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Superbike Preview: Young leads wide open championship battle into pivotal Edmonton tripleheader
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The Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship will continue its cross-country journey this weekend, with the feature GP Bikes Pro Superbike class heading west for their pivotal third round at RAD Torque Raceway, July 4-6.
The series will return to Edmonton for a second consecutive season, a whopping 4,770 kilometres from the last time we saw the feature class in Nova Scotia, with three races on deck and just two points separating rivals Ben Young and Alex Dumas at the top.
It’s hardly a two-horse race, however, with Jordan Szoke just a further nine points back and Sam Guerin only seven points adrift of him following his round two sweep at AMP, meaning a mere 18 points will cover the entire top four at the midway point of the season.
Guerin will carry the momentum into round three after the best showing of his career, besting Young in a pair of last lap battles at arguably Young’s best circuit, though the three-time reigning champion is strong across the entire calendar – including RAD Torque, where he won a crucial race one a year ago.
Young is one of just three former winners at the venue, with Szoke sweeping the inaugural visit in 2015 before home phenom Torin Collins took a maiden victory in race two last season, though Collins is expected to focus on his Supersport campaign this time around.
That leaves a relatively unpredictable weekend ahead for the top four, especially given that Young and Dumas will be returning to the circuit aboard new machines in 2025.
Young has yet to take a debut victory for the Van Dolder’s Home Team Honda squad after leaving BMW this winter, earning his championship lead through his usual consistency with three runner-up finishes in four races thus far.
It’s hard to envision Young’s 22-race podium streak ending in RAD Torque either, even with a rare tripleheader offering plenty of risk and opportunity, though he won’t be eager to “play it safe” with his two-point title lead either as he looks to inflict maximum damage ahead of the season finale in CTMP.
Conversely, Dumas will be looking to do damage control after a career-worst round two in AMP, entering with a 14-point lead and exiting with finishes of fourth and fifth.
The difficult weekend aboard his new Economy Lube/Fast Company BMW was something the team will hope to have sorted in RAD Torque, especially given Dumas’ strong showing at the circuit in 2024.
It was in Edmonton where Dumas made his season debut last year, ending a brief hiatus to join his current squad aboard a Ducati, picking up strong finishes of third and second despite limited knowledge of the V4 Panigale.
Now piloting the friendlier M1000RR, Dumas will try to return to his winning ways after a dominant opening round, though it likely won’t be a straight fight against his rival Young.
Szoke and Guerin won’t have fond memories of their trip west in 2024, with Szoke taking consecutive fourth-place finishes while Guerin settled for fifth in each race, but both have looked much more competitive in 2025 and will try to keep that rolling at RAD Torque.
Guerin in particular will try to extend his mid-season comeback aboard the EFC Group BMW, having turned around his year in a big way with consecutive victories after a disastrous round one.
The Quebec City native is especially confident in tricky weather conditions, something that could crucially go his way with heavy rain forecast for Sunday’s doubleheader.
As for Szoke, the 14-time champion is still chasing a dream 79th career victory after four years away from the top step of the podium, though he’s looked closer than ever this season after leading at multiple points across rounds one and two.
The Canadian Kawasaki Motors star will also have a bit of added confidence after his strong showing at the recent Loudon Classic, with Szoke still firmly in the mix for not just an emotional victory but also a record-extending 15th Canada Cup in 2025.
Outside of the “big four,” the rest of the GP Bikes Pro Superbike class will be relatively wide open as well at RAD Torque, with a few familiar names set to battle an array of local talent in Alberta.
Leading that group will be David MacKay, who continues to knock on the door of a breakout result after running right in the mix of the lead group in both races at AMP.
The ODH Snow City Cycle Honda rider has yet to claim a first career Superbike podium but has finished lower than sixth just twice in his 16 races aboard the CBR1000RR-R, making him a sure bet to run at least in the top-five range as he did at RAD Torque last season, finishing sixth and then crashing out of fifth in race two.
Should Collins sit out the Superbike weekend as expected, the home favourite will become his close friend and fellow Calgary native Phil DeGama-Blanchet, who has quickly emerged as one of the rising stars of the CSBK paddock.
The 17-year-old phenom sits fifth in the championship with three top-five finishes in four races aboard his Mots Machining Honda, and a maiden podium of his own may not be far off with the home crowd behind him in Edmonton.
Another rider looking to build on his own career-best result will be Connor Campbell, having overcome a mechanical issue in race one to take an excellent sixth in race two at AMP.
The B&T MacFarlane Kawasaki rider has seen a pair of technical problems spoil an impressive start to his sophomore year, finishing seventh in the season opener before consecutive DNF’s, but better fortune will be all Campbell needs to continue his form out west.
