The seventh and final round of the 2009 Parts Canada Superbike Championship will be held at Shannonville Motorsport Park in Shannonville, Ont. Sept. 4-6. This is the last of six stops across the country for Canada’s premier motorcycle road racing series.
Classes:
The Parts Canada Superbike Championship consists of five classes for Pro and Amateur racers. The headline Pro division is Parts Canada Superbike, for four-cylinder motorcycles up to 1000cc in capacity and larger capacity twin cylinder models.
Other classes include the Yoshimura Pro Sport Bike Championship for four-cylinder motorcycles up to 600cc and larger capacity twin cylinder models.
The Armour Bodies Amateur Sport Bike Championship is the top class for Amateur racers in the series.
The Suzuki SV650 National Cup and Honda CBR125R Challenge are starter classes designed for up and coming racers.
All classes are governed by weight and horsepower restrictions.
The Track:
Shannonville Motorsport Park is a 2.45km (1.53-mile), 11-turn road course. This weekend’s event will be the 44th Canadian Superbike round to be held at SMP. No racing venue has hosted more national events in this country.
Favorites:
Brantford, Ont.’s Jordan Szoke (Canadian Kawasaki Motors / Kawasaki ZX-10R) comes to Shannonville in a position to wrap up his fourth straight Parts Canada Superbike title, with a 14-point lead over his nearest challenger. He has won three races so far this year. Szoke also leads the Yoshimura Pro Sport Bike standings, where he is also seeking a fourth straight title.
Brett McCormick of Saskatoon (Team Suzuki / Blackfoot / Picotte Racing / Suzuki GSX-R1000) is the only rider with a shot at toppling Szoke from his perch. The 18-year-old won the most recent round of the series in Nova Scotia, his third victory of 2009. McCormick is also second in the Yoshimura Pro Sport Bike point standings.
Clint McBain of Cochrane, Alta. (Suzuki Dealers / Acceleration Racing / Suzuki GSX-R1000) finished runner-up to Szoke in last year’s Parts Canada Superbike Championship and comes to Shannonville third in the 2009 standings.
Kevin Lacombe of Granby, Que. (Team Toyota Yamaha / OTSFF / Yamaha YZF-R1) has won twice at Shannonville, in 2002 and 2006 and placed third in last year’s Parts Canada Superbike point standings.
Steve Crevier of Maple Ridge, B.C. (Deeley Racing Powered By Buell / Buell 1125R) is a six-time Canadian Superbike champion and is currently fifth in Parts Canada Superbike points.
Local Stars:
Efram Ellenbogen of Belleville, Ont. currently sits third in the Armour Bodies Amateur Sport Bike division with a top finish of second at Calabogie Motorsports Park riding his BnE Racing Yamaha YZF-R6. The 27-year-old has been the top Amateur competitor in regional action at Shannonville this summer.
Kaladar, Ont.’s James Collins is a former top Canadian Amateur. He missed out on the national Amateur Sport Bike title by just two points in 2005. He has won multiple regional championships at Shannonville and is currently 21st in the Yoshimura Pro Sport Bike standings, running a limited schedule on his Mimic Industries Yamaha YZF-R6.
Kingston, Ont.’s Ted Keuhn is a regular at Shannonville on his Kawasaki ZX-6R in the Amateur classes and has been running a limited national schedule in the Armour Bodies Amateur Sport Bike class.
Other Stories:
The engine in the Buell 1125Rs being ridden by Steve Crevier, Dave Estok and Darren James this weekend was designed by the Austrian firm Rotax, which is a subsidiary of Canada’s Bombardier Recreational Products. Buell is a division of The Harley-Davidson Motor Company.
With three wins so far in 2009, Jordan Szoke broke a tie with Crevier for the most victories in the 30-year history of the Canadian Superbike championship. Szoke now has 29 wins to Crevier’s 26.
Marie-Josee Boucher of Montreal is Canada’s top female road racer. Riding for the Excel Moto Honda team she finished fourth in the HJC Pro Rookie of the Year standings in 2008 after a successful Amateur career. In addition to her activity in Canada Boucher competed in a World Supersport Championship event in Salt Lake City in May.
Shannonville Motorsport Park has a rich history of Canadian motorcycle competition. The track held its first national Superbike event in 1980, when Rueben McMurter won aboard a Kawasaki. Since then Canada’s greatest talents have passed through the facility’s gates.
Weekend Schedule:
Practice will be held Friday, September 4 with qualifying on Saturday, September 5. Feature races in all five national classes will go Sunday, September 6.
Tickets: Weekend Passes are $50 and Sunday-only tickets are $30. Children under 12 are free and camping is free.
Events: MotoSport Plus in Kingston, Ont. will host a fan and media event on Thursday, September 3 from 4:00-7:00 p.m. MotoSport Plus is located at 295 Dalton Avenue and more information is available at www.motosportplus.com.
For more series information, visit www.cdnsuperbike.com
