The penultimate race of the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship season saw history made on multiple fronts, as Ben Young won an abbreviated race one in the feature GP Bikes Pro Superbike class on Sunday at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
Young’s eighth victory in nine races this season will see him break the record for most wins in a Pro Superbike campaign, surpassing Jordan Szoke’s mark of seven victories (set three times), though it came in difficult circumstances on Sunday.
The six-time Canada Cup winner had clawed his way to the front after a tough start and had begun to stretch a commanding lead over David MacKay when the race was red flagged on lap six, bringing an early end to the continued action from Saturday.
An incident involving Zoltan Frast and Alex Michel in the battle for third saw both riders crash heavily in turn eight, requiring an immediate stoppage. Both riders were thankfully conscious but have since been transported to local hospital for further treatment. The series will provide more information when available.
The crash would hand Young a 31st career win in the feature class and tenth for the Van Dolder’s Home Team Honda squad, albeit in tough circumstances.
“Nobody likes to see that, I really hope both guys are okay. That’s the priority,” Young said in the pit lane, deflecting his celebrations to his teammate beside him.
While MacKay would hang on to a strong second-place for the Snow City Cycle Honda team, initially leading on lap one after another excellent start, it was Young’s rookie counterpart Cole Alexander who would steal the show in third.
Alexander showed decent pace in the early stages to run sixth in his Superbike debut aboard the Van Dolder’s Home Team Honda, capitalizing on a crash ahead of him from Andrew Van Winkle and then later being promoted to third after the incident with Frast and Michel.
The 19-year-old becomes only the fifth rider ever to score a podium in their first official Pro Superbike race, joining an illustrious list that includes Alex Dumas, Torin Collins, Trevor Dion, and Claudio Corti.
"It doesn’t feel like a real podium, but I’ll take it. I feel terrible for those guys ahead of me, hopefully they’re okay,” Alexander said post-race. “It’s been a challenge going back and forth between classes but the Superbike has been a lot of fun. I’m so grateful to Ben for the opportunity.”
Alexander’s history-making result would partially come at the expense of Van Winkle, who crashed out of second place while trying to hunt down Young aboard his Mountainview Motorsports Honda.
Still, the 19-year-old would exit race one with enough of a points advantage to secure the Brooklin Cycle Racing Pro Rookie of the Year award for 2026, alleviating some pressure as he tries to repair his machine ahead of race two this afternoon.
The final classification will see Michael Sutherland earn a terrific fourth in his return to the series, a career-best result for the former Amateur frontrunner aboard his Yamaha YZF-R1.
That will put him just ahead of Julien Lafortune for BMW, also a career-best result for the Nicolet, QC native as he held off a group of riders for fifth place.
The Honda podium lockout will see the brand extend their grasp on the Constructors Championship, having already clinched the award for the first time since its introduction, though it remains to be seen who will share honours with Young as the top two finishers with MacKay and Van Winkle now separated by just three points entering the finale.
Full results from Saturday’s action can be found here.
