Picotte back in the hunt

From Professional Motorsports Productions

MOSPORT, ON – Pascal Picotte jumped back into contention for a third straight Parts Canada Superbike title by winning the second half of the weekend doubleheader at Mosport International Raceway Sunday.

After dominating Saturday’s event on his Picotte Performance Yamaha YZF-R1, the Granby, QC rider repeated the performance on Sunday as he led every lap from pole.

Calgary’s Clint McBain finished second on his Team Suzuki / Blackfoot Suzuki GSX-R1000, 5.460 seconds behind Picotte after making a dramatic last lap pass of Jordan Szoke. Szoke, from Brantford, ON settled for third aboard the Fast Company Honda CBR1000RR.

The results dramatically tightened the Parts Canada Superbike Championship point standings after five of eight rounds. Rock Forest, QC’s Francis Martin retains the lead with 198 points after fighting back from a crash to finish sixth in Sunday’s race on his Snobgirls / Laval Moto Suzuki GSX-R1000. But Szoke is now only two points back with 196, while McBain is just another two points behind in third. Picotte, meanwhile, leaps up to fourth with 179.

“This is what we had to do,” said Picotte, who also swept the Mosport doubleheader last season and has five Superbike national wins at the track. “We had to get the most out of the weekend. There’s no other way to turn the championship around. Now we’ve put some pressure on the other guys.”

Picotte was a heavy preseason favourite for the Parts Canada Superbike crown but broke some ribs and his wrist in a practice fall at the season opener in May. His best finish before the Mosport doubleheader was a fifth at the previous round at Race City Motorsport Park in Calgary.

Chardon, OH’s Tom Kipp challenged Picotte early in the race on the Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX-10R but crashed on lap 6 of 10, leaving Picotte alone at the front.

Kipp’s exit left McBain, Szoke and Kevin Lacombe battling furiously for second. McBain dove inside Szoke at the end of the backstraight then held his ground as the pair raced side-by-side through the next turn. Lacombe crossed the line fourth on the second Team Suzuki / Blackfoot Suzuki GSX-R1000 but the Granby, QC rider was penalized for a jump start, relegating him to eighth in the final results.

Matthew McBride of Mississauga, ON took fourth on the Canadian Kawasaki ZX-10R and Kars, ON’s Andrew Nelson completed the top five riding the Nelson Racing Honda CBR600RR.

The series resumes with another doubleheader at Atlantic Motorsport Park in Shubenacadie, NS Aug. 5-7 before concluding at Shannonville Motorsport Park on the Labour Day Weekend.

In other action at Mosport, Chris Peris of Calgary completed a sweep of the Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike features on the Topline Yamaha YZF-R6. Despite a fall on the third lap of the 14-lap race, held in wet conditions, Peris recovered to pass Kipp two laps from the end. Kipp settled for second on his Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX-6RR while teammate McBride placed third.

Mark Douglas of Warkworth, ON won the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike round at Mosport. Oshawa, ON’s Stephan Chabot was second and James Collins of Woodstock, ON third. All three Yamaha riders engaged in a racelong battle for the win.

Bill Card of Wellesley, ON led all the way to win his second Canadian Thunder feature of the weekend on a Buell XB12R. North Vancouver’s Darren James was second on a Buell XB9R, holding off the Ducati SS1000 of Brampton, ON’s Robert Trottier.

Fifteen-year-old Karl Daigle of Roxton Pond, QC scored his third straight win in the Suzuki SV650 National Cup race Sunday. Rouyn-Noranda, QC’s Alain Lefebvre was a close second while Ottawa’s Derek Bowker finished third.