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Ben Young to race Suzuka 8 Hours with Team Taro Plus One BMW
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Three-time CSBK champion Ben Young will enter a star-studded field at this year’s prestigious Suzuka 8 Hours event, joining Team Taro Plus One BMW for the historic Endurance World Championship round.
Young, who currently leads the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship standings, will ride alongside former Grand Prix rider Taro Sekiguchi and Kyosuke Okuda (both of Japan) in the Team Taro Plus One garage for his World Endurance debut next month, July 19-21.
The renowned event – launched in 1978 – has grown into the premier race on the EWC calendar, attracting various stars from MotoGP and World Superbike, amongst other series.
Young most recently proved himself against reigning EWC champions YART Yamaha at the Daytona 200, where he finished ninth and just behind the duo of Karel Hanika (fifth) and Marvin Fritz (sixth).
The Collingwood, Ontario native recently completed a private test with Team Taro Plus One BMW at Suzuka, roughly five hours from Tokyo, and felt very comfortable aboard the M1000RR (a similar version to the Van Dolder’s Home Team machine he rides in Canada).
“The bike felt really good, and the team and everyone there is great to deal with,” Young said. “Already we’re about half a second from our target time, so hopefully we can put on a good show and get a strong result.”
The Team Taro Plus One BMW squad finished an impressive 16th out of 50 teams at last year’s Suzuka 8 Hours, achieving a best result of 14th in 2022.
Young’s trip to Suzuka will take place just days after the fourth round of the CSBK season in Nova Scotia, as he chases his fourth Canada Cup and third in a row in 2024.
The 31-year-old has been no stranger to racing in various series and paddocks, having competed in MotoAmerica, British Superbike, and as a wildcard in the 125cc World Championship during his illustrious career.
Only a handful of Canadians have ever competed in the Suzuka 8 Hours through its history, an exclusive list that includes Ruben McMurter, Steve Crevier, and most recently Jordan Szoke, amongst others.
In the meantime, Young will try to extend his lead atop the Canadian Superbike Championship in round two action this weekend, June 7-9, at the Grand Bend Motorplex.
More information can be found on the series’ official website at CSBK.ca.
Tremblay blows open Sport Bike title fight with thrilling Grand Bend victory
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The Economy Lube Pro Sport Bike championship opened up dramatically in race one on Saturday, as Sebastien Tremblay took a crucial victory in the second round of the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship at the Grand Bend Motorplex, presented by Southwest Marine & Powersports.
Things didn’t appear to be headed that way as pole-sitter Elliot Vieira grabbed the holeshot while Tremblay slipped back to fourth, allowing Vieira to extend a slight early lead while the pack of Trevor Daley, Mavrick Cyr, and Tremblay chased behind.
Tremblay quickly made up for the poor start by moving back past Cyr on lap two, though he had a much tougher time with Daley as the two briefly battled on lap three, allowing another slight advantage for Vieira.
The GP Bikes Ducati rider was unable to gap the trio behind him, however, as Tremblay eventually moved clear of Daley and followed Vieira closely for majority of the 18-lap race.
The championship leader would make his race-winning move into the penultimate turn with five laps remaining, but it wasn’t without any late retaliation from Vieira as he attempted to pass Tremblay back in the same spot with two laps to go.
Unfortunately, that move would cost Vieira the race as he tucked the front and crashed out of the battle, handing Tremblay a comfortable cushion for his final lap and a pivotal win aboard his Turcotte Performance Suzuki. Vieira was thankfully uninjured.
The result sees Tremblay’s lead balloon from just eight points to a whopping 33 over Vieira, putting plenty of pressure on the title fight through just three races of a 12-race campaign.
“I actually wanted to pull away out of the gate, but I had a terrible start and had to pick my way through. Luckily I could see that Elliot wasn’t really stretching away, so I thought I could follow him for a bit before making the move,” Tremblay said. “It was unfortunate that Elliot went down, and I’m glad he’s okay, but it’s really good for us in the championship.”
The win was also a redemption of sorts for Tremblay after he was taken out of the lead at Grand Bend in 2019, an incident that left him with a broken collarbone and dramatically changed his title fight that season.
“We raced here last year, but before that was a really tough weekend for us at this track, so it’s nice to put that behind me,” Tremblay said.
The victory was hardly one that was gifted to him, however, as he had to fight through not just Vieira but also Daley in the early going, who made a spectacular return to the Economy Lube Pro Sport Bike class.
The OneSpeed Suzuki rider missed round one altogether but has not featured in the Sport Bike ranks much since his race-winning season in 2014, though it would be impossible to tell as he showed few signs of rust on Saturday.
