Szoke back on top

From Professional Motorsports Productions

SHANNONVILLE, ON – Jordan Szoke scored his first Parts Canada Superbike Championship win in almost two years at the opening round of the season at Shannonville Motorsport Park Sunday.

The Brantford, ON rider stuck his Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX-10R past the Picotte Performance / Yamaha / Toyota Yamaha YZF-R1 of Kevin Lacombe at the end of the backstraight on lap 4 of the restarted seven-lap race and went on to claim his first victory since he won in Mont-Tremblant, QC in August of 2004.

The triumph was Kawasaki’s first in the national feature class since Tom Kipp won at Mont-Tremblant in 2003.

“It’s been too long since I’ve been on top of the box,” said Szoke, a two-time Superbike champ. “It’s been a long time coming for both me and Kawasaki. But I never lost confidence in myself.”

Lacombe, from Granby, QC settled for second and defending series champion Francis Martin of Rock Forest, QC was a close third on his Team Suzuki / Blackfoot Suzuki GSX-R1000.

Right behind Martin was the second Picotte Performance / Yamaha / Toyota Yamaha YZF-R1 of Pascal Picotte, who put in a brave ride to fourth despite struggling with four broken vertebrae, a broken toe and banged up knees suffered in a crash last month.

Szoke’s teammate Kipp of Chardon, OH, who started on pole, completed the top five on a Kawasaki ZX-10R.

The race, originally scheduled for 14 laps of the 4.0km (2.5-mile) Shannonville ‘Long Track’, was stopped after six laps, with Szoke in the lead, when Trevor MacDonald crashed exiting the Esses. MacDonald was not seriously injured.

Lacombe grabbed the lead off the restart while Szoke had to charge his way up from fourth off the line. He was into second by the end of the first lap and traded the lead with Lacombe on lap 3 before getting ahead for good on the following lap.

In other action at Shannonville, Szoke took the lead on lap 2 and went on to win the opening round of the Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike Championship on his Kawasaki ZX-6RR. Clint McBain of Calgary placed second aboard the Team Suzuki / Blackfoot Suzuki GSX-R600 and Lacombe completed the podium on his Yamaha YZF-R6.

Karl Daigle of Roxton Pond, QC led the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike feature all the way on his Honda CBR600RR. London, ON’s Simon Blue came back from a nasty practice crash on Saturday to place second on his Kawasaki ZX-6RR and polesitter Ross Millson of Hamilton was third on a Suzuki GSX-R600.

Defending class champion Darren James of North Vancouver won the Canadian Thunder feature in convincing fashion aboard his Buell.

Brantford, ON’s Robert Busby led all the way from pole to win the 10-lap Suzuki SV650 National Cup feature.