Impressive weekend for McBride

From Budds' Motorrad Riders Choice BMW
Photo courtesy cdnsuperbike.com

MISSISSAUGA, ON – Matt McBride made a successful return to national road racing competition by scoring a fourth place finish in the first race of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship doubleheader at Mosport International Raceway last weekend.

Despite having only briefly ridden the Budds’ Motorrad / Riders Choice BMW S1000RR, and losing a day of practice due to rain, the Mississauga, ON racer was on the pace all weekend. He qualified comfortably within the top 10 and followed up his fourth place in Saturday’s race with a ninth on Sunday.

McBride’s achievements came despite facing the biggest Superbike field of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship season so far, with 27 riders entered for the feature class.

Despite sweltering heat and a lack of preparation time, McBride turned the seventh fastest time in Thursday practice, a 1:24.159. That ended up being his starting position as Friday’s Pirelli SuperPole qualifying session was called off due to rain.

More significantly, heavy rain on Friday morning cost the Budds’ Motorrad / Riders Choice team valuable track time to refine the set up of the S1000RR.

McBride held seventh through the early stages of Saturday’s 20-lap Superbike race around the famed Mosport 3.957km track but steadily worked his way up, and ultimately won a fierce battle with Chris Murray-Audain for fourth.

“Right now we’ve got more power than the bike can handle,” said the 25-year-old McBride. “First the front end was giving us trouble and now it’s the rear we’ve got to get hooked up.”

The Ryan Gill-led team made a major breakthrough in Sunday morning practice and McBride turned his best lap of the weekend, a 1:23.753.

“I think we can stick with the leaders now,” said McBride after the session. “We just need a good start and we can be there.”

Unfortunately McBride didn’t get as strong a launch on Sunday has he had the previous day and found himself ninth at the end of the opening lap. He quickly moved up a spot but as the race wore on his lack of track time began to take its toll and McBride faded back to ninth.

“The most important thing was to bring the bike home,” McBride said. “We’ve had a very successful weekend. The S1000RR is fabulous and it’s been a great pleasure to work with the folks from Budds’ and BMW Motorrad Canada. They couldn’t have been more helpful. We’re thrilled to be part of a great weekend of racing at Mosport.”