CSBK - Busy Toronto Bike Show for CSBK Stars Saturday

Busy Toronto Bike Show for CSBK Stars Saturday

Details: Category: CSBK News; Published on Sunday, February 19, 2017 07:44 EST

Saturday was autograph day for the stars of the Mopar CSBK series on February 18 at the Enercare Centre for the Toronto Motorcycle Show on the Exhibition grounds. The annual event at the Show, running through Sunday on the north shore of Lake Ontario, was hosted by Dalton Timmis Insurance presents Mopar CSBK on TSN host Frank Woods, voice of the National Championship Series.

Arriving just in time to start the fan session was Doug Lawrence, the former Flat Track Canada National Champ carrying a bundle of Suzuki posters and unpacking his brand new electric-blue pit shirt, all part of his just-announced support deal with Suzuki Canada.

Fan favourite Lawrence confirmed that he will focus most of his summer attentions on the Mopar CSBK Series, as well as racing select Flat Track events in both the United States and Canada. Although unwilling to make any predictions for 2017, Lawrence did acknowledge that the 2017 Brooklin Cycle Racing Rookie of the Year Award was definitely a target for his first full season of road racing.

Lawrence also confirmed his enthusiasm for the second 2017 round at Grand Bend Motorplex in Western Ontario, since “no one on the Pro National tour has raced there much, and there has never been a National, so I have a better chance!”

While many racers are discouraged by the famed “Roller Coaster” back straight at Atlantic Motorsport Park in Nova Scotia, Lawrence is looking forward to the July Superbike double header. “I’ve been watching some video and it looks like fun, and it is certainly a place that rewards accuracy,” explained Lawrence, who will be on a steep learning curve for his venue debut on the potent new Suzuki GSX-R1000.

Current Mopar CSBK Champion Jordan Szoke was busy at the show, riding in the Trials Demo events as well as joining his fellow Superbike front runners at the CSBK booth. Szoke confirmed that he is busy preparing his pair of Express Lane/Motovan supported BMW Motorrad S1000RR race bikes for his 2017 title defence, starting at Shannonville Motorsport Park, ON, on May 28.

Still wearing his riding gear from his Trials Demonstration duties at the Toronto Motorcycle Show, current Mopar CSBK National Superbike Champion Jordan Szoke chats with the fans during the annual Saturday Autograph session. [Photo: Colin Fraser]
Jordan Szoke, Ben Young, Doug Lawrence and (hidden) Kenny Riedmann at the Mopar CSBK Booth during this weekend’s Toronto Motorcycle Show at the Enercare Centre, ending Sunday. [Photo: Colin Fraser]
2016 Flat Track Canada National Champion Doug Lawrence made his Suzuki Canada debut on a warm and sunny Saturday at the Toronto Motorcycle Show. [Photo: Colin Fraser]
At the Dalton Timmis Insurance presents MOPAR CSBK on TSN Autograph Session at the Toronto Motorcycle Show Feb. 18, Jordan Szoke and Ben Young pose for photos with a fan while Doug “Fresh” Lawrence chats with Series announcer Frank Wood. [Photo: Colin Fraser]
Western aces at the Toronto Motorcycle Show: 2011 Mopar CSBK National Superbike Champion Brett McCormick chats with fellow Prairie racer Jonathan Finn. [Photo: Colin Fraser]
2017 Pro Superbike potential front runners Derrick Whyte (Kawasaki) Kenny Riedmann (Kawasaki) and Ben Young discuss potential Szoke-beating tactics during the Toronto Motorcycle Show at the Enercare Centre. [Photo: Colin Fraser]
On display at the Show: the well-proven Motovan Kawasaki ZX-10R Ninja Superbike used by Ross Millson, Doug Lawrence and Brett McCormick during 2016. [Photo: Colin Fraser]
Freshly-signed Suzuki Canada Rookie Pro Superbike pilot Doug “Fresh” Lawrence with the new GSX-R1000 at the Toronto Motorcycle Show at the Enercare Centre on the Exhibition grounds. [Photo: Colin Fraser]

2016 National tour points runner-up Kenny Riedmann is already in training for the 2017 tour, with his new Sturgess Kawasaki ZX-10R Ninja racer spread out across a couple of provinces, undergoing a full-scale race preparation. Riedmann plans to train with flat trackers in the U.S. in the near future, before moving on to development on the pavement of the latest Ninja.

Derrick Whyte expects to join Riedmann for spring testing in the U.S.A. for the second straight season, also with a new Kawasaki Ninja: this one a ZX-10R model. The 2015 Magneti Marelli Amateur Superbike Champion will continue with backing from Snow City Cycle in Toronto as well as Lucas Oils, aiming to build on his strong ninth overall series placing in 2016.

Recently confirmed for a second straight season with BMW Motorrad support, Ben Young is busy training near home at the Blue Mountain Ski resort, although the warm weather has the Scot worried about a shorted season on the slopes.

Young took the Brooklin Cycle Racing Pro Rookie of the Year honours in 2016, and confirmed he is looking for feature race wins in his second year in the feature class in 2017. However Young did come up short of Riedmann’s bold statement of intent: the main goal for “Kenneth the Menace” is to dethrone 11 time overall Canadian Superbike Champ Szoke, taking his number one plate, in the upcoming season.