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Szoke Could Tie Crevier For First
On All-Time Canadian Superbike Win List
Parts Canada Press Release:
TORONTO, Ont. (July 16) –
Brantford, Ont.’s Jordan Szoke will continue his quest for Parts
Canada Superbike Championship history as the series hosts its
traditional midseason doubleheader at Mosport International Raceway
this weekend.
The Canadian Kawasaki Motors factory rider is trying to become only
the second rider in the almost 30-year history of the series to win
three straight national titles, and capture his fifth Canadian
championship.
But the 29-year-old also has more immediate goals on the horizon. His
triumph in this year’s season opener at Calabogie Motorsport Park
gave him 24 career national victories, just two fewer than all-time
leader Steve Crevier. A sweep at Mosport would bring Szoke into a tie
with the six-time Canadian Superbike championship.
Szoke is also second on the all-time Mosport win list with four
victories, just one behind Pascal Picotte, so he could become the most
successful Superbike racer in the storied track’s history this
weekend as well.
Szoke enjoys the 3.9km (2.459-mile), 10-turn Mosport track, but was
shut out of victory lane last year. He settled for a close second
behind Cochrane, Alta.’s Clint McBain in the first race of the
doubleheader, then struggled to a seventh-place finish in the wet
second race. That round was won by Crevier, who went on to sweep the
remaining races of the season as he took the title battle down to the
final event.
Szoke comes to this weekend’s third and fourth rounds of the seven-
race series with a 14-point lead in the standings over Kevin Lacombe,
99-85.
After victory in the season opener in Calabogie, the Kawasaki rider
had to settle for second in the most recent event at Calgary’s Race
City Motorsports Park.
Lacombe is the only rider besides Szoke to have finished on the podium
in both of the first two races. The 25-year-old rider of the Team
Toyota Yamaha / Fast Company Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 placed second in
Calabogie and third in Calgary.
Victory in Calgary went to local hero McBain on his Acceleration
Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000. After missing the first round due to a
separated shoulder, McBain comes to Mosport riding a wave of momentum
and is currently fourth in points with 55.
Just ahead of McBain in the standings is two-time Canadian Superbike
champ Francis Martin of Sherbrooke, Que. The rider of the Team Suzuki
/ Backfoot / Picotte Performance Suzuki GSX-R1000 was fourth in
Calabogie and sixth at Race City and has 59 championship points.
Martin’s Suzuki teammates Matt McBride and Chris Peris should also
go well at Mosport this weekend. Mississauga, Ont.’s McBride, 23,
tends to shine at his home track while the 21-year-old Peris, from
Calgary, ran at the front in the opening two races.
Another young rider worth watching will be Szoke’s 16-year-old
Kawasaki teammate Brett McCormick, the defending HJC Pro Rookie of the
Year. The Saskatoon native qualified on the front row for each of the
first two races of the year.
Maple Ridge, B.C.’s Crevier rides the Deeley Harley-Davidson Canada
/ Ruthless Racing Buell 1125R this weekend. The evergreen 42-year-old
showed the new bike’s potential with a debut third place finish in
Calabogie.
This weekend’s action also features doubleheaders for the Yoshimura
Pro 600 Sport Bike, Canadian Thunder, Canadian Sport Twins and Suzuki
SV650 National Cup.
Szoke leads the Pro 600 Sport Bike standings for Kawasaki after wins
in the opening two races. The two-time defending class champion has a
31- point edge, 109-78 over teammate McCormick in second, while
Yamaha’s Lacombe sits third with 74 points.
NCR-Ducati’s Andrew Nelson of Kars, Ont. leads the Thunder class
after winning at Race City, while Buell rider Jim Proulx from Ottawa
has captured the first two Canadian Sport Twins rounds of the season.
John Jarvie of Burlington, Ont. leads Cochrane, Alta.’s Cody
Matechuk by 13 points in the SV Cup title chase.
Sunday will see the third round of the Armour Bodies Amateur 600 Sport
Bike Championship. Fifteen-year-old Jodi Christie of Keene, Ont. leads
the standings after a dominant victory in Calgary.
Rounding out the weekend’s National action is the second round of
the Honda CBR125R Challenge, which will be held on Mosport’s
“Rider Deveopment” circuit on Friday afternoon. Raphael
Archambault of St-Colonban, Que. won the opener.
Qualifying for the Superbike, Pro 600 Sport Bike, Thunder and SV Cup
classes, including the Pirelli SuperPole session for Superbike, will
be held Friday with races set for Saturday and Sunday afternoon.
