14-time Canadian Superbike Champion Jordan Szoke earned a dramatic, last lap victory in Saturday’s GP Bikes Pro Superbike race one at Calabogie Motorsports Park during round three of the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship in conjunction with the Vintage Road Racing Association Summer Classic, presented by the Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame.
Szoke, based in Lynden, ON, is the dominant racer in the history of Superbike competition in Canada, earning his 79thcareer victory. But it was an incredible 1,777 days since Szoke’s last success, at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, August 15, 2021. Since then, Szoke has recovered from a serious dirt bike incident (not a crash) at Walton, ON, in early 2022, when he broke a number of bones.
For much of the race, a resurgent Szoke was locked in a fight for first aboard his AIM Insurance backed Kawasaki ZX-10RR, battling for the lead with the Honda of Canada’s reigning Superbike Champ Ben Young of Thornbury, ON. Young was on a winning streak, looking for his sixth consecutive victory.
Young earned the BS Battery Pole Award pole position in the single morning “Q” session with a new outright lap record of 1:59.857 seconds, the first ever lap in the formerly considered magic two-minute range. Young started from pole position but was experiencing shifter issues with his CBR.
Young’s challenges with his linkage put him under pressure from third year Superbike racer David MacKay from Stoney Creek, ON, aboard the Snow City Cycle Honda CBR1000RR-RR. MacKay led a Superbike Feature race for the first time midway through the 14-lap final, taking advantage of Young’s issues and attempting to make a break at the front.
Also in the lead mix was the Mountain View Honda of teenager Andrew Van Winkle, riding a nearly stock machine in company with full blown Superbikes.
But the impressive MacKay suffered a low-side crash in the first section of track early on lap 11, sliding off unhurt. Szoke moved into first, with Young and Van Winkle in remarkably close company. From there, Szoke fought Young tooth and nail, with the Honda rider running wide into turns when he sometimes couldn’t select the gear he desired.
Szoke took advantage of a Young wide entry on the last lap to nip past for the lead, Young trying to take advantage of traffic in the final turn. Szoke hung on to win by .235 of a second, with Van Winkle a solid third - his third such result of his rookie Superbike campaign.
“Man, I have been trying so long to win another one of these things,” said 47-year-old Szoke in Victory Lane, holding his toddler twins Reese and Murphy. “It is just so great to get to race on a track like this, it is a chance to really test these motorcycles, it is what our sport is all about.”
Szoke’s comments refer to the recently repaved, 21 turn, hilly Calabogie’s 5-kilometer-long layout, one of the most demanding in Canada.
“I am so grateful for my team, my family, Kawasaki, Bridgestone for the great rubber, and for our competitors – it is so great to be back here for the first time in five years.”
For Young, the struggle with his mechanical issue was a tough challenge after the morning high of setting a new outright lap record, an achievement he confirmed was a big moment for him. Young also agreed he was fortunate to complete the race, fighting to deal with his mechanical challenges.
“I was happy with my start, those have really improved this year,” reflected Young. “The pace was good, but when the shifter started acting up, maybe lap six, I knew I was in trouble. I couldn’t be sure of what was going to happen going into some of those corners, so, not ideal, no.”
Van Winkle was all smiles with third place, explaining that “I don’t know the track, my first time out was yesterday, and I probably don’t have even 80 laps around here in total – but it is really fun.”
Following the race, the top machines were sent to post race Official Dynojet testing, provided by Brooklin Cycle Racing. Szoke’s recently revamped “B” Ninja registered 190.7 horsepower, while Young’s Honda set a record for a Japanese built machine at 201.95. Van Winkle’s entry managed186.54 horsepower.
Best lap of the race was Young at 2:00.65, MacKay solidly in the mix at 2:00.68, then victor Szoke early in the running with a tour at 2:00.79, remarkably close and set in near ideal warm weather conditions.
Fourth overall belonged to rookie Superbike racer Alex Michel of Montreal aboard the Mathias Sport Kawasaki ZX-10R Ninja, outdueling the Nelson International Raceway 50th Anniversary Suzuki of Sebastien Tremblay. Michel had a solid power advantage, but Tremblay is considered a Calabogie expert, and harried Michel for most of the race. At the finish Tremblay cam up short of fourth by just .4 of a second, earning fifth overall.
Not far behind was Quebec City’s Mavrick Cyr on another Suzuki GSX-R750, sixth overall.
Another racer with solid experience around Calabogie was “fast farmer” Ernest Bernhard of Ste-Bridget-d’Iberville, QC, piloting the Farnham Brewery Yamaha YZF-R1 to seventh overall.
The only CSBK National support class running with VRRA at Calabogie was the Super Sonic Road Race School Lightweight Sportbike division, where Lachlan Alexander (age 16) extended his series points lead with a win on a Kawasaki, just .7 of a second clear of second placed Aprilia rider Sebastien Silva. Alexander is the younger brother of Cole Alexander, 19, a rising star in the OPP Racing Pro Supersport class.
Third in Lightweight went to 15-year-old Stefan Tanasic, returning from injury aboard his Snow City Kawasaki, just under a further two seconds behind.
Race two on the weekend for both GP Bikes Pro Superbike and Super Sonic Road Race School Lightweight Sportbike are scheduled for Sunday at Calabogie.
