Picotte tightens title fight

From Professional Motorsports Productions

SHANNONVILLE, ON -- The battle for the Parts Canada Superbike Championship got a little tighter at Shannonville Motorsport Park Saturday, as Pascal Picotte claimed pole position for Sunday’s race.

Riding the Picotte Performance Yamaha YZF-R1, the Granby, QC racer turned a lap of one minute, 42.905 seconds to win the MPM Array Pole Award and earn four points toward the national Superbike title. That moved him into second place in the standings with 258 points, just 20 behind leader Francis Martin of Rock Forest, QC. Martin picked up a point for qualifying fourth on his Snobgirls / Laval Moto Suzuki GSX-R1000 with a time of 1:44.290. That gives him 278 points.

Team Suzuki / Blackfoot Suzuki GSX-R1000 teammates Kevin Lacombe and Clint McBain will line-up side-by-side in the middle of the front row on Sunday’s grid. Lacombe, from Granby, QC qualified second at 1:43.732 on his Suzuki GSX-R1000 while Calgary’s McBain was third with a 1:44.109. McBain is now third in the Parts Canada Superbike standings with 257 points.

“I just wanted to put it on pole,” said Picotte, who came close to beating his own lap record from last year of 1:42.820. “I’m really going to put my head down tomorrow. Francis is my main competition. He’s strong. He won’t give up.”

A podium finish in Sunday’s 14-lap feature race would assure Martin of his second Canadian Superbike title. A race win is worth 50 points in the standings, with an extra two points going to the rider who leads the most laps.

Although he failed to earn any qualifying points on Saturday, Brantford, ON’s Jordan Szoke remains in the hunt for the Parts Canada Superbike title with 250 points. He qualified sixth at Shannonville with a lap of 1:44.693.

Lacombe also retains a mathematical shot at winning the title. He is fifth in the series standings with 234 points.

Szoke is joined on the second row of the race grid by Maple Ridge, BC’s Steve Crevier and Chardon, OH rider Tom Kipp. Crevier set the fifth fastest time of 1:44.386 on his Diablo Performance Honda CBR1000RR, but was officially eliminated from title contention.

In other action at Shannonville, Picotte was fastest qualifier for the Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike feature on Sunday with a time of 1:45.468 on his Yamaha YZF-R6. New series champion Crevier qualified second at 1:45.495 riding his Honda CBR600RR and Kars, ON’s Andrew Nelson took third on the grid with a 1:45.600 on the Nelson Racing Honda CBR600RR.

Bill Card of Wellesley, ON claimed pole position for Sunday’s Canadian Thunder race and claimed the $1,000 Brampton Chrysler Pole Award in a dramatic qualifying heat. The Buell rider traded the lead with the Ducati of Orangeville, ON’s Derek Vammus on the final lap before hanging on for the win. Series points leader Darren James of North Vancouver placed third on a Buell.

James Collins of Woodstock, ON closed the gap to championship leader Mark Douglas in qualifying for the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike class. Collins put his Yamaha YZF-R6 on pole with a time of 1:50.517 while Warkworth, ON’s Douglas could only manage third at 1:51.821 on his similar machine.

Ross Millson of Dundas, ON earned the pole for Sunday’s Suzuki SV650 National Cup feature with a lap of 1:54.881.