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Parts Canada Superbike Championship Round 7: Shannonville Motorsport Park By JOHN HOPKINS PHOTOS BY COLIN FRASER SHANNONVILLE, ON, CANADA, SEPT. 2 (Above) Francis Martin won the battle at the season finale of the Parts Canada Superblke Championship at Shannonvllle Motorsport Park... (Below)..•but Steve Crevier won the war, clinching the title and enjoying the spoils of victory • the Canada Cup and the Superblke number-one plate. teve Crevier didn't waste any time putting the finishing touches on his second straight Parts Canada Superbike Championship in the season finale at Shannonville Motorsport Park. By claiming pole position in qualifying on Saturday, the Honda Canada rider picked up 10 championship points and opened up a 56-point lead on his closest challenger, Francis Martin, with only 50 points available for the race win the following day. But on race day, Martin was the man of the hour. The Rock Forest, Quebec, rider grabbed the lead off the start and stayed in front for all 15 laps to claim his first win of the season on the factory Suzuki GSXRI000. Crevier settled for second, 4.681 seconds behind on his Honda RC51, while Frank Trombino claimed the final podium spot on a Yamaha YZF -Rl, passing Kawasaki jockey Owen Weichel on the last lap. Crevier was relieved to have the championship out of the way by Saturday afternoon. The Honda team was still battling ECU troubles at Shannonville, and Crevier was riding the same bike Jordan Szoke had taken to victory at this race last year, which was rescued from the lobby of the Honda Canada offices, where it had been on display. "I'm relieved to get it over with," Crevier said after his qualifying effort. "We were a little short on gearing, but it was okay." Victory in Sunday's race was sweet revenge for Martin, who had seen his hopes of a Superbike title derailed by a huge qualifying crash at Shannonville in the Parts Canada Superbike season opener in May that left the 1999 Canadian champ with a broken pelvis. By the end of the second lap, Martin was already two seconds clear of Crevier, and at half-distance the margin was five seconds. Martin kept it steady the rest of the way to give Suzuki its first National Superbike win since 1991. "I had a very good start," said Martin, who had qualified third. "[Threetime Canadian champ] Michel Mercier helped me a lot with my starts this year. I really wanted to push very hard in the first few laps, and that worked." Crevier ran a lonely second the whole race, his RC51 no match for the GSX-RI000 on Shannonville's long back straight. "We were losing a whole football field on the straights," said the frustrated Maple Ridge, British Columbia, rider. "It's not the way I wanted to finish the season. I'm a sore loser." The only drama in the largely processional race came in the closing laps, when Trombino hunted down Weichel for third. Weichel had taken over the spot when Michael Taylor crashed his Honda CBR929RR on lap two. Although {he Toronto rider didn't make any impression on Crevier, he seemed to be under no threat from behind, and was six seconds clear of Trombino at half-distance. However, as the laps wound down, the Yamaha started inching closer. Weichel still had an advantage of a couple of seconds at the start of the 48 _ S SEPTEMBER 26. 2001 • cue I (Above) Andrew Nelson placed sixth in the 600cc Sportblke contest and wrapped up the H.lC Pro ROokie of the Year title. (Below) Crevier cantes the flag after his 600cc Sportblke win In Shannonvllle, Ontario, Canada. n _ VII S last lap, but by the time the pair hit the back straight, Trombino was right on his tail. He followed Weichel through the chicane and then stuffed it under the Kawasaki under braking for Allen's Corner, two turns from the finish. "I had trouble getting going," Trombino explained, "but toward the end, I saw I was closing the gap to him, and on the last lap I gave it all I had. I was late braking in every corner and early on the gas." Weichel said he had no idea Trombino was right on his tail at the finish. "I don't think I went a whole lot slower," he said of the last lap. "I never knew he was there, so I never protected my line." The remainder of the field was well spread out, with Jeff Williams taking fifth on his Honda CBR929RR and Benoit Pilon sixth, riding a Yamaha YZF-R1. Weichel claimed third in final Superbike points, with Trombino fourth, Pilon fifth and Taylor sixth. Martin also scored the win in International Motorcycle Supershow Open Sportbike action at Shannonville, but he was unable to prevent Trombino from claiming his second straight title in the class. With a cautious fifth-place . finish, Trombino clinched the crown by 16 points over Martin, 308-292. Trombino had come to Shannonville with a healthy 47 -point edge over Martin, but his weekend got off to a shaky start when he crashed in Open Sportbike qualifying and had to switch to a backup R1. He wound up sixth on the grid while Martin claimed pole position and gained 10 points on Trombino. Despite almost constant pressure from Taylor's CBR929RR, Martin led all 12 laps for his third win of the season. Kevin LaCombe of Granby, Quebec, took third on a Yamaha YZF-R6. Crevier had already clinched the Yoshimura 600cc Sportbike title, but that didn't prevent him from snatching his sixth victory in seven races this year. Crevier took the lead from polesitter Clint McBain on lap three of the 12-lap race and then held off the Suzuki rider the rest of the way. McBain's hopes of making a last-lap assault on Crevier's Honda CBR600F4i ended when he got a poor drive out of the hairpin leading onto the back straight, and he came home half a second behind. LaCombe was third on his R6 after a great battle with Honda rider Williams. Crevier finished the season a massive 106 points clear of runner-up McBain in the 600cc Sportbike standings, 387-281. Kars, Ontario, teenager Andrew Nelson was sixth in the 600cc Sportbike contest aboard his Kawasaki ZX6R and wrapped up the HJC Pro Rookie of the Year title. Martin's tuner, Scott Miller of Fast Company, was named the inaugural winner of the Inside Motorcycles Tuner of the Year award. eN SINInnanville Motarsport P.rte SINInnonville. Ontorio, Cona... Results: September Z, Z001 [Round 71 PRO S/BK: I. Francis Martin (Suz); 2. Steve Crevier (Hon); 3. Frzmk Trombino (Yam); 4. Owen Weichel (Kaw); 5. JeH Willilims (Hon); 6. Benoit Pilon (Yam); 7. Michelel Leon (Hon); 8. U90 Levert (Hon); 9. Martin Hamel (Kaw); 10. Bruce McDonald (Yam). PRO 600 SPT/BK: 1. Steve Crevier (Hon); 2. Clint McBain (Suz); 3. Kevin laCombe (Yam); 4. Jeff Williams (Hon); 5. Greg Boki (Yam); 6. Andrew Nelson (Kaw); 7. Ugo Levert (Hon); 8. Philip Onisto (Hon); 9. Martin Hamel (Kaw); 10. Michael Leon (Hon). PRO OPEN SPT/BK: I. Francis Martin (Suz); 2. Michael Taylor (Hon): 3. Kevin laCombe (Yam); 4. Jeff Williams (Hon); 5. Frank Trombino (Yelm); 6. Greg Boki (Yam); 7. Bruce McDonald (Yam); 8. Joel McDonald (Yam); 9. Philip Onisto (Hon); 10. Andrew Nelson (Kaw).