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Superbike Preview: Young reignites rivalry with Dumas in Edmonton
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The third round of the 2024 Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship is shaping up to be the most-anticipated yet, as a number of notable entries will set the tone for a thrilling return to RAD Torque Raceway, June 21-23.
The GP Bikes Pro Superbike class is already fresh off its most unpredictable weekend in years at Grand Bend, as Sam Guerin and Trevor Daley each took maiden victories to limit Ben Young’s gap atop the standings, and now Young will have to deal with another old rival as Alex Dumas returns to the series in Edmonton.
None of Young, Guerin, or Dumas were present at RAD Torque when the series last visited the circuit in 2015, and Daley will unfortunately not be competing in round three, leaving the lead group all on equal terms when it comes to prior knowledge of the 2.7 km, 14-turn layout.
Young and Guerin will enter in seemingly similar positions, as both will be navigating their familiar BMW machinery around the unfamiliar venue, though Young will be the one expected to set the benchmark as he carries an eleven-point championship lead into Alberta.
The Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW rider is a near-automatic bet to fight for the win, having missed the podium just three times in his last 44 races – an absurd stretch dating back to 2018 – and amassing seven victories in eight races prior to Grand Bend.
The three-time champion will not have much of a cushion in the standings, however, following a fantastic debut victory for Guerin in round two. The EFC Group BMW rider has coupled his strong pace with much more consistency in 2024, putting legitimate pressure on Young despite a season that would have seemed more straight-forward in the absence of Dumas.
Making matters worse for Young is that the aforementioned absence is now over, with Dumas set to make his CSBK return for a revamped Economy Lube Ducati squad.
The 2021 champion may need more time to adjust to his V4 Panigale after just two days of testing, but he will be a definitive race-winning threat should he come to grips with the new machine right away, complicating the championship picture.
Lost in all the drama is the lone rider without any unfamiliarity, as Jordan Szoke will enter round three with perhaps his best shot at a victory since his 2022 injuries.
Szoke swept both races at Edmonton in 2015 and is the only former national Superbike winner at the venue, giving the CKM Kawasaki team an important advantage when the field arrives on Thursday.
As if the trip west and return of Dumas weren’t enough to throw at the leaders, the round will also feature the wildcard appearance of Torin Collins, who makes his CSBK and overall Superbike debut.
Collins is currently riding in the MotoAmerica Supersport class after departing the FIM JuniorGP series last season, and the 18-year-old out of nearby Calgary will now try his hand aboard a Superbike as he pilots a privateer Kawasaki in front of his home fans.
Those home spectators will have plenty of others to cheer for, though, as a number of local riders are expected to be in attendance, headlined by CSBK regular Paul Macdonell.
The Grande Prairie native currently sits seventh in the overall standings for the Vass Performance/PMR BMW team and has plenty of experience at RAD Torque, having won the regional Open Superbike championship in 2021.
A number of Macdonell’s former regional foes are now expected to join him at their home round, including EMRA round one winner Brian Worsdall. The Mots Racing Honda rider has been regularly lapping in the same range as the top-five did nine years ago, putting Worsdall potentially in the podium mix given his track expertise.
All the new arrivals will be bad news for first-year Superbike riders David MacKay and Connor Campbell, who will have another challenge ahead of them as they hunt for their own debut national podiums in Edmonton.
MacKay remains fourth in the championship despite a race two crash with Macdonell at Grand Bend, and the ODH Snow City Cycle Honda rider has looked comfortable right out of the gates aboard his new machine, but he will now put that to the test at a brand-new circuit.
As for Campbell, the Brooklin Cycle Racing Pro Rookie of the Year leader has been riding at less than full health following a rib injury in round one, but is finally hoping to be back at 100% as he heads west for the first time aboard his B&T MacFarlane/Kubota Kawasaki.
Like Szoke, another returning rider from 2015 will hope to put his knowledge to good use, as Sebastien Tremblay will also continue his double-duty at Edmonton.
The Turcotte Performance Suzuki rider is shorthanded aboard his lesser-displacement GSX-R750, the same machine he leads the Pro Sport Bike championship with, but will hope his previous experience can limit the difference at RAD Torque.
