DACCACHE CLINCHES HIS RECORD TENTH TITLE
Carter Matson Stars in Changing Conditions
Reigning Champ Eli Daccache had a goal for the fourth event of the five round 2026 RACE Moto Regional Series at Shannonville Motorsport Park: clinch the Lou-Ann Printing Pro Superbike Championship, so that he wouldn’t be distracted at the final event of the season. That upcoming race, September 25-27, is the Nelson International Raceway 50th Anniversary Celebration, where Milwaukee Yamaha YZF-R1 rider Daccache anticipates increased competition.
S.M.P. was called Nelson International, for founder, racer, and dealership owner John, from 1976 through 1979. A member of the 2006 Canadian Motorcycle hall of Fame, Nelson passed away that year. The upcoming 50th celebration honours Nelson and the first ever race at the just-built facility, a key location in the growth of motorcycle sport in Canada.
In dry conditions on Saturday, August 26, Daccache turned some of his best laps of the season, including a top tour at 1:05.4, over two seconds faster that any opposition. At the opening Bridgestone CSBK National of this season at Shannonville, newly crowned National Champ Ben Young (Honda) turned the best lap (in the second race) at 1:04.87.
Typical Daccache rival Michael Leon (BMW) is not yet back from injures suffered at the second round, and next best Ernest Bernhard crashed his Farnham Breweries Yamaha in the first race of the program, suffering minor injures that precluded continued competition.
Overnight rain and cool, drizzly conditions interrupted activity Sunday, and in his first rain of the day, Daccache pulled in after the Sprint Cup warm-up lap, deciding to ride alone in the early going with slick tires on a still-damp track. “The track is drying slowly, but we should be ready for the Feature.
“I’m safe in the pits,” smiled Daccache when asked about his Sprint Cup strategy. “In the big race there is a paycheck, and that is important. I’m not sure about the points (for the overall Championship), I’ll have to get out my engineering calculator after Superbike to see where I stand.”
The Sprint Cup ended up producing a great fight for first, with a surprise winner: Amateur Suzuki upstart Carter Matson, who dueled with the OPP Racing Supersport National Pro Suzukis of Matt Simpson and team-mate Marco Sousa. Daccache made it up to fourth.
A small field went out for the Superbike Feature, and Daccache took off from the start, eventually edging the slow starting BMW of Chris Fehr. Matt Annable took third on a Suzuki, after holding second for much of the shortened eight lap contest. Daccache slowed at the end and still won by thirty seconds.
“I had no issues, the track was in good shape, given the conditions and what I expected,” started Daccache on his way to the podium, reflecting on his amazing tenth consecutive number one plate. “It’s nice to put a stamp on the weekend. My pace was better than I expected, and I just concentrated on bringing it home. I want to thank my girlfriend Andrea, Tire Distributor ASAP Motorsports, Kevin Graham at Pirelli, Milwaukee, and everyone who comes out in the paddock.”
In Sunday’s combined Pro 600 Supersport and EVAL Heavyweight class race, Sousa won from Simpson in the Heavyweight division in difficult conditions, Martin Perreault earning the Supersport win from veteran Hans Van Sleuwen.
Later Van Sleuwen, a Suzuki SV650 aficionado, would win an entertaining Middleweight race, hunting down early leader Jean-Pascal Schroeder on a Kawasaki 400-4. Aeden McLean would out battle fellow Kawasaki racer Stefan Tanasic for third. Tanasic had earlier won the Hindle Lightweight race from Alan Burns (Kawasaki) and Gervais Antoine.
Track conditions were tricky for Joe Rocket Amateur Supersport, long time competitor Eric Quintin (Honda), who built an early useful lead over the fight for second between Parker Sabine-Craig (Yam) and Gervais Antoie (Kaw).
The GP Bikes AM Superbike allowed Carter Matson to demonstrate his drying track prowess on his Suzuki, pulling well clear of a good fight for the other podium spots between J.S. Lefebvre (Duc), Glenn Brown (Kaw), and Sabine-Craig. The top Novice was Tom Ritchie, who edged Jason Jones by just over three seconds. Aeden McLean was a distant third on a drying track.
No MiniSBK events were held at round five at S.M.P., given the penultimate round of the MotoMINI Nationals takes place at Lombardy, near Smith Falls, ON, September 4. The final 2026 RACE Moto Regional is at the end of September 25-27.
