News Feed
Parts Canada Superbike Update from Shannonville
SHANNONVILLE, Ont. (September 5) – Brett McCormick took another bite out of
Jordan Szoke’s Parts Canada Superbike Championship points lead by claiming
pole position for this weekend’s season finale at Shannonville Motorsport
Park on Saturday.
The 18-year-old from Saskatoon shattered the lap record for the
2.45km (1.53-mile) ‘Pro’ track with a time of one minute, 3.795 seconds
(138.256 km/h) in the Pirelli SuperPole qualifying session on his Team
Suzuki / Blackfoot / Picotte Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000.
That gave him the $500 Inside Motorcycles Pole Position Award and
four points toward the Superbike championship. He now trails series leader
Szoke by 13 points, 299-286 heading into Sunday’s feature race.
Szoke picked up three points in qualifying and will start second on
Sunday after setting a time of 1:04.172 on the Canadian Kawasaki Motors
Kawasaki ZX-10R.
“It was a lot of fun,” said McCormick, who has won the Inside
Motorcycles Pole Position check at all but one of the 2009 series rounds. “I
tried not to rush into any corners and I hit all my lines. I was a little
deep into the hairpin but that’s a corner that gives you a little bit of
leeway.”
Matt McBride of Mississauga, Ont. was third fastest in the Pirelli
SuperPole session at 1:04.638 aboard the Riders Choice Suzuki GSX-R1000 and
Granby, Que.’s Kevin Lacombe completes the front row for the race after
turning a 1:04.888 aboard the Team Toyota Yamaha / OTSFF Yamaha YZF-R1.
McCormick had already reset the lap record with a time of 1:03.958
in Saturday morning’s prequalifying session, which set the field of 10 for
the afternoon’s Pirelli SuperPole shootout. The old record was a 1:04.632
set by Szoke last year.
Szoke improved on his prequalifying time by almost a full second to
grab the provisional top spot, putting the pressure on McCormick, the final
rider in SuperPole, to duplicate or surpass his morning time to stay on pole
and take another point out of Szoke’s Parts Canada Superbike Championship
lead.
“We used the same set up as this morning and I didn’t feel like I
was riding over my head,” McCormick said. “The tire worked awesome. All I
can do tomorrow is ride my best and hopefully that will be enough to put us
on top.”
Should McCormick win on Sunday and lead the most laps Szoke would
need a second place finish to claim a record fourth straight Parts Canada
Superbike title and sixth career crown.
“My time was a bit of a shock to me,” said the 30-year-old Szoke,
from Brantford, Ont. “I left a lot on the table. I have a different pressure
than normal and going into turn two I tried to take it easy and I had no
corner speed. There were a few other things like that on that lap, but I
knew I did the job.”
In only his third appearance of the season McBride made an improvement
of three quarters of a second on his morning prequalifying time to grab a
spot on the front row.
“Everyone on the team’s been working hard all weekend,” McBride
said. “The bike was really hooked up and I did what I needed to do.”
Lacombe had been second to McCormick in prequalifying but was unable
to improve on his time in the Pirelli SuperPole session.
“We tried some suspension set up changes but it was a little gamble
that did not work,” said the two-time Shannonville Superbike race winner. “I
was wide out of the hairpin and I really pushed after that, and I almost
went off at Allen’s [Corner].”
Despite nursing injuries from a Friday practice fall, Clint McBain
of Cochrane, Alta. qualified fifth fastest with a time of 1:05.336 on the
Suzuki Dealers / Acceleration Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000.
He will be joined on row two of the grid by Kars, Ont.’s Andrew
Nelson (Nelson Racing Yamaha YZF-R1) and Alex Welsh of Uxbridge, Ont.
(Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX-6R).
The top 10 SuperPole qualifiers were rounded out by Keene, Ont.’s
Jodi Christie on the Honda Powerhouse Dealers of Ontario / Roz-Gar Racing
Honda CBR600RR and the Deeley Racing Powered By Buell duo of Dave Estok (New
Smyrna Beach, Fla.) and Steve Crevier (Maple Ridge, B.C.), who will start
ninth and 10th respectively.
In other action at Shannonville on Saturday, McCormick also
shattered the record in the Yoshimura Pro Sport Bike class with a time of
1:04.590 in qualifying on his Suzuki GSX-R600. The previous record was a
1:05.020 set by Andrew Nelson last year.
Szoke was next quickest at 1:04.860 aboard his Kawasaki ZX-6R and
Lacombe set the third best time of 1:05.029 riding his Yamaha YZF-R6.
McCormick’s effort brought him to within 15 points of Szoke in the
Pro Sport Bike standings, 303-288 heading into Sunday’s race. A second place
finish for Szoke in the race would assure him of a fourth straight Pro Sport
Bike title.
Cochrane, Alta.’s Cody Matechuk stretched his Armour Bodies Amateur
Sport Bike Championship lead to 47 points by taking pole for Sunday’s race
on his Suzuki Dealers / Acceleration Racing Suzuki GSX-R600. The 15-year-old
set a track record time of 1:07.051 and now needs only a 17th place finish
on Sunday to take the title.
Brantford, Ont.’s Rob Busby closed to within 38 points of class
leader Raphael Archambault of St-Colomban, Que. in the Suzuki SV650 National
Cup by qualifying on pole with a time of 1:10.377. Starting from fifth on
the grid, Archambault needs a finish of 12th or better to seal the title.
Ste-Julie, Que.’s Karl Robitaille qualified on pole for the Honda
CBR125R Challenge class with a time of 1:06.817 on the shorter ‘Nelson’
circuit. Bohdi Edie of Warman, Sask. was second with a 1:06.869 and
Hamilton, Ont.’s Steven Nickerson placed third at 1:07.024.
Edie’s effort slashed a point from Nickerson’s class lead. Nickerson
heads into Sunday’s race with a 25-point advantage over Edie, 361-336,
meaning a fifth place race finish will give him the crown.
Points leader Vicki Schouten of Richmond, Ont. qualified fastest for
the Pro Honda Oils Women’s Cup race on her Kahuna Motorsports Kawasaki ZX-6R.
Races in all national classes will go Sunday. Tickets will be on
sale at the gate for $30, and children under 12 get in free. Go to
www.shannonville.com for more info.
More Feature Articles
Umbrella Girls of the Week: Red Bull Indy GP
Andrew Northcott’s umbrella girl highlights from last weekend’s Red Bull Indianapolis GP.
Backmarker: Revisiting the Icarus myth. Really, that’s what this is about
On the news of Cycle News folding, Mark Gardiner examines the changing face of motorcycle journalism.
SLIDESHOW: Umbrella Girls of the Week, Red Bull Indy GP!
Andrew Northcott hones his talents Stateside with a grid-girls update from the past weekend’s Red Bull Indy GP.
Between the Races: Bill Savino
RRX checked in with American Honda’s Bill Savino in advance of Roger Hayden’s Moto2 adventure.
SLIDESHOW: The Red Bull Indy GP, by Andrew Northcott
Yesterday we featured EW’s artistic take on Indy, today it’s the high-speed, high-tech, nicotine-fueled magic of Andrew Northcott.
Moto Moments WALLPAPER: Ben Spies at the Red Bull Indy GP
With Ben Spies having scored the best MotoGP finish of his career at the Red Bull Indy GP, there was only one option for this week’s Moto Moments.
Read More Features