As for the Constructors Standings, the new venue will need to throw a lot at Young and Guerin to displace BMW from the top spot, who will also have a valuable third option in home favourite Macdonell.
However, the battle for second will get far more complicated with Dumas joining fifth-placed Ducati, who look to chase down Suzuki (fourth), Honda (third), and Kawasaki – the latter of whom will get their own boost with the wildcard appearance of Collins.
More information on the third round at RAD Torque Raceway can be found on CSBK’s official website.
Dumas sets lap record in FP1 at RAD Torque
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Alex Dumas wasted zero time in restoring himself to the top of the timesheets on Friday, setting a new outright lap record in FP1 as he makes his Bridgestone CSBK return at RAD Torque Raceway.
The 2021 champion was absent from the first two rounds before joining Economy Lube Ducati, and he appeared to be instantly comfortable aboard the new machine and at a new venue, blitzing the previous best GP Bikes Pro Superbike record with a lap of 1:17.499.
The 40-minute session featured a lead group of four trading places numerous times, as Dumas, championship leader Ben Young, previous Edmonton winner Jordan Szoke, and wildcard star Torin Collins all sat at the front at some point.
The group ran closely in the low 1:18’s for majority of the morning practice, at one point with just 0.157 seconds covering the four of them, but Dumas and Young began to lower the benchmark in the final seven minutes as they inched towards qualifying pace.
Young would be the first to dip into the 1:17’s, moving to within a quarter-second of Szoke’s lap record from 2015, but Dumas would relegate him to second just two minutes later behind a stunning new lap record time.
Dumas’ showing would topple the previous mark by 0.215 seconds, as he looks to retain his top spot when the feature class returns for qualifying on Friday afternoon.
Young would settle for second-best in FP1, but still a strong effort as the Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW rider approached lap record territory himself and looked extremely comfortable in his first trip to RAD Torque.
Collins will find himself an impressive third-fastest entering his first ever CSBK qualifying, as the Novalda Kawasaki teenager eyes a front-row spot for his wildcard appearance and overall Superbike debut.
Just behind the 18-year-old was Szoke, who will look to dislodge his fellow Kawasaki in place of his own CKM machine this afternoon. The 14-time champion won both races when CSBK last visited Edmonton in 2015, and will try to continue his success beginning this afternoon.
Completing the top-five was current championship runner-up Sam Guerin, albeit by a comfortable 0.769 second margin to Szoke. The EFC Group BMW rider is still within striking distance of the lead group entering Q1, but will need to break into at least the 1:18 mark if he hopes to find a front row spot in Q2.
Regional EMRA champion Brian Worsdall was a very competitive sixth in FP1, putting his Mot’s Machining Honda into a provisional second-row spot amidst the 23-rider field.
The feature class will now return to the track at roughly 2:10 pm local time (4:10 pm ET) for Q1, before Young looks to capture his third consecutive BS Battery Pole Position award in Q2 at roughly 2:45 pm local time (4:45 pm ET).
Full results from the morning practice sessions can be found on the series’ official website.
Laing takes Sport Bike pole with new lap record at RAD Torque
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The return to Edmonton proved to be a welcome one for home favourite John Laing on Friday, as he blitzed the Economy Lube Pro Sport Bike lap record to earn a first career national pole position at RAD Torque Raceway.
Laing immediately jumped to the top of the timesheets, posting a time of 1:20.193 on his first flying lap, before smashing the lap record on lap number two with a benchmark of 1:19.564.
The Cochrane, Alberta native would hold steady for the remainder of the 20-minute session, watching his rivals get gradually closer to the top spot but never properly threaten provisional pole as he held on by 0.408 seconds from Elliot Vieira despite a late crash.
It marks the first pole position of Laing’s CSBK career and the fifth new pole-sitter in the last five rounds of the Sport Bike class, as the Vass Performance Kawasaki rider will try to add a second national victory to his resumé on Saturday.
Vieira also bested the previous lap record of 1:19.999, set by Jodi Christie in 2015, but it wasn’t enough to dislodge Laing as the Economy Lube Ducati rider was forced to settle for second.
Still, it was an impressive result in his first-ever trip to the circuit, as Vieira was the only other rider to break into the 1:19 mark and will have less than a half-second to make up entering race one.
