Home
Colin Fraser inducted into Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame
- Details
- Category: CSBK News
Long-time owner and president of Professional Motor Sports Productions (PMP) and the Canadian Superbike Championship, Colin Fraser, was honoured alongside a historic group this past weekend as he was officially inducted into the Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame.
The original figurehead of the upstart Canadian national series in 1980, Fraser served as the leader of the CSBK championship for over 40 years, as well as stints in senior positions with the AMA south of the border and involvement in numerous other racing series.
Taking over as the inaugural president in just his early 20’s, Fraser – an accomplished pro rider himself – helped guide Canadian motorcycle racing through its infancy, into the “golden age” of the late 80’s and 90’s, and now into the modern era of high-horsepower Superbike racing.
The Toronto, Ontario native also played a significant role in guiding the series through the global recession of the late 2000’s, and again during the COVID-19 pandemic in recent seasons.
Fraser has since sold the series to current owner Ross Millson – who was there to support his induction this weekend at the Hall of Fame event – though he remains on as a senior staff member, assisting primarily with the TSN production crew and as one of two official television announcers.
“Throughout his journey, Colin has been the driving force behind the growth of our sport in this beautiful country. He has worked tirelessly to promote and develop the Canadian Superbike Championship,” Millson said. “Colin Fraser's legacy is defined by far more than the championships and races he has overseen, and his induction into the Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame is a testament to the passion and dedication that he has brought to this sport.”
Fraser was joined by 14-time CSBK champion Jordan Szoke in the 2023 Hall of Fame class this weekend, as well as Greg Williams, Bill Jamieson, Dave Lloyd, Bob Fisher, and Dave McLean.
The entire CSBK staff would like to congratulate Fraser on his much-deserved induction into the Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame.
Superbike Preview: Dumas, Young set for CTMP shootout in round four tripleheader
- Details
- Category: CSBK News
Very little has separated Alex Dumas and Ben Young in their time together in the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship, but both will get a key opportunity to swing that rivalry in their favour this weekend in round four at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, August 18-20.
Through 20 races together in the feature GP Bikes Pro Superbike class, both riders have tilted the scales in their favour at various tracks, with Young out-qualifying Dumas 5-2 in that span while Dumas owns a 12-8 advantage on race day, each securing one championship in the process (Young having also won the title in 2019).
Compare their records at CTMP, however, and it’s about as even as you can get.
Six races at the historic venue north of Bowmanville, ON have produced two wins for Dumas, two for Young, and two for Jordan Szoke. In their non-victories, both riders finished as the runner-up three times, and completed the podium in third a single time.
In fact, just five total points separate the two in their CTMP history, with Young taking the slight advantage thanks to qualifying and lap led points. Needless to say, it’s an impossible task picking a favourite for the penultimate round of the 2023 campaign.
However, it is almost certain that the weekend will swing their rivalry in a massive way, with Dumas looking to put one hand on the Canada Cup as he carries a comfortable 36-point advantage into “Old Mosport,” a gap that looks significantly more menacing after the cancellation of round three and subsequent loss of one feature class race.
It will take a mighty effort – and even mightier luck – for the Purple Skull Brewing/Liqui Moly Suzuki rider to officially wrap things up entering round five at Shannonville, as he would need to massively outscore Young at CTMP to offset the 85 points available in September, but even a single victory could go a long way in handing Dumas his second title in three years.
That said, the same opportunity remains available to Young, as a 36-point deficit seems a lot more palatable with six races and 170 points left on the board. The Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW rider scored his first-ever Pro Superbike win at this venue, after all, and has amassed nine podiums in his last ten races at CTMP, with his only absence being when he clinched the 2019 national title in a safe fourth place.
Young will also know that the super-fast, flowing nature of the circuit, combined with the long Andretti straightaway, often create large lead packs of riders with unpredictable results. While that can also jeopardize his efforts, it is a far bigger threat to Dumas as he aims to avoid any chaos over the final six contests.
Should a new winner emerge, though, it may seem like no better time than for Szoke to cap off his comeback story.
While his body has endured its fair share since his last CSBK victories in 2021, the ten-turn layout of CTMP is considered one of the least physically demanding tracks on the calendar, a key detail for Szoke with three races on the schedule.
The LDS Consultants Kawasaki rider unsurprisingly holds the record with 20 career Superbike wins at CTMP, four times as many as Pascal Picotte in second (5), and will be the first name in line to add to that total if Dumas or Young falter.
Just as Szoke chaseså victory number 79 in his career, a handful of names remain hungry for their first, and the wide-open nature of CTMP may be the place where the drought ends for one of Sam Guerin, Tomas Casas, or Trevor Daley.
The latter would need a significant turnaround from his broken femur suffered at round three just 24 days ago, but Daley is never one to count out if he can find a way to mount his OneSpeed Suzuki.
As for the two healthy names of the batch, Guerin and Casas have had opposite career paths at CTMP, but have seemingly ended up in the same situation entering the weekend tripleheader.
Guerin stormed out of the gates with second and third-place finishes in his first two pro races at the circuit in 2020, but the EFC Group BMW rider has managed just one top-five finish at the venue since, admittedly thanks to mechanical problems that have so far been fixed in 2023.
As for Casas, it’s been more of a consistent battle for the Parts Canada Yamaha rider at his home track, finishing a best of fourth in 2019, fifth in 2021, and fourth again (twice) a year ago, regularly in the lead group but thus far unable to stay at the front.
