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Dumas takes over championship lead with race three victory at RAD Torque
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The Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship will be set up for an epic finale in the feature class next month, as Alex Dumas claimed a race three victory to snatch the championship lead at RAD Torque Raceway on Sunday.
Dumas got a good launch from the end of row one but so too did pole-sitter and race two winner Sam Guerin, who paced the opening laps of the race with Dumas and Ben Young in tow.
Guerin had briefly threatened to break away from the championship rivals just as he did earlier in the day, though Dumas was determined to avoid a repeat result as he immediately cut the deficit back down, reeling Guerin in by lap six and launching a nice move into turn two to take the lead.
After resisting a bit of pressure from Guerin, Dumas would eventually stretch the gap out front as he paced the last 14 laps, cruising to a much-needed third win of the season for the Economy Lube/Fast Company BMW team.
The 2021 champion would get a bit of help from his new BMW-mate Guerin, however, as he defended relentless pressure from Young in the final five laps as part of a crucial battle for second.
Young had tried to get underneath Guerin in the banked turn three just as he did on Saturday, with Guerin typically favouring a wider line, but he would change his approach this time around to deny Young and hold on to second.
That proved to be a significant result for all three riders, as it would hand the championship lead back over to Dumas by just five points over Young, with Guerin closing to within 16 points of the lead entering the final round in August.
“This morning was a bit difficult, but it was good to collect some points for the championship knowing we had another chance this afternoon,” Dumas said. “Sam got a good launch, but once I got underneath him in turn two I just tried to put my head down and get away. It was a really fun race, and it feels really good to be back on top.”
The 22-year-old also continued his rapid climb up the all-time win list, surpassing Pascal Picotte for the fourth-most in Pro Superbike history with his 17th career victory – now trailing only Jordan Szoke (78), Steve Crevier (26), and rival Ben Young (22).
As for his chase towards a second Canada Cup, Dumas got some help from fellow Quebec City native Guerin with his second-place finish on Sunday, though Guerin was certainly looking out for his own title hopes as he also puts himself in good shape entering CTMP – a stunning turnaround after his difficult round one.
The EFC Group BMW rider will exit RAD Torque with podiums in every race and five in a row on the season, putting plenty of pressure on Dumas and Young entering the season finale.
“That was such a great race. It felt good to lead for almost the first half, but Alex was like a rocket once he got by me,” Guerin said. “I saw Ben coming behind me, and he tried to pass in the same place as yesterday, but this time I was going to keep second. I wanted the win, but we can’t complain with the three podiums.”
The 12-point swing atop the championship will come at Young’s expense after he entered the day seven points clear of Dumas, though the Van Dolder’s Home Team Honda rider was relatively happy with the final tally after securing his first win with his new brand on Saturday.
“We had a good one yesterday, but this morning was difficult. The Honda is such a great package, but we just didn’t have the same pace in the rain,” Young said, having finished fourth in race two earlier on Sunday. “This afternoon we were a bit closer, and the team is doing their best. Obviously, we gave up the points lead but it’s still very tight, so may the best man win at CTMP.”
While Guerin firmly made the championship battle a three-horse race on Sunday, the hopes of a 15th national title took a small hit for Jordan Szoke as he was forced to settle for another comfortable fourth.
The Canadian Kawasaki Motors rider looked just as fast as Guerin in the wet race two, but a mostly dry track in race three didn’t help Szoke – who was also feeling under the weather this weekend – as he slips 24 points behind Dumas.
Completing the top five was 19-year-old home favourite Torin Collins, another impressive showing for the Supersport championship leader aboard his middleweight-spec Octagon Energy Services Suzuki GSX-R750.
Collins elected to participate in the final Superbike race of the weekend with his Supersport tripleheader wrapped up, and overcame an early battle with David MacKay to eventually settle into a strong top-five finish.
MacKay would have to settle for sixth aboard the ODH Snow City Cycle Honda, enough to keep himself fifth in the overall championship but not enough to improve Honda’s hopes in the Constructors Championship as he and Young will watch rivals BMW stretch out a 59-point lead following consecutive one-two finishes.