“We’ve definitely learned some lessons in the 10 years away from this class. I could tell Seb’s pace was really strong, so I just wanted to bring it home as best I could for today,” Daley said. “There were some spots where I felt a bit faster but also some spots where they were stronger, so we’ll make some changes and try to do one better tomorrow.”
Daley’s impressive return to the podium came under a brief threat from local specialist Zoltan Frast, though Daley was able to respond and put enough distance between them to hold onto second at the line.
However, Vieira’s crash would still promote Frast to a hard-earned third and first career pro CSBK podium, as he flashed really strong pace aboard his Clare’s Cycle Kawasaki despite a poor start of his own.
“Overall it was a good race, but I gave myself a lot of work to do after the start. I was scrambling a bit and had to fight my way back through, but it feels good to be up here,” Frast said. “It’s a shame for Elliot, but with a few more laps or a bit of a better start we might have caught another spot here.”
The late crash promoted Cyr back to fourth after the rookie had slipped behind Frast in the late stages, though it was still an excellent result for the Rizzin Racing/Economy Lube Triumph teenager as he ran with the leaders in the early going.
Rounding out the top five was former Grand Bend pole-sitter Dylan Bauer, who makes a return in 2024 and enjoyed a thrilling battle with John Laing. The two traded passes numerous times in the fight for fifth, but Bauer would ultimately hold off the Cochrane, Alberta native for a great result aboard his Economy Lube Ducati.
Laing would have to settle for sixth after starting in ninth, a frustrating weekend for the Vass Performance Kawasaki rider as he sees his title hopes slip away. However, Vieira’s crash has opened up the battle for second in the championship, with Laing just three points behind the Ducati rider entering Sunday.
The one-two finish added to Suzuki’s lead atop the Sport Bike Constructors table, with Daley proving to be a valuable second piece in the absence of Ben Young. The result extends their advantage to 44 points over Kawasaki, who leapfrog Ducati by one point for second overall.
Full results from Saturday’s race can be found on the series’ official website at CSBK.ca.
Guerin takes first career victory in wild Superbike race one at Grand Bend
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The long wait for Sam Guerin’s maiden national victory is over, as he escaped a chaotic race one at Grand Bend Motorplex with a first career win in the second round of the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship, presented by Southwest Marine & Powersports.
Despite championship leader Ben Young entering the weekend as the overwhelming favourite, it was a nail-biting race from the drop of the lights as he held off a group of five that included Steven Nickerson, Sam Guerin, Jordan Szoke, and David MacKay.
Young would pace majority of the contest, but never managed to break fully clear of Nickerson in particular, as the local wildcard pressed hard for his first career GP Bikes Pro Superbike victory with Guerin in tow and Szoke fading to a lonely fourth, while MacKay ran off on lap two.
The lead trio would run in unison with eight laps to go when disaster struck for Young, as he found himself on the wrong side of lapped traffic. The Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW rider dove around the outside of Ernest Bernhard while Nickerson and Guerin stuck to the inside line, causing Bernhard to sit up in an effort to avoid the leaders and unintentionally forcing Young wide.
The three-time Canada Cup champion would keep it upright but rejoin in a distant third, as Nickerson and Guerin continued for the lead. Guerin attempted to capitalize on the opportunity just two laps later, but the two briefly made contact as Nickerson defended hard for the top spot.
That gave a slight cushion to Nickerson, but he failed to manage it as Guerin quickly rebounded right to the back of the DeWildt Honda rider, putting all sorts of pressure on the home track favourite as they both chased a maiden Superbike win.
It all came to a head when Nickerson crashed out of the lead in turn eight with just over two laps to go, paving the way for Guerin to manage a roughly 1.5 second gap over Young and escape with an emotional debut CSBK win for the EFC Group BMW team.
“That was a crazy race! Lots of unfortunate events, but I kept it close to the front and had a feeling something might happen if we could just stay there. Then Steven crashed in eight, which is where I crashed last year, so it’s a bit of redemption,” Guerin said. “I never thought I’d be standing here between champions, but I’m so excited. There’s been so much work and training and wrenching behind the scenes, so it feels awesome to finally win one.”
It was a mildly historic victory for Guerin, as he captures BMW’s 62nd Superbike victory to move them into a tie with Suzuki for the second-most all-time – a tie they will try to break on Sunday.
The win was also a popular one in the paddock for the fan-favourite out of Quebec City, as even Young shared mixed emotions on the podium as he recovered to salvage second.
“You never ever want to lose, but if I was going to lose to anybody, I’m happy it’s Sam. Congrats to him and the team, it’s been a long time coming and it keeps the BMW streak alive,” Young said. “I was running at about 90% pace for the first bit, just trying to manage a few things. The end result is unfortunate, but I’m happy we finished.”
