A prize synonymous with Shannonville Motorsport Park will return for the season opener in 2025, as the FAST Riding School will again hand out the Hard Charger Award in round one of the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship this weekend, May 16-18.
The current version of the Hard Charger Award was established in 2021 and has been handed out 14 times in that span, given to the rider “deemed to have produced the best effort in the context of the race, as chosen by various Bridgestone CSBK staff and FAST Riding School owner Martin Hamel.”
The award will be given out after each GP Bikes Pro Superbike race, adding two new names to the list with the round one doubleheader.
Past instances have included Jordan Szoke’s climb from ninth on the grid to win at CTMP in 2021, Trevor Daley’s fourth-place finish after crashing at SMP in 2023, and Szoke’s heroic return to the podium that same season after a year recovering from injuries.
The prize has become a fixture at historic SMP, the home of the FAST Riding School since its founding in 1987 by Canadian racing icon Alan Labrosse. FAST operated for many years under the guidance of former CSBK champion Michel Mercier, and is now owned by another former top pro in Martin Hamel, with the school serving as an integral part of developing better street riders and racers at all levels in Canada.
Last year’s winners of the Hard Charger award included Ben Young and Trevor Dion at round one on the “pro track” layout, while Young claimed the award once again alongside Tomas Casas at the “long track” season finale.
More information on the FAST Riding School can be found at fastridingschool.com, while series information can be found on CSBK’s official website.
