From a press release issued by Eddy Brunet of DXS Diablo/Team Suzuki Canada:

DXS DIABLO/TEAM SUZUKI

Round 6 of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship Shubenacadie, Nova-Scotia.

The moody weather allowed us very little set-up time on the track last week-end on the Atlantic Motorsport Park circuit Sunday afternoon. When the sun finally decided to show up we knew there would be at least one race in the dry.

In the 600 Sportbike class, Steve Crevier was starting from the front row on the second spot while Williams was just behind on row 2 in 6th place.

The race started and it wasn’t too long before Crevier took the lead while Jeff Williams was also moving towards the front, when a red flag came out. On the restart, both Crevier and Williams took off from row one, and after a full lap they were first and second. Jeff could not hold the hard charge of Picotte and McBain. Just before the checkered flag, in the last corner, Crevier ran a little wide and saw Picotte steal first place just like Crevier had done to him in the Superbike race opener earlier this season. The team was hoping for a win, and we were so close, but a 2nd place finish for Steve and a 4th for Williams are excellent results. Meanwhile Michael Leon managed to pass 10 riders in that race and crossed the finish line in 15th position.

For the Superbike final, the sun was fighting dark clouds in order to stay with us. It was the last dry race of the day.

Crevier had lost the pole in the last minutes of qualifying when Kevin Lacombe, who was chasing him, bettered Crevier’s time by less than 0.2 second . He also bettered Crevier’s previous lap record by 0.021 second.Jeff Williams was doing very good early in the session, but a half second off the pole pushed him back one row, to the 5th spot.

Then the flag dropped and we were racing. Lacombe took the lead while Crevier was third. A few laps later, Steve took the lead while Jeff was now running fourth. But with about 6 laps remaining, the nut holding the rear clevis on Steve’s GSXR 1000 Superbike came off and he had to pull in the pits. We knew it was over for him, but meanwhile Williams was fighting with Jordan Szoke for the second highest step on the podium. Jordan held him off and Jeff had to settle for the third bottle of Champagne. Good ride, Mr. Williams!

Next round will be held at Mont-Tremblant on August 19th -22nd, followed right away by Montréal’s Molson Indy Superbike Exhibition Race.

See you there!



More, from a press release issued by Honda Canada Fast Company Racing:

HONDA CANADA / FAST COMPANY RACING

Szoke second again

SHUBENACAIDE, NS Honda Canada / Fast Company’s Jordan Szoke earned his second consecutive runner-up finish in the sixth round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Atlantic Motorsport Park last Sunday.

Riding his Honda CBR1000RR Szoke worked himself up from sixth after the first lap to move into second by lap 16 of 22. He then held off a challenge from Jeff Williams to claim second place.

“I didn’t know how close he [Williams] was,” the Brantford, ON racer explained. “Our bike is really fast on the straights, so I’d just try to slow things down in the corners and use the straightline speed to pull a gap on him.”

Despite podium finishes in the past two races Szoke slipped from second to third in the Parts Canada Superbike point standings with 212 points to the 216 of Kevin Lacombe, who won the race at AMP. Two rounds remain in the 2004 season.

“The bike’s getting better but we only had one dry practice session and it’s hard to get a good baseline set-up,” Szoke said.

Szoke had qualified on pole for the Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike race on his Honda Canada / Fast Company Honda CBR600RR but had trouble shifting from first to second gear off the start.

He then dropped to seventh on the second lap when he was caught out by debris on the track. Expecting a red flag, Szoke eased his pace only to find out the race wasn’t being stopped. He fought back to fifth at the finish and lies fourth in points with 188.

Szoke’s teammate Andrew Nelson also suffered bad luck in the Pro 600 Sport Bike race. He had joined Szoke on the front row by qualifying fourth and grabbed the lead off the start. But a problem developed with his rear shock, and it was all the Kars, ON rider could do to wrestle his bike home in 10th spot.

Nelson is sixth in the Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike standings with 150 points.

The trouble in the 600 race left Nelson in a poor frame of mind for Superbike action later in the day, and he managed an uncharacteristic ninth. Nelson is now eighth in the Parts Canada Superbike series standings with 142 points, just four behind seventh place Frank Trombino.

The Parts Canada Superbike Championship moves next to the fast and flowing Circuit Mont-Tremblant in the scenic Quebec Laurentians. The track is expected to suit both the Honda CBR1000RR and CBR600RR and should be the scene of solid results.