One local favourite set to make his 2025 debut will be Brian Worsdall, this time piloting a privateer BMW after a strong showing at his home round for Honda last season.
The Edmonton native finished seventh and eighth in his first career Pro Superbike weekend last year, matching a competitive midfield of CSBK regulars, and there’s no signs of him slowing down on his new machine after opening the EMRA regional season with a victory last month.
The feature class will open the weekend with qualifying on Friday at RAD Torque, just a half-hour south of Edmonton, before race one on Saturday and a doubleheader on Sunday.
More information can be found on the series’ official website.
Supersport Preview: Collins headlines western challengers as title fight shifts to Edmonton
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The return to RAD Torque Raceway will come at the perfect time for the Pro Supersport class next weekend, as a talented group of western riders will look to carry their momentum into their home round in the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship, July 4-6.
The Edmonton venue will offer a first-ever tripleheader in the middleweight class, with two races on Saturday and a race on Sunday serving as the most crucial point of the season ahead of the season finale in CTMP next month.
With it comes a make-or-break trip for championship leader Torin Collins, this time only a short drive away from his hometown in Calgary, and one that the rising superstar will look forward to after his sensational CSBK debut at the circuit last season.
That time it was in the feature GP Bikes Pro Superbike class where Collins first dazzled the crowd at RAD Torque, finishing second in race one and winning race two to break numerous Superbike records – a trend the 19-year-old has carried with him into his first Supersport campaign north of the border.
Simply put, Collins has looked unbeatable for the better part of 2025, taking two pole positions and winning three-of-four races in dominant fashion aboard his Octagon Energy Services Suzuki (a new title sponsor for his home round), falling short only when he was taken out on lap one in AMP.
It’s hard to see that form slipping at the venue where he did so well in Superbike a year ago, and one that favours his ultra-aggressive riding style. However, it won’t be a straightforward task for Collins either, with no shortage of other “hometown” riders ready to put on a show in Alberta.
Amongst them is his main championship rival in 18-year-old Andrew Van Winkle, who scored the first victory of his Pro Supersport career at RAD Torque last season before adding another one last time out in Nova Scotia.
The Mountainview Motorsports Suzuki rider is still far from his true hometown of Chilliwack, British Columbia, but it won’t feel that way to Van Winkle as he carries as much momentum as anyone into round three, having taken 45 of a possible 50 points on the east coast.
The former Pro Twins champion will be at a slight disadvantage again aboard his GSX-R600 compared to the next-gen GSX-R750’s of many of his rivals, but that didn’t stop Van Winkle from winning race two a year ago aboard the same machine.
It’s been a much different tale in 2025 for the race one winner from last season, as John Laing enters a “get-right” spot at a much-needed time in what has been a difficult year aboard his new Vass Performance Suzuki.
The nearby Cochrane, Alberta native entered RAD Torque last year with big expectations and delivered with a runaway race one victory, but a third-place finish the next day has been his last taste of champagne since, missing the podium in ten consecutive races.
That’s not to say Laing has been off the pace entirely in that stretch, finishing in the top-five on five occasions, but a season-best finish of sixth won’t be what he hoped for after entering the season as a championship contender.
A return to at least the podium, if not the top step, could be all Laing needs to get his confidence back aboard his new machine, and there’s no better spot for him to do so than at his home circuit where he looked so strong a year ago.
Outside of the local stars, another rider needing a bounce-back weekend will be defending champion Sebastien Tremblay, who trails Collins by 20 points for the S.T. Motosport Suzuki team.
Some of that deficit is through no fault of his own, having been taken out along with Collins in race one at AMP, though Tremblay has also been farther off the pace than expected in 2025, finishing a distant third in each of the other three races.
His finishes of third and fourth at RAD Torque last season won’t scare Collins or Van Winkle either, though Tremblay was notably dealing with a shoulder injury during that weekend.
A dark horse to watch out west will be Elliot Vieira, who was a turn one crash away from a massive points haul in Edmonton last season after finishing second to Laing in race one and initially leading race two.
Vieira has been as consistent as anyone to begin 2025, finishing fourth or fifth in every race to put his GP Bikes Ducati fourth in the standings. Adding a pair of podiums or even a race win in round three would create a massive wrinkle in the championship mix, especially given Vieira’s strong resumé around CTMP.
As for round two star Alex Michel, the former top amateur was a solid but unspectacular eight and seventh in his two races at RAD Torque last season, but the SpeedFactory67 Kawasaki rider has looked far more confident and competitive this year as he tries to build upon his strong performances in AMP.
Expected to be absent from the top of the running order are frontrunners Phil DeGama-Blanchet and Trevor Daley, the former being another local star out of Calgary.
