Szoke Regains Points Lead in Parts Canada Superbike

July 19, 2009 by admin
Filed under News

BOWMANVILLE, Ont. (July 18) – Brantford, Ont.’s Jordan Szoke regained the
lead of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship with a victory in round four
of the series at Mosport International Raceway on Saturday.

Riding the Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX-10R, the three-time
defending series champion led the Suzuki Dealers / Acceleration Racing
Suzuki GSX-R1000 of Cochrane, Alta.’s Clint McBain by 0.586 secs. when the
race was stopped due to rain after 11 of a scheduled 20 laps.

“I’m extremely happy. At last the luck seems to be going my way,”
the 30-year-old Szoke said after his 28th career national Superbike win, the
most all-time. “Unfortunately it didn’t end the way I wanted it to end. But
we’ll take the win for sure today. I’ve lost races like this before.”

Saskatoon’s Brett McCormick was running first on the track when the
race was stopped but the rider of the Team Suzuki / Blackfoot / Picotte
Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 was penalized five seconds for a jump start, which
dropped him to third.

McCormick was then docked an additional five positions when his bike
exceeded the class horsepower limit in post race technical inspection,
leaving him eighth in the official results.

Szoke’s win was his second of the season and combined with
McCormick’s finish moved him into a 15-point lead in the Parts Canada
Superbike Championship standings heading into Sunday’s fifth round. Szoke
now has 199 points to the 184 of McCormick.

Szoke, McBain and McCormick spent the entire race trading positions
around the 3.9km (2.459-mile) Mosport circuit while threatening clouds moved
in.

“I had no idea Brett had jumped the start,” said Szoke, who has now
won six Superbike nationals at Mosport, more than any other rider. “I just
tried to settle in and get a good pace. After the first five or six laps,
when the fuel load lightens, our Kawasaki really seems to come into its own.”

McBain led the opening six laps before first Szoke and then
McCormick passed him. The runner-up finish was McBain’s best result of the
year, and he heads into Sunday’s race a solid third in the standings with
135 points.

“The bike is back to where we want it and to be competing for the
lead again is a good feeling,” said last year’s Parts Canada Superbike
Championship runner-up. “I think without the rain it would have come right
down to the end. I was quite content to be there in third, just biding my
time.”

With McCormick’s penalties, Alex Welsh of Uxbridge, Ont. finished
third on his Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX-10R, his best career
Superbike finish.

“It’s not really the way you want to get it but it’s an important
result and we’ll certainly take it,” said last year’s winner of the HJC Pro
Rookie of the Year Award on the national tour.

Mississauga, Ont.’s Matt McBride recovered from a poor start to
finish fourth on the Riders Choice Suzuki GSX-R1000, crossing the line less
than a second ahead of the Deeley Racing Powered By Buell / Buell 1125R of
Maple Ridge, B.C.’s Steve Crevier.

Scott Rupert of Gads Hill, Ont. was an impressive sixth on his
Suzuki GSX-R1000 after a race-long battle with the Parkway Powerhouse
Honda / ProStar Motorsports Honda CBR1000RR of Michael Taylor.

Rupert was making his first start of the year in the Parts Canada
Superbike Championship and moved up from 13th on the starting grid.

Taylor was also penalized five seconds for a jump start but still
finished seventh. The two-time Canadian Superbike champion from Toronto was
also making his first appearance of the year.

Andrew Nelson of Kars, Ont. was ninth on his Nelson Racing Yamaha
YZF-R1 after dropping as far back as 15th in the early stages of the race,
while Keene, Ont.’s Jodi Christie completed the top 10 aboard the Ontario
Honda Powerhouse Dealers / Roz-Gar Racing Honda CBR600RR.

Granby, Que.’s Kevin Lacombe started on the front row but was out
just a few corners into the race when the engine blew on his Team Toyota
Yamaha / OTSFF Yamaha YZF-R1.

In other action at Mosport, McCormick snuck past Szoke in the final
turn to win the first of this weekend’s two Yoshimura Pro Sport Bike races.
Szoke led most of the way in the 14-lap race on his Kawasaki ZX-6R but
caught a gaggle of backmarkers near the finish, giving McCormick the
opportunity to duck inside on his Suzuki GSX-R600 and win by 0.117 secs.

Szoke now leads McCormick by just four points in the Pro Sport Bike
standings, 203-199.

Welsh led the opening lap and was in the lead battle all the way,
crossing the line 0.826 secs. back in third.

Crevier was fourth on the Buell 1125R, just ahead of Christie’s
Honda CBR600RR and the Yamaha YZF-R6 of Lacombe after a race-long battle.

St-Colomban, Que.’s Raphael Archambault held off Rob Busby of
Brantford, Ont. to win the first of this weekend’s two Suzuki SV650 National
Cup races at Mosport and extend his lead in the series point standings.
Philippe Masse of St-Dominique, Que. was third.

Bodhi Edie of Warman, Sask. beat Hamilton, Ont.’s Steven Nickerson
in a photo finish to take the Honda CBR125R Challenge win and add to his
championship lead. Ryan Appenrodt of Quesnel, B.C. came out on top of a
spectacular battle for third.

Vicki Schouten of Richmond, Ont. won the Pro Honda Oils Women’s Cup
race on her Kahuna Powersports Kawasaki ZX-6R.

Qualifying for Sunday’s Armour Bodies Amateur Sport Bike race was
cancelled due to weather and practice times will set the grid. Series leader
Cody Matechuk of Cochrane, Alta. will start on pole on his Suzuki Dealers /
Acceleration Racing Suzuki GSX-R600.

Practice on Sunday begins at 9:00 a.m. with the first of the day’s
six races set to go at 11:40 a.m.

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