By John Hopkins
MIRABEL, QC -- Kristopher Garvie's national Amateur career couldn't have got off to a better start at Circuit ICAR on Saturday.
The 27-year-old from Caledon, Ont. scored an impressive double by claiming pole position for both the Inside Motorcycles Amateur Sport Bike and K&N Filters Amateur Superbike events this weekend.
Riding a Kawasaki ZX-6R, Garvie turned a lap at 1:26.834 around the 2.8km airport circuit in Amateur Superbike qualifying. A little earlier in the afternoon he had managed a 1:28.334 in the Amateur Sport Bike class.
"I know you don't win the race on Saturday, but this is an amazing feeling," Garvie said. "I thought maybe I could get into the top five, but I had a lot of confidence in the package."
Garvie only got into road racing last season, competing in SOAR and RACE Super Series regional events. This is his first weekend as a national and his first visit to ICAR. As if that didn't put enough on his plate, rain washed out all of Friday's practice and Saturday morning's track time, leaving only the afternoon qualifying sessions for riders to get comfortable and earn a place on the grid. And Garvie is running an untried bike after bending the frame on his 'A' ZX-6R a week ago.
"It's been tough," he admitted. "Qualifying was really my first session out this weekend and first with this new bike. I was a little nervous at first but after I settled down I was OK. Once you get used to this track I think it's a blast.
"Jason Stirling's been helping me out -- putting on the tire warmers and stuff like that. I've never had anyone else pitching in before and it's been great -- just allowed me to focus on riding. My girlfriend Sarah's been a huge help as well."
Garvie will be joined by a trio of Suzuki GSX-R600s on the front row for Sunday's Inside Motorcycles Amateur Sport Bike race. Simon Hamel of Rosemere, Que. nipped Magog, Que. rider Samuel Proulx for the second fastest time with a 1:29.203. That edged Proulx by just .001 secs. Jean Francois Aubin of St-Jerome, Que. was fourth fastest, just over a second off Garvie's pace.
In Amateur Superbike, Trevor Daley of Brampton, Ont. was second fastest with a time of 1:27.362 on his Ducati 749. The front row is completed by Jody Greening of Burlington, Ont., who recorded a 1:27.881 on his Honda CBR600RR and the Kawasaki ZX-6R of Thornton, Ont.'s Amzy Nawaz with a 1:28.260.