DeGama-Blanchet is rumoured to be focusing on his Superbike campaign after encountering a number of mechanical issues on his Supersport machine in round three, missing both races. The 17-year-old finished fourth and fifth at his home round a year ago, and could be a threat for at least a podium if he can get his Taylor Racing Ducati back on track next weekend.
As for Daley, the OneSpeed Suzuki rider was already expected to miss round three even prior to his injury in Nova Scotia, suffered in a lap one crash in race one before his incredible comeback to finish sixth.
More information can be found on the series’ official website.
CSBK Untold: Extra storylines from Round 2 at AMP
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With seven national classes battling it out across only a three-day doubleheader weekend, it’s easy for a few stories to go understated during each round of the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship.
From the major headlines that require a bit more detail, to the hidden gems that are left out of the spotlight, here are some added notes from the second round of the 2025 season at Atlantic Motorsport Park.
Old-gen bikes lock out Supersport podium
Since the introduction of “next-gen” machinery in 2023, the Pro Supersport class has seen more and more riders shift to the newer Suzuki GSX-R750 and Ducati V2 Panigale, abandoning their “less competitive” older machines.
That narrative took a major hit on Saturday in AMP, however, with “old-gen” bikes locking out the Supersport podium in race one.
Andrew Van Winkle would take a lights-to-flag victory aboard his Suzuki GSX-R600, fending off relentless pressure from Alex Michel on a Kawasaki ZX-6R Ninja, while rookie Laurent Laliberté-Girard completed the podium on his Yamaha YZF-R6.
That lockout was the first of the Next Gen era, dating back to CTMP 2023 when Kawasaki swept the podium places one round prior to the rule change. While it was helped by lap one crashes for Torin Collins, Sebastien Tremblay, and Trevor Daley, the duo of Van Winkle and Michel were well clear of the chaos behind them in what was an Old Gen battle for victory from the start.
The celebration was short-lived as Collins and Tremblay returned to the podium on Sunday, but excellent finishes for Van Winkle (second) and Michel (fourth) – after a strong season opener for Matt Simpson – have proved that older machines can still be very competitive in 2025.
Western teenagers continue to steal pro spotlight
Much has already been said about the trio of Torin Collins, Andrew Van Winkle, and Phil DeGama-Blanchet, but it’s impossible to deny just how impressive the group of rising phenoms have been this season.
The 19-year-old Collins has flipped the Pro Supersport class on its head after making his debut in Shannonville, winning three of four races, taking pole position twice, and entering his home round with a championship lead even despite getting taken out in race one – adding a Superbike podium aboard his GSX-R750 for good measure.
His close friend and fellow Calgary, Alberta native has been equally impressive, with DeGama-Blanchet adapting to the Mots Machining Honda CBR1000RR much quicker than anyone could have expected to put himself fifth overall in the GP Bikes Pro Superbike feature class, the highest a 17-year-old has sat since Brett McCormick.
And not to be outdone has been Van Winkle, the 18-year-old former Pro Twins champion who added another win to his resumé at AMP despite riding an aforementioned old-gen GSX-R600, moving the Chilliwack, BC native to second in the championship behind Collins.
Their stardom has already made Collins, DeGama-Blanchet, and Van Winkle the faces of western racing in CSBK for the foreseeable future, but it may not be long before the trio become the outright stars of the national championship from coast-to-coast.
MacKay takes major stride at unlikely venue
It’s no secret that David MacKay hasn’t always enjoyed his trips to Atlantic Motorsport Park, putting together solid results but ones that have paled in comparison to his otherwise stellar CSBK career.
Despite how it may look in the standings, that looked to be different this time around in Nova Scotia.
MacKay overcame a brief trip through Q1 to put himself fifth on the grid once again and found himself in the lead group to begin both races, this time not just at the tail end of the frontrunners but firmly amidst them.
The ODH Snow City Cycle Honda rider would match the early pace of Alex Dumas, Jordan Szoke, and Sam Guerin and found himself ahead of fellow Honda star Ben Young on a pair of occasions, looking like a legitimate threat for a podium at a venue few would have anticipated.
While his crash out of the lead group in race two was of his own doing, a false neutral for Dumas in race one held up MacKay and limited his race one result, but his early pace should be a warning to the rest of the field as to what he can still build towards at RAD Torque and CTMP.
Fight for pro status ramps up in Amateur Supersport
Every year, the top three finishers in each Amateur championship are required to go pro the following season, adding a bit of intrigue to the title fights as riders try to graduate from the intermediate ranks.
Four of those six spots are all but wrapped up already as Cole Alexander and Zaim Laflamme headline each category, while Mark Stecho carries a 13-point lead over Alexis Beaudoin for third in AIM Insurance Amateur Superbike.