Fellow Honda rider Phil DeGama-Blanchet completed his home weekend in seventh, having dealt with a few issues aboard his Mots Machining CBR1000RR after a race one crash on Saturday.
Pro Rookie of the Year leader Laurent Laliberte-Girard inched closer to the award with another excellent finish in eighth, ending a grueling weekend for the Nadon Sport Yamaha rider as he did all six races in the pro categories, navigating a pair of tripleheaders to score a career-best fifth in race two earlier on Sunday.
The feature GP Bikes Pro Superbike championship will now have a few weeks to rest before turning their attention to a climactic season finale at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, set for August 7-10 at the historic venue just east of Toronto, Ontario.
Guerin takes runaway race two victory as championship tightens up at RAD Torque
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The fight for the Canada Cup was blown open in race two of the GP Bikes Pro Superbike tripleheader on Sunday, as Sam Guerin dominated for a start-to-finish victory in the rain at RAD Torque Raceway.
The pole-sitter showed just why he’s considered a wet-weather specialist as he stormed away from the field and led every single lap, stretching out an eight-second lead at one point as Guerin cruised to his third win in the last four races.
The EFC Group BMW rider had already done exactly what he needed to as he tries to make up for his round one setbacks, but his team was paying a little extra attention to the fight behind him as the story became a three-rider battle between Jordan Szoke, Alex Dumas, and race one winner Ben Young.
Dumas would slot in behind Guerin off the line with Szoke third while Young got a lackluster start in fourth, but the trio would tighten up for majority of the race in a pivotal battle for second.
Szoke would look for a few ways by on Dumas before eventually making a lunge into turn four on lap four, though with Guerin too far up the road as he continued to hammer out fast laps.
That would set up a brief battle between rivals Young and Dumas behind him, with Young attempting a bold move into turn two – the same spot where he made his race-winning pass on Saturday – before Dumas slammed the door on the championship leader.
The group would then settle into their respective positions as Szoke gradually chipped away at Guerin’s lead, though it was too little too late as the Quebec City native held on for his fifth career victory.
“I was really happy when I saw the forecast this morning. I wanted to just get a lead right away and avoid any spray, so it all went according to plan,” Guerin said. “We needed this one for the championship, so I’m super happy. Hopefully it stays wet for race three this afternoon.”
The title fight would see a major shift with the one-two finish for Guerin and Szoke, with just 16 points covering the entire top four down to Guerin, who’s one point behind Szoke for third in the standings.
As for the Canadian Kawasaki Motors rider, Szoke felt his early laps stuck behind Dumas prevented a shot at the win – a valid belief given his strong lap times – though he was happy to salvage a crucial second and keep his title hopes in good shape.
“I’ve been a bit under the weather, so I just tried to hang in there as long as I could yesterday. I knew Sam would be tough to beat in the rain, but I think I could have gone with him if I had got by Alex sooner,” Szoke said, which prompted Guerin to jokingly shake his head. “I know Sam’s making fun of me. But I know we have a good bike, so we’ll see what race three brings.”The main championship battle between Dumas and Young was also tightened slightly, with the Economy Lube/Fast Company BMW rider fending off the race one winner to take the last podium spot and cut his deficit to only four points.
“Sam pulled a gap right away, so I tried to follow Jordan and hope for an opportunity, but he was just a bit quicker,” Dumas admitted. “I didn’t want to push too much, so I just tried to keep Ben behind me and pick up points for the championship.”
The result sees Young’s personal-best 23 race podium streak come to an end, a stretch dating back to the CTMP finale in 2023, but more crucially puts the Van Dolder’s Home Team Honda squad back under pressure following a breakthrough on Saturday.
Completing the top five was rookie Laurent Laliberte-Girard, an incredible effort aboard his Supersport-spec Nadon Sport Yamaha YZF-R6 in the tricky conditions.
The reigning Amateur Supersport champion managed to peel away from a number of Superbike riders early in the race, including the Honda duo of Phil DeGama-Blanchet and David MacKay.
DeGama-Blanchet struggled in the early stages of the race before finding a bit of a late rhythm aboard his Mots Machining Honda, salvaging a decent points haul in sixth after his crash on Saturday.
MacKay appeared to be dealing with a few issues in the rain setup for the ODH Snow City Cycle Honda crew, initially battling with DeGama-Blanchet before settling back into a lonely seventh.
