Szoke completes perfect season

By John Hopkins

SHUBENACADIE, N.S. – Jordan Szoke made Canadian motorcycle racing history at Atlantic Motorsport Park on Sunday as he won the final round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship.
       
The victory gave the Brantford, Ont. rider a perfect season of seven race wins from seven starts. No other rider has ever accomplished the feat in the 30-year history of the national Superbike championship.
       
Szoke rode his Waznie Racing / BMC Ciclo Werks / DeWildt Honda Powerhouse Honda CBR1000RR to a 9.116-second victory over the Orion Motorsports / BMW Motorrad Canada BMW S1000RR of Kars, Ont.’s Andrew Nelson.
     
Michael Ferreira of Mississauga, Ont. completed the podium on the radX HD / BMW Motorrad Canada BMW S1000RR.
       
Szoke completed the 22 laps around the 2.54km (1.6-mile) circuit in 25 minutes, 7.925 seconds for an average speed of 134.458 km/h (84.036 mph).
       
On Saturday Szoke clinched his record seventh Canadian Superbike title and his fifth Parts Canada Superbike crown in a row.
       
“At the start of the year I thought we’d be able to put together a good challenge for the championship, but to do this is unbelievable,” said Szoke after his 36th career Canadian Superbike win. “When you think back on the whole year, it’s so easy to make just one mistake that could cost you a race. To do what I did is still shocking to me.”

Szoke's Waznie Racing team, led by crew chief Scott Miller, was awarded the Inside Motorcycles Team of the Year award.
       
As he did on Saturday, Szoke led every lap from pole position, shaking off early pressure from Nelson.
       
“I got a bit of a gap early and then I slowed it down a little,” Szoke said. “I tried to get enough of a lead that if something did happen I’d be able to bring it home. But Andrew was on me the whole race. These guys have kept me honest all season.”
       
Nelson latched onto Szoke off the start but a mistake on lap five cost him time and he was never able to get close enough to challenge Szoke for the lead.
       
His second consecutive runner-up finish was enough to move up to second in the final Parts Canada Superbike Championship standings with 244 points, his best ever year-end ranking. Szoke completed the season with 376 points.
       
“I finally got a pretty good start,” said the 25-year-old Nelson. “But I got into turn three a little hotter than I wanted to and lost some ground. I put in a few hard laps to try and catch back up but I think I overworked myself and my bike. But I can’t complain about my weekend. Everybody’s been finishing second to Jordan this season.”

By lap 10 Nelson had closed up on Szoke, only to have the leader turn up the wick. On lap 11 Szoke turned the fastest lap of the race, a 1:07.886 and increased his lead over the BMW again.

Ferreira came out on top of a wild three-rider battle to claim the final spot on the podium. For most of the race he was able to hold off the Jodi Christie Racing / Durham Honda Powerhouse Honda CBR600RR of Jodi Christie and Alex Welsh on the Competition Systems Kawasaki Race Team Kawasaki ZX-6R.
     
But on lap 18 Welsh got around Christie and he and Ferreira traded third spot over the closing laps. He passed the BMW in the Roller Coaster on lap 20, only to have Ferreira get up the inside of him in the final turn a lap later. The two started the final lap side-by-side and Welsh was again able to move into third in the run down to the turn tow hairpin. But once again exiting the last turn on the final lap, Ferreira got under the Uxbridge, Ont. rider and won a drag race to the finish line, while Keene, Ont.’s Christie also managed to squeeze ahead of Welsh for fourth spot.

The three were covered by just 0.277 secs. at the line.
       
“It was a good battle all along,” said Ferreira, who ended the season fifth in the Superbike standings. “When Alex got by me I knew I’d have to do it in the final corner, and I was worried he’d block it."

The result equalled Ferreira's best career Superbike finish, which had come on Saturday when he was elevated to third in the final results after a collision eliminated his teammate Francis Martin and Frank Trombino.

"This is really emotional for me," Ferreira admitted. "Yesterday I kind of got on the podium by default, but today I earned it.
     
“When we got here on Thursday this was the last thing on my mind. I’ve never ridden a Superbike here before and I thought I’d be lucky to get into the top five.”

Christie had made several attempts to sneak by Ferreira exiting the Roller Coaster but could not get alongside the BMW on the short run to turn nine.

"There wasn't much room to pass there," the 18-year-old admitted. "I did my best to get a drive on him. Then I just waited for a mistake, but it rarely happened."

The Honda rider said he was ready to bounce in the run out of the last turn on the final lap.