The last spot in EBC Brakes Amateur Supersport, however, is sure to come down to the wire.
Nicolas Audet currently holds the final pro pass with a slim five-point lead over Beaudoin, while Louis Levesque sits just another three points back. The former duo hold the momentum after trading third and fourth-place finishes in AMP, though Levesque has been the most consistent with top-six results in every race.
Beaudoin is the only one of the group with a realistic path to taking third in both classes, but four more races – and an unpredictable trip west to Edmonton – mean anything can happen between the trio as they aim to join the pro categories in 2026.
CSBK By the Numbers: Round 2 at Atlantic Motorsport Park
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The Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship wrapped up its round two action last weekend in Nova Scotia, heading to Atlantic Motorsport Park for another thrilling event and one full of milestones in each national class.
Below are just some of the key numbers from round two of the 2025 CSBK season.
Guerin’s double enters rare Superbike territory
It was fair to question just what heights Sam Guerin would reach after bursting onto the scene in 2020, as a pair of down years left him chasing his first career victory right up until the mid-point of the 2024 campaign.
Since then, however, Guerin’s resumé has been reborn.
Two more victories in Shubenacadie now give him four in his GP Bikes Pro Superbike career, a total that may seem modest at first but has only been matched by 16 other riders throughout the 45-year history of the feature class, eleven of which went on to become Canada Cup champions.
As if that list wasn’t exclusive enough, Guerin also becomes only the seventh rider ever to sweep a doubleheader weekend, joining a group of names that includes Jordan Szoke, Ben Young, Alex Dumas, Brett McCormick, Pascal Picotte, and Clint McBain.
That unit totalled 22 championships, 148 wins, and 292 podiums in the feature class, and all but McBain secured a Superbike #1 plate in their careers, a sign that things may just be getting started for Guerin in 2025.
Dumas’ incredible podium hit rate falls short
Since making his CSBK debut in 2021, Alex Dumas has only ever gone to one place after finishing a race – the podium.
In 36 career race starts prior to AMP, Dumas had amassed an incredible 33 podiums, with his three absences all being crashes out of the lead battle (AMP 2022, Shannonville 2023, and CTMP 2024).
That all changed out east, as Dumas battled mechanical issues and a rare lack of pace to cross the line in fifth and fourth, by far his worst weekend of what’s been a historic career thus far.
As a result, the 22-year-old will see his record-breaking podium success rate drop from 91.7% to 86.8%, slipping marginally behind rival Ben Young who now holds the top mark with 61 podiums in his 70 career races (87.1%).
Suzuki stretches win streak in Supersport ranks
The “next-gen” era of Supersport racing has seen the emergence, if not dominance, of Suzuki since the GSX-R750 made its debut in 2023, but they relied on a bit of help from one of their old machines to keep their record hopes alive in AMP.
Andrew Van Winkle’s start-to-finish race one victory aboard a Mountainview Motorsports Suzuki GSX-R600 was crucial for the brand, fending off the Kawasaki of Alex Michel to hand them their eighth consecutive win in the class dating back to the same circuit a year ago.
That would move them past Honda (ICAR 2010 to AMP 2010) and Yamaha (CTMP 2018 to AMP 2019) for the third-longest streak of all-time in the middleweight category, and the longest stretch Suzuki has ever had atop either pro class.
Torin Collins would then return to form to add a ninth consecutive victory for Suzuki on Sunday, pushing the run to nine races and just two behind Honda’s record of eleven set between St-Eustache 2012 and Mont-Tremblant 2013.
Bucek and McKinnon kickstart unusual title battle
Dante Bucek has quickly emerged as one of the rising stars of the CSBK paddock, leading the Super Sonic Road Race School Lightweight Sportbike championship as an amateur ahead of top pro Gary McKinnon, who moved into second overall with a pair of wins at his home track.
That now sets up a title battle separated by a mere 14 points on-track – and 57 years off it.
The oldest rider in the CSBK paddock, McKinnon’s illustrious career began some 38 years before the 16-year-old Bucek was even born, setting up the largest age gap of any title fight in documented series history and smashing the 35-year gap between Jeff Williams and Pro Twins champion Andrew Van Winkle in 2023.
It’s another example that age is just a number even in the sports world, with the 73-year-old McKinnon dominating his home round at AMP to add his seventh and eighth victories in the Lightweight class since returning to national racing in 2022.
One of the greatest riders in Maritime history, McKinnon is showing no signs of slowing down as he chases a second consecutive national championship in 2025, giving the teenage Bucek both a stiff challenge and an excellent reference as they enter one of the most interesting championship battles in CSBK history.
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