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 second round of the 2025 season at Atlantic Motorsport Park.
Old-gen bikes lock out Supersport podium
Since the introduction of “next-gen” machinery in 2023, the Pro Supersport class has seen more and more riders shift to the newer Suzuki GSX-R750 and Ducati V2 Panigale, abandoning their “less competitive” older machines.
That narrative took a major hit on Saturday in AMP, however, with “old-gen” bikes locking out the Supersport podium in race one.
Andrew Van Winkle would take a lights-to-flag victory aboard his Suzuki GSX-R600, fending off relentless pressure from Alex Michel on a Kawasaki ZX-6R Ninja, while rookie Laurent Laliberté-Girard completed the podium on his Yamaha YZF-R6.
That lockout was the first of the Next Gen era, dating back to CTMP 2023 when Kawasaki swept the podium places one round prior to the rule change. While it was helped by lap one crashes for Torin Collins, Sebastien Tremblay, and Trevor Daley, the duo of Van Winkle and Michel were well clear of the chaos behind them in what was an Old Gen battle for victory from the start.
The celebration was short-lived as Collins and Tremblay returned to the podium on Sunday, but excellent finishes for Van Winkle (second) and Michel (fourth) – after a strong season opener for Matt Simpson – have proved that older machines can still be very competitive in 2025.
Western teenagers continue to steal pro spotlight
Much has already been said about the trio of Torin Collins, Andrew Van Winkle, and Phil DeGama-Blanchet, but it’s impossible to deny just how impressive the group of rising phenoms have been this season.
The 19-year-old Collins has flipped the Pro Supersport class on its head after making his debut in Shannonville, winning three of four races, taking pole position twice, and entering his home round with a championship lead even despite getting taken out in race one – adding a Superbike podium aboard his GSX-R750 for good measure.
His close friend and fellow Calgary, Alberta native has been equally impressive, with DeGama-Blanchet adapting to the Mots Machining Honda CBR1000RR much quicker than anyone could have expected to put himself fifth overall in the GP Bikes Pro Superbike feature class, the highest a 17-year-old has sat since Brett McCormick.
And not to be outdone has been Van Winkle, the 18-year-old former Pro Twins champion who added another win to his resumé at AMP despite riding an aforementioned old-gen GSX-R600, moving the Chilliwack, BC native to second in the championship behind Collins.
Their stardom has already made Collins, DeGama-Blanchet, and Van Winkle the faces of western racing in CSBK for the foreseeable future, but it may not be long before the trio become the outright stars of the national championship from coast-to-coast.
MacKay takes major stride at unlikely venue
It’s no secret that David MacKay hasn’t always enjoyed his trips to Atlantic Motorsport Park, putting together solid results but ones that have paled in comparison to his otherwise stellar CSBK career.
Despite how it may look in the standings, that looked to be different this time around in Nova Scotia.
MacKay overcame a brief trip through Q1 to put himself fifth on the grid once again and found himself in the lead group to begin both races, this time not just at the tail end of the frontrunners but firmly amidst them.
The ODH Snow City Cycle Honda rider would match the early pace of Alex Dumas, Jordan Szoke, and Sam Guerin and found himself ahead of fellow Honda star Ben Young on a pair of occasions, looking like a legitimate threat for a podium at a venue few would have anticipated.
While his crash out of the lead group in race two was of his own doing, a false neutral for Dumas in race one held up MacKay and limited his race one result, but his early pace should be a warning to the rest of the field as to what he can still build towards at RAD Torque and CTMP.
Fight for pro status ramps up in Amateur Supersport
Every year, the top three finishers in each Amateur championship are required to go pro the following season, adding a bit of intrigue to the title fights as riders try to graduate from the intermediate ranks.
Four of those six spots are all but wrapped up already as Cole Alexander and Zaim Laflamme headline each category, while Mark Stecho carries a 13-point lead over Alexis Beaudoin for third in AIM Insurance Amateur Superbike.
The last spot in EBC Brakes Amateur Supersport, however, is sure to come down to the wire.
Nicolas Audet currently holds the final pro pass with a slim five-point lead over Beaudoin, while Louis Levesque sits just another three points back. The former duo hold the momentum after trading third and fourth-place finishes in AMP, though Levesque has been the most consistent with top-six results in every race.
Beaudoin is the only one of the group with a realistic path to taking third in both classes, but four more races – and an unpredictable trip west to Edmonton – mean anything can happen between the trio as they aim to join the pro categories in 2026.