"I knew Ferreira was going to make a move there and I was interested to see how it would play out," he said. "I was hoping I could grab a position."

Welsh was disappointed to wind up fifth after having been so close to the podium.

"I felt really good at the end," he said. "I tried to take a defensive line [into the last turn] but on a 600 it's hard there."

Martin of Sherbrooke, Que. took sixth on his radX HD / BMW Motorrad Canada BMW S1000RR, despite riding with a sprained left ankle sustained in a crash in Saturday’s Superbike race.

The two-time national champion placed third in the final standings, 10 points behind Nelson with 234. Christie finished fourth in the rankings with 197 points.

HJC Pro Rookie of the Year winner Cody Matechuk took seventh after a lonely race on the Acceleration Racing Suzuki GSX-R600 and Andrew Dunlap was the top local rider, the Truro, N.S. ace taking eighth aboard the Fundy Powersports Kawasaki ZX-10R.

Montreal's Franklyn Dominguez passed Kenny Riedmann late in the race to claim ninth riding the Seamont Brokerage Kawasaki ZX-10R. Riedmann completed the top 10 riding the Compulsion Racing / Pro 6 Cycle Triumph Daytona 675.
       
Kleinburg, Ont.’s Frank Trombino, who had qualified on the front row, was left on the sidelines on Sunday. The ProStar Motorsports / Sturgess Cycle Honda rider suffered a broken bone in his left hand after a crash in Saturday's Pro Sport Bike race and in his right foot following his accident with Martin in Superbike action.

Race Results
1. Jordan Szoke, Brantford, ON (Honda CBR1000RR) 22 Laps
2. Andrew Nelson, Kars, ON (BMW S1000RR) +9.116
3. Michael Ferreira, Mississauga, ON (BMW S1000RR) +12.001
4. Jodi Christie, Keene, ON (Honda CBR600RR) +12.155
5. Alex Welsh, Uxbridge, ON (Kawasaki ZX-6R) +12.278
6. Francis Martin, Sherbrooke, QC (BMW S1000RR) +28.970
7. Cody Matechuk, Cochrane, AB (Suzuki GSX-R600) +32.174
8. Andrew Dunlap, Truro, NS (Kawasaki ZX-10R) +48.219
9. Franklyn Dominguez, Montreal, QC (Kawasaki ZX-10R) +55.974
10. Kenny Riedmann, Belfountain, ON (Triumph Daytona 675) +1:00.228
11. Todd Scott, Bedford, NS (Honda CBR600RR) +1:00.429
12. Ron Munroe, Beaver Bank, NS (Kawasaki ZX-6R) 21 Laps*
13. David Young, Woodstock, ON (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 21 Laps
* -- penalized five seconds for jump start
Did Not Finish
Scott Rupert, Gadshill, ON (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 0 Laps
Did Not Start
Jean-Francois Cyr, Ste-Adele, QC (Suzuki GSX-R600)
Frank Trombino, Kleinburg, ON (Honda CBR1000RR)
Billy Shields, Unionville, ON (Yamaha YZF-R6)
Matthew Leahey, Halifax, NS (Honda CBR600RR)
Dave Estok, New Smyrna Beach, FL (Buell 1125R)
Time of Race: 25:07.925
Average Speed: 134.458 km/h
Lap Leaders: Jordan Szoke, 1-22
Fastest Lap: 1:07.886 by Jordan Szoke on lap 11

Final Parts Canada Superbike Championship point standings showing position, rider name and point total:

1. Jordan Szoke, 376
2. Andrew Nelson, 244
3. Francis Martin, 234
4. Jodi Christie, 197
5. Mike Ferreira, 186
6. Cody Matechuk, 182
7. Alex Welsh, 167
8. Franklyn Dominguez, 112
9. Frank Trombino, 86
10. Kevin Lacombe, 82
11. Scott Rupert, 71
12. Dave Stokowski, 69
13. Kenny Riedmann, 59
14. Dave Young, 58
15. Matt McBride, 53
16. Chris Murray-Audain, 52
17. Steve Crevier, 46
18. Jean-Francois Cyr, 44
19. Andrew Dunlap, 42
20. Todd Scott, 34
21. Justin Knapik, 27
22. Ron Munroe, 26
23. Terry Steeves, 23
24. Mike Zottmann, 21
25. Steve Walker, 18
26. Dean Plater, 17
27. Marie-Josee Boucher, 15
28. Peter Meier, 13
28. Sean Huffman, 13
28. Ross Millson, 13
28. Greg White, 13
32. Matthew Leahey, 8