The Amateur 600 Sport Bike competitors will have their qualifying
session Saturday with their lone race of the weekend Sunday afternoon.
All Time Mosport Superbike Wins
Pascal Picotte (Granby, Que.) 5; Jordan Szoke (Brantford, Ont.) 4; Don
Munroe (Halifax, N.S.) 2; Frank Trombino (Kleinburg, Ont.) 2; Rueben
McMurter (London, Ont.) 1; Gary Goodfellow (Vancouver, B.C.) 1;
Linnley Clarke (Barrie, Ont.) 1; Jeff Sneyd (Mississauga, Ont.) 1;
Martin Gaudreault (Longueuil, Que.) 1; Francis Martin (Sherbrooke,
Que.) 1; Clint McBain (Cochrane, Alta.) 1; Steve Crevier (Maple Ridge,
B.C.) 1
Mosport Fast Facts
…Mosport International Raceway staged its first Canadian Superbike
National in 1987, when Gary Goodfellow won on a Suzuki. The first ever
Canadian Superbike race was also held at Mosport in 1978. American
John Long won on a BMW.
…Last year was the first time a rider didn’t sweep both races in
the Mosport Superbike doubleheader since 2003. Pascal Picotte won
twice in 2004 and 2005, and Jordan Szoke did it in 2006.
2008 Point Standings
Parts Canada Superbike: 1. Jordan Szoke (Kawasaki) 99; 2. Kevin
Lacombe (Yamaha) 85; 3. Francis Martin (Suzuki) 59; 4. Clint McBain
(Suzuki) 55; 5. Jeremy Stepper (Suzuki) 52
Yoshimura Pro 600 Sport Bike: 1. Jordan Szoke (Kawasaki) 109; 2. Brett
McCormick (Kawasaki) 78; 3. 3. Kevin Lacombe (Yamaha) 74
Armour Bodies Amateur 600 Sport Bike: 1. Jodi Christie (Yamaha) 102;
2. Martin Grande (Suzuki) 85; 3. Patrick Marques (Suzuki) 85
Canadian Thunder: 1. Andrew Nelson (Ducati) 99; 2. Dave Estok (Buel)
78; 3. Darren James (Buell) 62
Canadian Sport Twins: 1. Jim Proulx (Buell) 108; 2. Olivier Spilborghs
(Buell) 83; 3. A. J. Simiana (Ducati) 73
Suzuki SV650 Nat’l Cup: 1. John Jarvie 100; 2. Cody Matechuk 87; 3.
Nicky Poon 60
Honda CBR125R Challenge: 1. Raphael Archambault 56; 2. Aubrey Bailey
42; 3. Jordan Cardozo 39
Provisional Weekend Schedule
Friday July 18
11:05 a.m.-11:45 a.m. – Parts Canada Superbike Pre-qualifying (to
lock in top 10 for Pirelli SuperPole session)
1:15 p.m.-1:40 p.m. – Yoshimura Pro 600 Sport Bike Qualifying (for
the Inside Motorcycles Pole Position Award)
1:50 p.m.-2:15 p.m. – Canadian Thunder & Canadian Sport Twins
Qualifying
3:00 p.m. -3:20 p.m. – Honda CBR125R Challenge Qualifying (at
Mosport “Rider Development” Track)
3:30 p.m.-4:05 p.m. – Parts Canada Superbike Pirelli SuperPole
Qualifying (for the Inside Motorcycles Pole Position Award)
4:15 p.m.-4:35 p.m. – Suzuki SV650 Cup Qualifying
5:30 p.m. – Honda CBR125R Challenge Race – 12 laps (at Mosport
“Rider Development” Track)
Saturday July 19
1:00 p.m. – Yoshimura Pro 600 Sport Bike Race – 14 laps
2:00 p.m. – Canadian Thunder & Canadian Sport Twins Race – 10
laps
3:10 p.m. – Parts Canada Superbike Championship Race – 20 laps
4:00 p.m. -4:50 p.m. – Armour Bodies Amateur 600 Sport Bike
Qualifying
5:10 p.m. – Suzuki SV650 National Cup Race – 10 laps
Sunday July 20
12:45 p.m. – Yoshimura Pro 600 Sport Bike Race – 14 laps
1:40 p.m. – Canadian Thunder & Canadian Sport Twins Race – 10
laps
2:20 p.m. – Armour Bodies Amateur 600 Sport Bike Race – 12 laps
2:55 p.m. – Parts Canada Superbike Championship Race – 20 laps
3:45 p.m. – Suzuki SV650 National Cup Race – 10 laps
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