The fourth round of the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship will welcome an exciting new crowd to the paddock this weekend, August 9-11, as the Bagger Racing League is set to race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in the country’s first ever Bagger action, presented by the Fallen Riders Support Team sponsored by Pace Law.
The event will be the first of its kind in Canada, as the BRL organization makes its way to CTMP (just an hour east of Toronto) with title support from the Fallen Riders Support Team as well as DP Brakes, Hog Tunes, and Drag Specialties as well as future broadcasting from REV TV.
Leading the charge is a familiar name to CSBK fans, as Sam Guerin will headline the nine-rider field as he does double-duty alongside his Superbike title campaign.
Guerin currently sits as the runner-up in BRL’s feature Andrews Products Bagger GP class – just as he does in the feature GP Bikes Pro Superbike category – having taken four consecutive podiums to begin the year for Original Garage Moto Harley-Davidson.
The Quebec City native will have a significant opportunity as the only rider in the field with prior knowledge of CTMP, an extremely fast and flowing circuit that should serve as an excellent launching point for Bagger racing in Canada.
Guerin will not be without challengers, however, as eight riders are scheduled to make the trip north and join the inaugural trip to “Old Mosport.”
The Suburban Motors Harley-Davidson squad is expected to bring a significant fight to Guerin, as they bring a staggering five riders each from their respective BRL classes to try and lock out the podium in their Canadian round.
Cody Gilmore will headline the Suburban Motors HD effort as the current leader of the Pro Stock Bagger standings, having racked up four consecutive victories to begin the year over teammate Arnie Wells.
Wells has finished as the runner-up in each contest, an incredible run of one-two finishes that they will try to keep going at the new venue.
Jesse Janisch is also expected to be a weekend contender, entering with third-place finishes behind Guerin in each of the last three rounds and sitting third overall in the Bagger GP category, just 28 points behind the home favourite.
Completing the Suburban Motors HD program will be Barnett Super Street Bagger leaders Jake Masters and Shawn Hoffman, who sit one-two in the category after four rounds. Masters has tallied a perfect four victories while Hoffman has yet to miss the podium, finishing second to his teammate in the last two races.
Gilmore, Wells, and Masters also ended the year first, second, and third respectively in the new AMA Pro-Stock Bagger Championship, with Gilmore wrapping up the inaugural title recently at Mid-Ohio.
Carl Schlact will lead the charge for Speed Farm Harley-Davidson, as the Zipper’s American Twins Unlimited championship leader and fourth-place runner in the Super Street Baggers tries to leapfrog his Suburban Motors rivals.
Rounding out the field will be Craig Braymiller aboard the A+ Performance Cycle Harley-Davidson, who will try to build off his strong fourth-place finishes in the most recent round of the Pro Stock Bagger class and third-placed results in the American Twins Unlimited category.
The BRL doubleheader is scheduled to begin with official qualifying on August 9 at 4:30 pm ET, before the weekend races get underway at the end of each day August 10-11.
More information can be found on the series’ official website.
For more information on the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship, visit www.csbk.ca.
Main picture: CSBK Superbike frontrunner Sam Guerin (418) will also headline the first ever Bagger race in Canada as the Bagger Racing League joins CSBK round five this weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Photo credit: Richard Gergely.
Source: Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship
