No changes to CTMP Superbike race two after appeals denied by MCC

The results from Sunday’s season finale of the Mopar Pro Superbike class will officially stand with no changes, Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship officials announced on Wednesday, after a pair of appeals were filed with the Motorcycle Confederation of Canada following round five at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. 

The protests in question were filed by front-running Pro Superbike riders Jordan Szoke and Samuel Trepanier, following a photo-finish victory for rival Kenny Riedmann in race two on Sunday. 

The appeals were filed after initial protests were rejected by CSBK officials late Sunday night. The MCC reinforced that decision, electing not to assess any penalties in their official announcement on Wednesday. 

The focal point of the protests was centered on Sunday’s victory for Riedmann, with accusations that the Sturgess Cycle Kawasaki rider had ridden dangerously on the Mario Andretti straightaway and purposefully collided with Trepanier exiting the final corner, though both claims were denied by the MCC. 

“It is the opinion of the Tribunal that the contact was a racing incident and not a deliberate maneuver on the part of either rider,” they announced in an official statement. “Therefore, the Tribunal will not override the decisions of CSBK and will not levy any penalties against either of the riders involved.”

Another item of protest was the pole position awarded to Pro Superbike champion Ben Young on Saturday, as Young had badly damaged his Liqui Moly BMW machine and was in danger of losing his qualifying spot as the top five teams were forced to do a post-session Dyno run to meet numerous rule requirements. 

However, per the CSBK rule book, Young’s team was given 15 minutes to attempt to assess and repair the machine in order to run safely on the Dyno, something they accomplished with just under a minute remaining. Regardless, the protest surrounding this issue was not filed until Sunday night, long after the permitted time to submit a protest. 

“The post-race dyno run after repairs was in accordance with the CSBK procedures, and the protest wasn`t placed until Sunday night,” the statement continued. “This was outside the permitted time to file a protest, so the MCC did not alter any at-track decisions or results.”

As such, the results from Sunday’s race will not change, with Riedmann scoring his lone victory of the season ahead of Blysk Racing BMW’s Trepanier in second and Mopar Express Lane Kawasaki’s Szoke in third. 

The decision will leave little impact on the final standings, as Young had clinched his first National title on Saturday, and Riedmann will only finish ninth overall even with the win as he had only been making his second appearance of the season. 

Szoke, meanwhile, will still finish comfortably as the top Kawasaki rider after finishing 52 points behind Young in second, with Trepanier another 20 points behind in third, though the latter was issued a five-point penalty on Sunday for not having the mandatory class stickers, a matter which wasn’t protested. 

Full results and news from the 2019 season can be found on the series’ official website at www.csbk.ca.