By John Hopkins / Photo by Bob Szoke
SHUBENACADIE, N.S. – Brett McCormick edged a step closer to his first Canadian Superbike Championship by Parts Canada national title by taking his fifth win of the season at Atlantic Motorsport Park on Sunday.
The Saskatoon rider led all 22 laps of the 2.56km AMP circuit on his radX / BMW Motorrad Canada BMW S1000RR, finishing the race in 25 minutes, 8.591 seconds for an average speed of 134.398 km/h.
Five-time defending series champion Jordan Szoke of Brantford, Ont. placed second aboard the Competition Systems Kawasaki Race Team Kawasaki ZX-10R, 5.829 secs. behind McCormick, and Jodi Christie of Keene, Ont. completed the podium riding the Jodi Christie Racing / Cameron Cycle / Blue Streak Racing Honda CBR600RR.
The win kept McCormick’s perfect season intact and gave him a 55-point lead over Szoke heading into the season ending doubleheader at Mosport International Raceway in two weeks. A race win is worth 50 points.
“I had a tough weekend overall,” said McCormick, who bounced back from a fall in Saturday qualifying to ride his back-up bike to the win. “But the bike seems to be working so good that I can have an off weekend and still wind up on top. But Jordan didn’t make it easy for me today.”
McCormick stormed into the lead from second on the grid off the start and was able to open a slight gap to Szoke after five laps. His only tense moment came on the final lap, when he and the Wolf BMW S1000RR of Rob Busby made slight contact while Busby was being lapped on the backstraight.
“I got a bit of luck back there on the last lap,” McCormick admitted.
McCormick is now just two wins away from matching Szoke's 2010 feat of a perfect seven wins from seven races.
"I don't like to think about a perfect season," McCormick said. "I prefer to take things session by session."
Szoke was third off the line but grabbed second from the Z1 Cycletech / Kenwood Suzuki GSX-R1000 of Uxbridge, Ont.’s Alex Welsh before the end of the opening lap. The winner of the Kawasaki S4-R Competition Lubricants Pole Award on Saturday was unable to challenge McCormick, however.
“It’s a disappointing day, we seem to keep getting second place,” said Szoke after his fourth straight runner-up finish of the year. “I thought we had him this weekend. I had a bad start but that didn’t seem to matter. I was making a few little mistakes here and there. I feel really comfortable. We just need to find a bit more.”
Christie came out on top of a wild battle for third with Welsh and the Suzuki Canada / Hindle / Sturgess Cycle Suzuki GSX-R600 of Woodbridge, Ont.’s Frank Trombino. The Honda rider got around Trombino entering the Carousel near the end of lap 10 and then took third from Welsh at the same spot four laps later.
“It was a pretty wild race; I certainly wasn’t expecting to get on the box,” said Christie after his first career Pro Superbike podium finish. “I spent a lot of time waiting but I knew I needed to get by Alex and put in some strong laps.”
After losing some ground to Christie after he was passed Welsh made a closing push in the final stages and finished just two tenths of a second behind.
"I guess I got my second wind," Welsh said. "But it was a lot of work and I didn't get a real opportunity to pass him back."
Trombino felt he should have made a move to pass Welsh early in the race, when it appeared the Z1 CycleTech Suzuki was holding him up.
"It was a bad strategy on my part," admitted Trombino, who had injured his shoulder in a fall in the Pro Sport Bike race earlier in the day. "But after Jodi got by me I had to push hard and I just got worn out."
Michael Ferreira of Mississauga, Ont. placed sixth on his radX / BMW Motorrad Canada BMW S1000RR and moved into a tie for third in the Canadian Superbike Championship by Parts Canada standings with Andrew Nelson of Kars, Ont., who was 13th after a first lap incident on his Nelson Racing / GymMax / Monette Sports BMW. They both have 155 points heading into the season-ending Mosport doubleheader.
Welsh and Christie are tied for fifth at 141 points.
Bodhi Edie of Warman, Sask. took seventh on his Edie Racing / Acceleration Racing / Honda Canada Honda CBR600RR and Brantford, Ont.'s Busby won a race-long battle with the Kawasaki ZX-6R of Beaver Bank, N.S.'s Ron Munroe.
Montreal's Marie-Josee Boucher completed the top 10 on her Excel Moto Honda CBR600RR after initially running with Busby and Munroe.
Race Results
1. Brett McCormick, Saskatoon, Sask. (BMW S1000RR) 22
2. Jordan Szoke, Brantford, Ont. (Kawasaki ZX-10R) 22
3. Jodi Christie, Keene, Ont. (Honda CBR600RR) 22
4. Alex Welsh, Uxbridge, Ont. (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 22
5. Frank Trombino, Woodbridge, Ont. (Suzuki GSX-R600) 22
6. Michael Ferreira, Mississauga, Ont. (BMW S1000RR) 22
7. Bodhi Edie, Warman, Sask. (Honda CBR600RR) 22
8. Rob Busby, Brantford, Ont. (BMW S1000RR) 21
9. Ron Munroe, Beaver Bank, N.S. (Kawasaki ZX-6R) 21
10. Marie-Josee Boucher, Montreal, Que. (Honda CBR600RR) 21
11. Steve Walker, Carleton Place, Ont. (BMW S1000RR) 21
12. Franklyn Dominguez, Hudson, Que. (Kawasaki ZX-10R) 21
13. Andrew Nelson, Kars, Ont. (BMW S1000RR) 21
Did Not Start
Raphael Archambault, Terrebonne, Que. (Suzuki GSX-R600)
Darren James, North Vancouver, BC (Buell 1125R)
Sylvain Dery, St-Colomban, Que. (Yamaha YZF-R6)
Time of Race: 25:08.591 (134.398km/h)
Margin of Victory: 5.829 secs.
Fastest Lap: 1:07.523 by Brett McCormick on lap 3
Lap Leaders: Brett McCormick 1-22
Point Standings
1. Brett McCormick, 274
2. Jordan Szoke, 219
3. Andrew Nelson, 155
3. Michael Ferreira, 155
5. Alex Welsh, 141
5. Jodi Christie, 141
7. Rob Busby, 92
8. Franklyn Dominguez, 87
8. Marie Josee-Boucher, 87
10. Frank Trombino, 82
11. Steve Walker, 81
12. Francis Martin, 71
13. Matt McBride, 50
14. Sebastien Tremblay, 40
15. Sylvain Dery, 38
16. Jean-Francois Cyr, 25
16. Bodhi Edie, 25
18. Ron Munroe, 21
19. Ross Millson, 10
20. Sean Huffman, 8
21. Billy Shields, 6
