Szoke gets second straight pole

By John Hopkins

CALGARY, AB – Six-time national champion Jordan Szoke continued his mastery of Race City Motorsport Park by claiming pole position for this weekend’s second and third rounds of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship in Pirelli SuperPole qualifying on Friday.
       
The Brantford, ON racer took his Waznie Racing / Ciclo Werks BMC / DeWildt Honda Powerhouse Honda CBR1000RR around the 3.2km (2.0-mile) 11-turn Race City course in a time of one minute, 15.913 seconds for an average speed of 151.753 km/h (94.845 mph).
       
Szoke’s second straight fastest qualifying effort this season gave him four more points toward the Parts Canada Superbike Championship and the $500 Inside Motorcycles Pole Position Award.
       
“It was a good lap any way you look at it,” said Szoke, who has won eight Superbike nationals in Calgary. “That lap time was very comfortable for me. We had no issues really but I really wanted to get the points.”
     
Kevin Lacombe of St-Cesaire, QC will start second in this weekend’s pair of Superbike races after recording a time of 1:16.337 on his Lacombe Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 and Sherbrooke, QC’s Francis Martin will line up third on the radX HD / BMW Motorrad Canada BMW S1000RR after lapping the track in 1:16.408.
       
Andrew Nelson of Kars, ON completes the front row of the grid after setting the fourth fastest time of 1:16.528 on his Orion Motorsports / BMW Motorrad Canada BMW S1000RR.
       
Szoke was the last rider to take to the track in the single-bike Pirelli SuperPole session after leading the way in the morning’s prequalifying with a time of 1:15.920. He won the season opener for the 2010 Parts Canada Superbike Championship in Mirabel, QC last month as he chases an unprecedented fifth straight national title.
       
“When I saw the other guys were in the low 16s I decided just to put in a good lap,” he explained. “I didn’t want to throw it all away. For the race we may make some little changes but we’re not struggling. We have a good set up and it’s not hard on the tire.”
       
Lacombe improved from fourth in prequalifying to place second in SuperPole. The 27-year-old comes into the weekend third in the Parts Canada Superbike standings.
       
“The power is good but we’re fighting to get the bike to turn,” he said. “We changed the rear spring and it was better in SuperPole, but I had so much traction in the rear it was hard to get the bike to turn.

"It would be better to have some time to test, a little more track time. But I don't want to take too many risks.

"I can turn consistent lap times and I want to be there on the last lap. We know on used tires the Suzuki is very good. If I can get a good start and take off with Jordan it will be a battle."
       
Martin also made a big jump from fifth in prequalifying to earn his second straight front row start this season.
     
“I’m very happy with the lap,” said the 1999 Race City Superbike winner. “The bike is getting better but we need to make some more changes to make it easier to ride. For 22 laps it will be a big workout.”
       
Nelson dropped from third in the prequalifying order and was one of only three riders not to improve on his lap in the afternoon.
       
“I missed a shift coming onto the front straight and spoiled the first part of my lap,” he explained. “I’m just mad at myself more than anything.”

Nelson said he will like make some gearing changes before Saturday afternoon's race.
       
Alex Welsh of Uxbridge, ON jumped from ninth after prequalifying to head up the second row for this weekend’s races with the fifth fastest time in Pirelli SuperPole. The Competition Systems Kawasaki Race Team rider turned a lap of 1:16.824 on his Kawasaki ZX-10R.

"We went into this morning's session with a new set up and the bike was pretty good," Welsh said. "But we made changes from there and it was progressively getting worse, so we went back to the original set up. We're close, it's just taking a little longer to get up to speed."
       
Joining Welsh on the second row will be Keene, ON’s Jodi Christie on the Jodi Christie Racing / Durham Honda-backed Honda CBR600RR, second in the series point standings, and Mike Ferreira of Mississauga, Ont. on the second of the radX HD / BMW Motorrad Canada BMW S1000RRs.

Christie was very impressive on his 600cc Honda while Ferreira lost time when he hit a couple of bumps late in his lap, although he conceded he was fortunate not to crash.

Calgary’s Mike Zottmann turned the eighth fastest time and will lead the third row of the race grid on his Majik X / Red Bull Suzuki GSX-R1000. Zottmann was about four-tenths of a second off his morning time.

Fellow Calgarian Dave Stokowski was ninth fastest on the Blackfoot Motosports / Canadian Kawasaki Motors / Pro-Power Engines Kawasaki ZX-10R and Cochrane, AB.’s Cody Matechuk will start 10th on his Acceleration Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 after a dramatic morning.
       
Matechuk had been second in prequalifying but suffered an unlucky crash in turn 1 when a bug got into his helmet and distracted him. He was forced to use his Suzuki GSX-R600 for SuperPole but expected to have the GSX-R1000 repaired for Saturday’s race. The little finger on Matechuk's left hand was ground down in the lowside crash, but he said it wasn't giving him too much trouble in qualifying.

"I'm still getting my head back into it," he said after SuperPole qualifying. "Before the crash, my bike was working great, and then I just made a little mistake."
       
Six-time Canadian Superbike champion Steve Crevier of Maple Ridge, B.C. just missed SuperPole as he qualified 11th fastest on his Mile Zero Motorsports / Rocket Leathers Suzuki GSX-R1000. Crevier and Stokowski waged an exciting battle for the last SuperPole spot in the morning prequalifying session, with the edge just going to the local ace.

Superbike Qualifying Results
1. Jordan Szoke, Brantford, Ont., 1:15.913, Honda CBR1000RR
2. Kevin Lacombe, St-Cesaire, Que., 1:16.337, Suzuki GSX-R1000
3. Francis Martin, Sherbrooke, Que., 1:16.408, BMW S1000RR
4. Andrew Nelson, Kars, Ont., 1:16.528, BMW S1000RR
5. Alex Welsh, Uxbridge, Ont., 1:16.824, Kawasaki ZX-10R
6. Jodi Christie, Keene, Ont., 1:17.142, Honda CBR600RR
7. Mike Ferreira, Mississauga, Ont., 1:17.322, BMW S1000RR
8. Mike Zottmann, Calgary, Alta., 1:17.489, Suzuki GSX-R1000
9. Dave Stokowski, Calgary, Alta., 1:18.418, Kawasaki ZX-10R
10. Cody Matechuk, Cochrane, Alta., 1:18.692, Suzuki GSX-R600
11. Steve Crevier, Maple Ridge, B.C., 1:19.651, Suzuki GSX-R1000
12. Scott Rupert, Gadshill, Ont., 1:20.992, Suzuki GSX-R1000
13. Franklyn Dominguez, Montreal, Que., 1:21.217, Kawasaki ZX-10R
14. Peter Meier, Langdon, Alta., 1:21.652, Suzuki GSX-R1000
15. Sebastien Tremblay, Sherbrooke, Que., 1:22.251, Honda CBR600RR
16. Justin Knapik, Edmonton, Alta., 1:23.222, Kawasaki ZX-10R
17. Greg White, Raleigh, NC, 1:24.397, Kawasaki ZX-6R

*--Top 10 positions set in Pirelli SuperPole qualifying