The status of Daley will also have huge implications on the Constructors Championship, where Suzuki currently leads BMW by 28 points. A healthy Guerin – as well as the consistent presence of IBEW BMW rider Jordan Royds – will help support Young up front, while an absent Daley would put plenty of pressure on RLS Contracting Suzuki rookie John Fraser in his first pro appearance at CTMP.
Szoke and Casas also figure to play a huge role in the scrap for third overall in the Constructors table, where Kawasaki currently trails Yamaha by 27 points.
The penultimate shootout will also prove to be a crucial one in a pair of awards battles, as Young looks to cement his second BS Battery Pole Award while the fight for the Brooklin Cycle Racing Pro Rookie of the Year Award rages on.
Young owns a six-point advantage over Dumas in the qualifying-based battle, and can clinch the award with another pole position and a third-or-worse grid spot for Dumas.
As for the Rookie of the Year contest, Acme Motorsports Yamaha newcomer Paul Macdonell currently leads 18-year-old Fraser by just a single point, with LDS Consultants Kawasaki star Trevor Dion a further 12 points back.
Keeping with tradition, the return to CTMP will also bring back the “King of Mosport” award, offered to the GP Bikes Pro Superbike rider that scores the most total points across the weekend.
Dumas was crowned the King of Mosport a year ago with a pair of wins, while Young took the honour (and literal crown to go with it) in both 2021 and 2019.
The full schedule for the GP Bikes Pro Superbike class can be found on the series’ official website at CSBK.ca.
Final TSN airdates of 2023 CSBK season
- Details
- Category: CSBK News
The epic conclusion to the 2023 Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship will hit Canada’s premier sports network this week, as the final episodes of this summer’s thrilling campaign begin Monday on TSN.
The slate kicks off with the championship-deciding finale in the Liqui Moly Pro Sport Bike class, as David MacKay looks to continue his momentum and secure his first national title ahead of rival Matt Simpson.
Neither were victorious in race one, as 2021 champion Sebastien Tremblay enjoyed a triumphant debut aboard the Suzuki GSX-R750, but there’s still plenty of points on offer in the final duel of the season at Shannonville Motorsport Park.
Episode 24 – Liqui Moly Pro Sport Bike – Round 5, Race 2
Monday, November 13th, at 2:30 pm ET on TSN1
Tuesday, November 14th, at 12:00 pm ET on TSN5
Wednesday, November 15th, at 12:30 pm ET on TSN5
Thursday, November 16th, at 2:00 pm ET on TSN4
The action then continues next week with the last race of the feature GP Bikes Pro Superbike season, where the championship has already been handed out but plenty of drama is left to unfold.
Reigning champion Ben Young clinched a successful title defence in race two, but rival Alex Dumas will be looking for revenge as he tries to end the 2023 campaign on a high note, having crashed out of the lead in race one at Shannonville.
Both will have their hands full at the front, however, as breakout star Trevor Dion eyes his first win in his Ducati debut, while 14-time champion Jordan Szoke tries to return to the top step of the podium for the first time since 2021.
Episode 25 – GP Bikes Pro Superbike, Round 5, Race 3
Monday, November 20 at 2:00pm ET, on TSN1 and TSN3
Tuesday, November 21 at 12:00pm ET, on TSN4 and TSN5
Tuesday, November 21 at 3:30pm ET, on TSN2
Wednesday, November 22 at 4:00pm ET, on TSN2
Friday, November 24 at 12:30pm ET, on TSN4
These final two episodes will mark the end of yet another spectacular CSBK season on TSN, with more information on the 2024 schedule to be announced in the coming days in partnership with Canada’s premier sports network
CSBK expands to 24 episodes on TSN and RDS for 2024
- Details
- Category: CSBK News
The Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship will feature its largest broadcast schedule yet in 2024, returning with TSN and joining RDS for a record-breaking 24 new episodes next season.
The national series began its partnership with TSN (The Sports Network) in 1994, joining Canada’s premier sports channel and ESPN affiliate. As they prepare to celebrate their 30th anniversary in 2024, the two sides will now expand their relationship to include dedicated broadcasts for Quebec’s French-language channel, RDS.
RDS (Réseau Des Sports) was launched in 1989 as a sister network to TSN, and will now prepare their own independent broadcasts of all 12 planned Superbike races next season, with the search currently underway for Francophone announcers.
“The Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship has proven to be a world-class circuit year after year,” said Mathieu Jolivet, the senior producer for RDS. “TV viewers everywhere now have access to a top-notch product that showcases talent from all over the country, most notably from Quebec. We are thrilled to once again be able to showcase these riders and this series on RDS in 2024!”
The expansion comes at a pivotal time in Quebec’s racing history, as the province has continued to produce some of the series’ most notable stars, including pro champions Alex Dumas and Sebastien Tremblay, Superbike frontrunner Sam Guerin, amateur champion Mavrick Cyr, and teenage sensation Vincent Lalande, amongst others.
In 2023, TSN showcased a record 21 original episodes of national action, presenting all ten Superbike races, all nine Sport Bike races, and two amateur support class episodes.
The 2024 schedule is all but confirmed to feature 12 feature Superbike races (which will be shown on both TSN and RDS), with 12 additional Sport Bike broadcasts on TSN to bring the total to a record of 24 episodes.
A particular highlight of 2023’s broadcast success was the debut of announcer Marshall Ferguson – the popular CFL voice joining Colin Fraser in the Superbike booth – and both are expected to return in 2024 for all Superbike races on TSN.
More information on the expanded broadcast efforts of the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship will be announced in the coming weeks.
Page 133 of 170