With seven national classes battling it out across only a three-day doubleheader weekend, it’s easy for a few stories to go understated during each round of the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship.
From the major headlines that require a bit more detail, to the hidden gems that are left out of the spotlight, here are some added notes from the opening round of the 2025 season at Shannonville Motorsport Park.
DeGama-Blanchet makes dazzling Superbike debut
Amongst the many young talents who have climbed the ladder into the pro ranks in recent seasons, few have the potential of Philip DeGama-Blanchet.
The 17-year-old graduate of the North America Talent Cup was an instant frontrunner in the Pro Supersport category last season, finishing seventh in the championship and looking like a name to watch out for down the line in the Superbike class.
Turns out, that time is already here.
DeGama-Blanchet hopped aboard his Mots Machining Honda CBR1000RR for the first time in CSBK and immediately stole the show, nearly snagging a direct spot into Q2 before qualifying sixth on the grid.
The Calgary native would carry that momentum through the weekend, fending off two-time Superbike winner Trevor Daley in a pair of epic battles to finish fifth in each race, looking more comfortable aboard the Superbike than anyone could have expected.
Still the youngest rider in the pro classes, DeGama-Blanchet has all the natural talent, aggression, and off-track personality of a future Canada Cup winner – reminding some in the paddock of a young Brett McCormick.
Simpson flies the “old-gen” flag in Supersport wildcard
The introduction of “next-gen” homologations to the Supersport category late in 2023 has energized the class, turning an often forgotten about championship into the deepest and closest field in the country.
However, the dominance of the Suzuki GSX-R750 and Ducati V2 Panigale have come at a cost to Kawasaki and Yamaha – especially the latter, who won four times in 2022 and have celebrated just a single victory since.
That nearly changed twice this weekend with the wildcard performance of Matt Simpson, who dragged his mostly privateer Blackstock Motorsports YZF-R6 onto the front row and just 0.099 seconds shy of Torin Collins for pole.
A slow start on Saturday spoiled his chances against Collins, matching his pace in the second half of race one to finish second, and he was lapping faster than the Suzuki rider prior to a scary crash out of second-place on Sunday (Simpson has thankfully been released from hospital and is expected to make a full recovery).
That pace was especially impressive compared to the rest of the old-gen riders, with Andrew Van Winkle the only other competitor to crack the top-ten on Saturday (sixth) before another top-four lockout for the “next-gen” bikes on Sunday.
While history shows anything can happen in this wide-open category, it may be a while before any old-gen machine gets as close to a Supersport victory as Simpson did this weekend at SMP.
Verbeek joins exclusive list of CSBK women
The Canadian Superbike Championship has seen some incredible female talents over the years, with recent top pro’s Stacey Nesbitt and Marie-Josee Boucher following the legacy of trailblazers like Toni Sharpless and Kathleen Coburn, amongst others.
Another name joined the list on Saturday, as Bronti Verbeek became the latest female competitor to score a pro podium with her third place finish in the Importations Thibault Twins Cup class.
A frontrunner in the EMRA series, Verbeek made her CSBK debut in the feature Pro Superbike category last season – finishing a high of 11th in Edmonton – before switching to the Twins category for 2025, and the move has already paid off as she exits round one in a tie for fourth in the championship.
With the popular FIM Women’s Circuit Racing (WCR) series now offering a better path for female riders than ever before, it may not be long before Verbeek’s success allows her a chance at representing Canada on the world stage.
Alexander steals the show in Amateur opener
One of the brightest stars to emerge at the tail end of 2024 was Cole Alexander, who scored five Amateur Lightweight podiums in his final seven races and earned a maiden national win at the Shannonville finale.
That made Alexander the preseason betting favourite for this year’s Lightweight crown, but the 18-year-old returned to Shannonville with a bit of a surprise – a Suzuki GSX-R750 and an entry in the Amateur Superbike and Supersport categories.
That move was clearly a smart one, as Alexander swept both classes on Saturday and nearly did so again on Sunday, winning three-of-four races to lead both championships after his first national weekend aboard the bigger machine.
Alexander’s wins hardly came easy, either, as he fiercely battled it out in every race with Zaim Laflamme – the favourite in the amateur categories prior to Alexander’s entry – and flashed relentless pace and brave overtaking in the process.
It remains to be seen how the teenager will fare on more unfamiliar circuits in AMP and Edmonton, having not even made the trip to RAD Torque last season, but round one’s performance will leave little doubt of Alexander’s future potential.
