CSBK By the Numbers: Round 5 at SMP

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Category: CSBK News

Published on Friday, September 22, 2023 15:18 EDT

Written by Cam Bickle

A thrilling and at times record-breaking 2023 Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship season has come to a close, with the finale at Shannonville Motorsport Park delivering even more history before the summer was done.

Below are just a few of the key numbers that stood out from an exciting conclusion to the 2023 campaign.

Young, Dumas continue to climb leaderboards

Everyone knows Ben Young put a stamp on the record books at SMP, clinching his third Pro Superbike championship and becoming just the fourth rider in history with that many titles (joining Jordan Szoke with 14, Steve Crevier with seven, and Michel Mercier with three).

But he and rival Alex Dumas also continued their unprecedented run atop the feature class by trading victories in the tripleheader, as Young scored his 15th and 16th Superbike wins to enter a tie with Pascal Picotte for third on the all-time list, while Dumas’ race three triumph ties him with Mercier and Don Munroe for fifth all-time with 12.

Many will be quick to point out that today’s schedules traditionally have more races, and while that’s true, Young and Dumas have also moved well clear of everyone not named Szoke to now sit second and third in victories of the “doubleheader era” beginning in 1998.

Suzuki’s streak of podiums ends

While Dumas did make history on Saturday and Sunday, his unfortunate crash ended another run on Friday. The 2021 champion failed to make the podium for just the second time in his 26-race career (both DNF’s), only this time there wasn’t another Suzuki there to pick up the pieces.

That means that the GSX-R brand saw their run of 26-consecutive rostrums come to an end, the second-longest streak of all-time, dating back to Calabogie 2020 (before Dumas had even arrived north of the border). 

While it pales in comparison to the ludicrous 88-race streak BMW enjoyed from Calgary 2010 to round one earlier this year, the stretch will still wind up an impressive eight-races clear of the third-best run of all-time (also Suzuki from 1981 to 1988). 

Record-breaking parity amongst Superbike manufacturers

Entering the final round of the year, five different brands had sat on the podium this season (BMW, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Yamaha, and Honda), a record-tying amount. 

Well, Suzuki’s previously mentioned absence on Friday changed that.

Trevor Dion capitalized on the vacancy at the front and put his Economy Lube and Tire Ducati on the third step of the box, making the Italian brand the sixth different manufacturer to taste champagne in 2023.

Dion would add two more podiums for good measure, cementing the Ducati as a frontrunning bike once again, and further proving that the days of BMW podium lockouts in the feature class are largely over. 

Van Winkle becomes youngest pro champ in CSBK history

Only a select few teenagers have ever taken home a pro #1 plate in CSBK’s 43-year history, but none of them have done so as young as Andrew Van Winkle.

The recently-turned 16-year-old smashed the previous record by securing the inaugural Bickle Racing Pro Twins championship on Sunday, overtaking an injured Jeff Williams to clinch the historic title.

While Van Winkle himself would admit it came against a small crop of competitors in the first year of the class, there’s no questioning how impressive the feat is. Only four teenagers have ever won a pro title before; Jordan Szoke (Superbike), Alex Dumas (Superbike), and Jodi Christie (Sport Bike) all did it at 19 years old, while Tomas Casas held the record by winning the Sport Bike crown at 18 in 2017. 

Van Winkle has now cleared that mark by almost two full years, becoming a pro champion before even being able to legally drive in Ontario. 

Szoke celebrates an emotional milestone

If you find a CSBK record, there’s a good chance Jordan Szoke owns it by a large margin. That’s especially true of race starts, as the veteran celebrated his 150th career Superbike race on Sunday at SMP.

For perspective, the next highest rider is Steve Crevier at 97, not even cracking the century mark in his storied career. The next active rider? Sebastien Tremblay at 67, who would only just clear 100 if you combined his Sport Bike results as well.

Szoke’s durability for 20-plus years was a remarkable feat, but his ability to fight through potentially life-threatening injuries in recent seasons has been even more impressive, making his 150th race an even more emotional milestone. 

The 14-time champion didn’t sound like he was done yet in his final speech of the year, but if he does decide to hang up his race boots this winter, he will do so with yet another spectacular bullet point next to his name when he enters the Hall of Fame.