The result sees BMW stretch their lead significantly atop the Constructors Championship, exiting with a 40-point advantage over Honda after a disappointing race one.
The field will return to the track this afternoon for the final leg of their tripleheader, a massive one in the championship battle ahead of the season finale in August.
Guerin leads rainy FP3 ahead of Sunday doubleheader at RAD Torque
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Daunting weather conditions at RAD Torque Raceway couldn’t slow down Sam Guerin on Sunday morning, as the GP Bikes Pro Superbike pole-sitter paced FP3 ahead of their feature class doubleheader later today.
Guerin showed the most confidence in what was a tricky session to navigate, with many of the pro riders completing their first ever wet laps around the circuit.
The times were hardly representative as most of the big names sorted through setup changes and tried to alter their lines on a very wet track, but Guerin was visibly on another level as he topped the timesheets by over 1.7 seconds aboard his EFC Group BMW.
Guerin led majority of Saturday’s race one before finishing third to Alex Dumas and winner Ben Young, but different conditions for today’s races could go the way of the Quebec City native based on his morning pace, even with rain expected to stop prior to race two.
Jordan Szoke was next-fastest in FP3 as he searches for a maiden victory of the season, having been slightly off the pace on Saturday in a dry race aboard his CKM Kawasaki.
Dumas would go third-fastest and just marginally clear of rival Young, an advantage he will hope to maintain later today as the Economy Lube/Fast Company BMW star tries to cut his seven-point deficit to Young.
The three-time reigning champion would be fourth-fastest on Sunday morning, with his Van Dolder’s Home Team Honda squad hoping the rain won’t disrupt his momentum after a debut victory for Honda in a thriller on Saturday.
Rounding out the top five was home hero Torin Collins aboard his Octagon Energy Services Suzuki GSX-R750, a distant fifth behind the lead quarter but clear of his Supersport rivals, though by just 0.020 seconds over Alex Michel in sixth.
The feature class will keep their eyes glued to the weather forecasts ahead of what should be at least a wet race two at roughly 11:30 am MT, before conditions hopefully improve in time for race three at roughly 3:00 pm MT.
Sunday morning combined Pro Superbike and Pro Supersport practice results
Collins dominates Supersport race two, Bucek doubles up support classes at RAD Torque on Saturday
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The Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship delivered another thrilling day of racing on Saturday, with Torin Collins leading a trio of riders who took multiple victories at RAD Torque Raceway.
Collins had already made a bit of history with his critical race one win earlier in the day, benefitting from a few incidents behind him to record the largest margin of victory in Pro Supersport history, and it was a similar story in race two on Saturday afternoon.
Collins initially looked set for a tough challenge as Sebastien Tremblay stormed off the line to grab the holeshot with Andrew Van Winkle second, but a red flag stoppage on lap one meant a full restart.
That restart would go more in Collins’ favour, jumping out to an early lead and resisting Tremblay for only a handful of laps before stretching his legs out front, cruising the rest of the way for a seven second victory.
The “daily double” gives the Octagon Energy Services rider five wins in six races to begin 2025, stretching his lead to 29 points with three races remaining this season.
The story in the race – which was mostly a straightforward one after the first few laps – was the battle behind Collins, with Van Winkle exacting a bit of hard revenge on Tremblay late in the contest.
Van Winkle had reeled in Tremblay rapidly, something the reigning champion was unaware of due to a miscommunication on his pit board, allowing Van Winkle to catch the S.T. Motosport Suzuki rider by surprise in turn two with a forceful move.
The 18-year-old Van Winkle playfully referenced a similar pass Tremblay made on himself a year ago at Atlantic Motorsport Park, considering the score to be even after Tremblay got the better of him on that occasion.
“That was similar to Nova Scotia last year, only this time it was me who finished ahead,” Van Winkle said. “There was a bit of contact, but nothing serious. I think there was an issue with his pit board, so I don’t know if he even knew I was there.”
Tremblay confirmed that Van Winkle’s pass caught him by surprise in turn two, but showed no signs of anger towards the Mountainview Motorsports Suzuki star despite the contact.