Completing the front row for his Sport Bike debut will be reigning Pro Twins champion Andrew Van Winkle, who continues to find pace aboard his FD Racing Suzuki.
The 17-year-old would wind up within 0.801 seconds of pole after a batch of late improvements, and crucially found enough to knock championship leader Sebastien Tremblay off the front row and into fourth.
Tremblay will line up fourth aboard his Turcotte Performance Suzuki, but surprisingly a distant 1.111 seconds off Laing as he looks to protect his comfortable championship advantage this weekend.
Rounding out the top five and centering the second row will be local star Justin Knapik, who put his Argyll Motorsports Yamaha just under a second off Tremblay.
The Edmonton, Alberta native will look to make it at least a pair of local riders on the podium along with Laing this weekend, as will 16-year-old rookie Philip DeGama-Blanchet, who put his Vass Performance Kawasaki into sixth and the end of the second row.
Notably absent from the front two rows is fellow rookie Mavrick Cyr, who was running within the top-five in the early stint before a crash ended his session. The 19-year-old was thankfully uninjured but was unable to remount his Economy Lube Ducati, leaving him eighth on the grid and on the middle of the third row.
Laing and company will now prepare for race one of the weekend doubleheader on Saturday, currently scheduled for roughly 1:10 pm local time (3:10 pm ET) at RAD Torque Raceway.
Full results from Friday’s qualifying can be found on the series’ official website.
Young on Superbike pole after smashing lap record at Edmonton
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A change in venues couldn’t prevent Ben Young from snatching pole position on Friday, as he captured his third consecutive BS Battery Pole award in a scorching qualifying session at RAD Torque Raceway.
Visiting the Edmonton circuit for the first time in his career, Young immediately moved to the top of Q1 behind a time of 1:17.947 and exited with a comfortable advantage, securing his entry to the top-ten Q2 session.
Torin Collins and Jordan Szoke would gradually chip away at the Q1 deficit, but it would be inconsequential as all three lapped safely inside the top-ten. However, the same was not true for Alex Dumas, who set a new lap record earlier in the day in FP1.
Having completed just one flying lap, Dumas went straight off at turn seven with a rear brake issue and sat parked for the remainder of Q1, tumbling down the order and clinging to a Q2 spot with a time of 1:20.642.
Ultimately, Dumas would narrowly squeeze through in eighth and allow the Economy Lube Ducati team to make the necessary repairs prior to Q2, setting up a showdown between himself, Young, Collins, and Szoke for pole.
There was little to separate the quartet early in the final session, as Young paced the field from Collins, Szoke, and Dumas with less than a half-second covering them all.
However, Young would blitz the timesheets around the midway point of Q2, lowering Dumas’ lap record time from the morning with a new best of 1:17.374, almost a half-second clear of the previous lap record from 2015.
That seemed like an insurmountable gap, but Collins would put in a late time attack to inch closer to what would have been a historic pole position, putting his Novalda Kawasaki within 0.137 seconds of Young but eventually settling for second.
That preserved a third consecutive pole for Young and the Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW squad and the 16th of his Superbike career, putting him at the front for both feature class races this weekend.
Dumas would salvage a dramatic third and the final spot on the front row, climbing to within 0.132 seconds of Collins as only 0.269 seconds blanketed the lead trio.
Szoke would lose a bit of steam in the final stints of Q2 but managed to put himself a strong fourth on the grid and at the front of row two, less than a second from pole.
Centering the second row will be round two breakout winner Sam Guérin, who closed the gap to the front over his two qualifying sessions but would still wind up fifth, only marginally behind Szoke aboard his EFC Group BMW.
David MacKay found over a full second of improvement in Q2 to place his ODH Snow City Cycle Honda into sixth and the end of row two, while fellow Honda rider Brian Worsdall will kick off row three in seventh, headlining the local contingent for the Mots Machining team.
Fellow EMRA star Tosh Gable will sit alongside him in eighth, while Sebastien Tremblay put his Turcotte Performance Suzuki just ahead of Paul Macdonell and the PMR/Vass Performance BMW team in the final places of the top-ten.
Young’s qualifying effort will extend his advantage in the BS Battery Pole Position Award standings, where he opens up a 16-point lead over Szoke and Guerin with only three rounds and 30 points left up for grabs.
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