The outcome will also have huge implications on the championship, as Guerin trims his title deficit to just seven points entering a crucial race two on Sunday.
It was an unfortunate end to a spectacular effort for Nickerson, who crashed out of the lead and remains without a podium in his Superbike career, though he certainly put the likes of Young and Guerin on notice if he can rebuild his DeWildt Honda for race two.
His misfortunate proved to be a blessing for Szoke, who was riding in a lonely but calculated fourth prior to the crash. The CKM Kawasaki veteran made a strong early charge before fading back on his own, though it was an intelligent ride from the 14-time champion as he continued his streak of podiums.
“I wanted to get MacKay and Daley behind me right away because I knew they would be fast early on. From there I hung on as long as I could, but it just wasn’t enough to stick at the front,” Szoke said. “I’ve been in enough of these races though to know that anything can always happen, so I worked hard to keep it where I needed to and think about the bigger picture in the championship.”
It was a whirlwind race for MacKay, who briefly ran with the leaders before botching turn one and falling to a distant fifth. However, the ODH Snow City Cycle Honda star would recover to earn a career-best fourth in just his third Superbike race, setting the table for a potential podium charge on Sunday.
Rounding out the top five was Trevor Daley, who continued his excellent return with a strong showing for OneSpeed Suzuki. The perennial frontrunner was absent in race one but immediately reinserted himself at the front, beginning his campaign with a fifth-place finish and much-needed points for Suzuki.
A pair of other local wildcards exited Saturday with great performances, as Chris Pletsch and Dylan Bauer managed to finish sixth and seventh, respectively.
It was a quieter effort for Pletsch after his stunning podium a year ago, but the Stratford Cycle Centre Honda rider managed a smart ride to put three Honda’s near the front prior to Nickerson’s crash.
Bauer, meanwhile, would charge through the field to take seventh for Economy Lube Yamaha, coming out on top of a hectic battle with Connor Campbell, Paul Macdonell, and Sebastien Tremblay for the final places in the top-ten.
As for the Constructors table, another one-two finish for BMW – albeit in reverse order from Shannonville – will continue their perfect run atop the championship, extending a 62-point advantage over Kawasaki.
Young will now attempt to rebound on Sunday in a pivotal race two at Grand Bend, while Guerin will instead aim to apply more pressure in the title fight with the gap back down to single digits through three races.
Brewer, Tache take victories in support action at Grand Bend
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While Sam Guerin and Sebastien Tremblay dominated the headlines from a busy Saturday at the Grand Bend Motorplex, they weren’t the only stories as numerous riders emerged in round two of the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship, presented by Southwest Marine & Powersports.
The gap atop the AIM Insurance Amateur Superbike class shrunk to virtually nothing, as Tyler Brewer scored a crucial first career national victory in race one. The Yamaha rider started from pole position and held off an early attack from Goran Radisic to headline the day, tightening up the championship order.
Radisic will take over the points lead despite the runner-up result for PMR BMW, moving four points clear of round one leader Tyron Tavares, who was forced to settle for third. Brewer, meanwhile, will cut his deficit to two points as the trio are separated by just six points between them, with each rider now earning a win through three races.
Another amateur rider converted a debut national pole position into a first career national victory, as Andrew Alcampado completed the comeback to snatch the win from Serge Boyer.
Boyer led early before relinquishing position to Alcampado on lap four, though he still managed to fend off title rival Laurent Laliberte-Girard in third as he extends his points advantage to six.
J.P. Tache’s dream comeback continued in the Importations Thibault Pro-Am Twins category, as he won outright from amateur Vincent Wilson in his first action since 2007.
The former top pro rider ended Craig Atkinson’s winning streak in the pro split, though Atkinson would extend his title advantage in second from Dallas Reynolds. Wilson would extend his points advantage, cruising clear of Sebastian Silva and Julia Krans to continue his perfect run in the amateur Twins split.
Mack Weil added another victory in the pro half of the Niagara Race Crafters Ninja ZX-4RR Cup race, besting Dave Walker and taking the outright victory to extend his championship advantage. Rob Lepp would conquer the amateur split, earning a debut national win from Adolfo Silva.
Fifteen-year-old Ryan Beattie continued his sensational run in the Super Sonic Road Race School Pro-Am Lightweight ranks, fending off Zaim Laflamme for an outright victory and third consecutive amateur win.
Laflamme would settle for second both on-track and in the amateur table, while veteran Gary McKinnon finished third overall to take the pro win and championship lead.
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