“The pass was okay, I just didn’t know he was coming. I thought I had a bigger gap so I did not expect that at all,” Tremblay admitted, though he still showed his gratitude to his team for their efforts following a race one mechanical issue.
The difficult day leaves Tremblay a surprising 54 points behind Collins, meaning he can be mathematically eliminated from championship contention on Sunday if he can’t find an answer for the 19-year-old Calgary native.
Continuing his run of top-five finishes was Elliot Vieira in fourth, who held off a relentless late attack from Alex Michel to stay in contention for third in the overall standings aboard his GP Bikes Ducati.
Michel currently holds that spot over Vieira and Tremblay, a trio covered by just six points, though the SpeedFactory67 Kawasaki rider was in damage limitation mode in race two after getting tangled up in the lap one red flag with John Laing, who is thankfully believed to have avoided any significant injuries.
Collins wasn’t the only teenager to double up his day, however, as Cole Alexander continued to emerge as one of the rising stars of the paddock with another pair of victories in the amateur ranks.
Alexander would convert his pole position to a fifth victory in six races in the AIM Insurance Amateur Superbike class, holding off a race long push from rival Zaim Laflamme to push his points lead to 35.
The 18-year-old Suzuki rider wasn’t afforded much breathing room from Laflamme, who again came painfully short of a crucial victory despite equally impressive pace, having put over 16 seconds between himself and the battle for third.
That final podium spot would go to Nicolas Audet but not without a similar challenge from Alexis Beaudoin, though Beaudoin will climb to third in the overall standings with the result – an important spot with the top three finishers graduating to the pro ranks in 2026.
Laflamme would have hoped to get his revenge in the EBC Brakes Amateur Supersport class where he started from his own pole position, but the day would again go the way of Alexander as he put a slightly bigger gap between himself and the Triumph rider.
Alexander will stretch his lead to 15 points in that category as he chases a rare double championship this season, though Laflamme remains firmly in the mix with yet another runner-up result.
Beaudoin initially appeared to reverse his own battle with Audet as he finished a narrow third, but Beaudoin was later disqualified from the order for the use of improper fuel, handing the last podium spot to Audet once again as he inches closer to securing third in the overall championship.
Photos by Kira McWilliams
J.P. Tache’s perfect season came to an end in the Importations Thibault Twins Cup class, after Dante Bucek won a thrilling duel thanks to a brave turn one pass on the final lap.
The 16-year-old Bucek had to claw his way back to Tache after an excellent start for the championship leader, but the two Aprilia riders ran almost nose-to-tail in the last six laps with Bucek lining up a move in a number of spots.
The young amateur would then launch the decisive pass into the tight turn one right hander, standing up Tache and fending off the veteran pro for the rest of the lap to snatch his first career victory in the category.
The win cuts Bucek’s championship deficit to 29 points ahead of race two, preventing Tache from being able to clinch the title on Sunday so long as Bucek finishes inside the top ten.
Joining them in the top three was fan favourite Bronti Verbeek for Yamaha, who added a second career CSBK podium at her home track after battling with Bucek in the early going, a popular result for the Calgary native.
Verbeek will try to keep closing the gap to the absent Louie Raffa and fourth-place finisher Justin Marshall, who leapfrogs Raffa to put his Suzuki Canada machine third in the championship.
Bucek completed his own double in the Super Sonic Road Race School Lightweight Sportbike class, cruising clear of Norbert Joo and Scott Szollos to extend a massive championship lead.
The Kawasaki rider opens up a 39-point advantage over the absent Gary McKinnon, giving him a shot to clinch the national title on Sunday with only 50 points available at the season finale in CTMP.
Szollos will maintain his slim title hopes with a podium, however, moving him just 13 points behind McKinnon for top pro honours behind runaway amateur Bucek.
Jacob Black took a third consecutive victory in the Kawasaki ZX-4RR Cup, extending his championship lead over third-place finisher Jean-Pascal Schroeder.
Black was in an early dice with Schroeder and Rob Cousineau, though the trio eventually separated with Cousineau taking a comfortable second and Schroeder rounding out the podium.
It was the first national podium of Cousineau’s career, who closes to within four points of the absent Jared Walker for third in the overall championship.
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