Royal Distributing sponsored rider finished 5th in the Saturday race on his BMW S1000RR Superbike and improved for a 4th place finish during Sunday’s race.
Michael traveled with his wife and two daughters to the region for a family vacation prior to the event, visiting throughout New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. They even had the chance to visit Glace Bay, NS, Michael’s father’s home town. The small vacation was beneficial and allowed Michael some time to recover from the bumps and bruises that he sustained when he crashed out of the podium chase at the previous St Eustache event, a few weeks prior. Crew chief, Kyle Blakely also took advantage of the eastern swing of the CSBK series to take a vacation with his wife and 5 month old daughter. The team arrived ready to go!
Much of Thursday practice was rained out, not allowing for much setup time. On Friday, qualifying didn’t go completely as planned and the result was 7th fastest with a time of 1:09.420, slightly slower than Michael’s qualifying time from 2016. A little disappointing, considering that Michael had been 4th fastest in the morning session. 7th meant a 3rd row start for the Saturday Race.
It was an exciting race on Saturday. Michael ran as high as 4th in the opening laps after making an impressive pass around the outside of 2 riders at the same time in corner one. As the laps wound down, Michael was running in 6th in a group with 4th and 5th that was reeling in the battle for 2nd. On the last lap, a crash at the front promoted him to 5th. “I really abused the rear tire trying to hang in there and it didn’t really work out for us with the lappers at the end. “commented Michael.
Overnight, Kyle and Michael made some chassis and fork changes to increase grip at both the front and rear for the next day.
For Sunday’s race, tire choice became a difficult decision. The overcast skies and cooler temperature meant that a soft compound rear Dunlop N-Tec might work at the beginning but begin to fall off and lose grip at the end of the 22 lap race. A medium compound would go the distance but might be a slight disadvantage during the opening laps. The team chose the medium, a bit of a gamble since Michael had not tested that compound over the weekend.
It was another exciting race. By the half way flag, Michael had worked his way up to 4th and was chasing 2nd and 3rd, the trio separated by less than half a second. Unfortunately, the race was red flagged with 5 laps to go. A small consolation to not finishing on the podium was that Michael turned the 3rd fastest lap of the race.
“I felt great. During the last few laps, I could see that Ben and Kenny were struggling a little bit more than I was for grip. My rear tire was still mint! I was planning to start making a move with 3 laps to go. If not for the red flag I would have at least had the chance to try for the podium. This is the strongest that I have ever felt here at Shubie, which is brutal, physically. It feels good to be in the podium hunt at the end of a weekend at such a tough and demanding track!” commented Michael.
Watch the broadcast of the racing action on TSN3 at 1:30 pm on Monday July 24th.
The next event for the team will be at Shannonville for the RACE Superseries regional event. Michael leads the Pro Supebike class in that series by 3 points.
The Royal Distributing Racing Team would like to thank Royal Distributing, Pro 6 Cycle, Dunlop USA, BMW Motorrad Canada, Windmill Motorsports, Bell Helmets, Speed & Strength, Hindle Exhaust, Performance Friction, Perry Performance, Apex Brakelines, Gianmajor Inc., Armour Bodies, Woodcraft, MWR Airfilters, Earth X Batteries, Bickle Racing, Dave Smith, Vortex Racing Sprockets and Mikeymoto Racing.