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Parts Canada Superbike Championships Round 2: Race City Motorsport Park By JOHN HOPKINS PHOTOS BY COLIN FRASER CALGARY, AB, CANADA, JUNE 8-9 ordan Szoke made a spectacular full-time return to the Parts Canada Superbike Championship, sweeping both ends of a doubleheader at Race City Motorsport Park and moving into a commanding lead of the series points standings. On a cold and rainy weekend at the Calgary venue, the Suzuki rider battled fiercely with Kawasaki's Owen Weichel in both 16-lap Superbike races. In the first, held in a Saturday afternoon downpour, the pair swapped first place three times before Szoke took the lead for good on lap 10 and held on for a 1. 759-second win on his Suzuki GSX-RI000. The following afternoon, with the weather still chilly but the track drying, Szoke made the winning pass on lap 12 and edged clear to a 2.716-second victory over Weichel's Kawasaki IX- 7RR. "Winning yesterday took a lot of pressure off me: said the 23-yearold Szoke after his second career Race City sweep and fifth Superbike win at the 2.1-mile circuit. "Today, if I couldn't stick with Owen, I knew I could go for second and still have a good points lead. But the drying track gave us an advantage and I felt very comfortable. I could have gone faster if I needed to." Szoke started the season riding for the Corona Extra Suzuki team in the AMA Superstock and Formula Xtreme classes, but after visa problems prevented him from crossing the border to race at Sears Point and Road Atlanta in May, he accepted a one-off deal to race a Blackfoot Suzuki GSX-RI000 at the Parts Canada Superbike season opener at Shannonville Motorsport Park, where he finished second. With his visa woes continuing, Szoke completed a deal to ride the remaining Canadian races just a week before the Race City event. His J primary backing comes from Coors Light Racing and Calgary dealer Blackfoot, with Fast Company's Scott Miller, who already runs Francis Martin, handling tuning duties. Szoke's Calgary sweep gave him 150 points in the series standings to the 121 of Weichel heading to the next round at Autodrome StEustache on July 7. "Those straightaways are long on the 750 when you're going up against a 1000: said Weichel, who won at Race City last year in rainy conditions. "The bike was working awesome [in the second race], but in the last three laps the track really dried up and I couldn't get out of the chicane as well as Jordan." In Saturday's race, Martin completed the podium on his GSXRI000, ahead of Diablo Suzuki's Kevin Lacombe. Lacombe threatened Martin midway through the race, only to have his rainsuit top open up and start acting like a parachute! Lacombe's Diablo teammate Ugo Levert completed the top five - an impressive result for the series rookie. Sunday's race featured a stunning performance by local champion Tim Easton, who finished a magnificent third after a battle to the wire with Michael Taylor. Easton quickly rose from ninth on the grid to battle Taylor for third by half-distance. The Calgary rider put his Walt Healy Motorcycles GSX-RI000 ahead of Taylor's Brooklin Cycle Yamaha YIF-Rl on lap eight, but the two-time National Champion regained third at the start of the final lap. Easton refused to give in, however, and repassed Taylor in the Chicane leading onto the back straight, and then held on for a popular podium result. An equally fraught battle saw Martin nip Lacombe for fifth place at the line, but Lacombe moved into third in the Superbike standings with 91 points. It was a miserable weekend for Frank Trombino, the Superbike On the opening lap of Saturday's Superbike race, Owen Welchel leads Jordan Szoke, Francis Martin, Kevin Lacombe, Michael Taylor, Benoit Pilon, Clint McBain and Ugo Levert in Calgary, site of the second round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championships. Szoke won. points leader coming into Calgary. The winner of the season opener finished eighth on Saturday aboard his Orion Motorsports Honda CBR954RR, battling a fogging visor and an ill-fitting rainsuit. On Sunday, he was running fifth with just two laps to go but fell exiting the chicane. He remounted, trying to salvage some points, but left a trail of oil around the back half of the track before his engine seized on the front straight. Trombino was penalized five points and fined $500 for rejoining the race without checking his damaged motorcycle, and he fell to fourth in the standings, with 74 points. The hardy local fans were rewarded for their dedication in Sunday's national support classes, as Calgary native Clint McBain won both the International Motorcycle Supershow Open Sport Bike and Yoshimura 600cc Sport Bike national support classes. The wins were McBain's second straight in both categories. In Open Sport Bike, McBain, riding the Blackfoot/Parts Canada Suzuki GSX-R1000, battled with the Brooklin R1 of Taylor in the early laps before Taylor made a mistake in the Bus Stop chicane on lap eight of 12 and McBain was able to break clear. Taylor finished second and Martin third after two-time defending champ Trombino crashed his CBR954RR just two tums from the finish while trying to take second from Taylor. McBain now has 104 points in the standings to Martin's 75 and Taylor's 65. McBain was leading the 12-lap 600cc Sport Bike feature comfortably when a sudden rain storm, with hail pellets mixed in for good measure, blanketed the track just past half-distance. The race was red-flagged and McBain declared the winner, with Weichel second on his Kawasaki IX6R. Rookie Chris Peris, another Calgary rider, led a four-bike battle for the final podium spot. The 16-yearold former Willow Springs 125cc champion, who received coaching from former AMA 250 GP ace Nick lenatsch over the weekend, was making only his second national appearance and impressed many with his poise and confidence. In total, Calgary riders took four of a possible 12 podium spots on the weekend - something to warm the hearts of the chilled crowd at Race City. CN Race City MDtorsPDI1 Peril Calgery. A1bel1D, Canede Results: June 8-9, Race City Motorsport Park track champion Tim Easton rode superbly to third place In Sunday's Superbike feature. cue I e zaaz [Round Zl PRO S/BK 1: 1. Jordan Szoke (Suz); 2. Owen Weichel (Kaw); 3. Francis Martin (Suz); 4. Kevin Lllicombe (Suz); 5. Uga Levert (Suz); 6. David Klassen (Suz); 7. Michael Tllylor (Yam); 8. Frank Trombino (Hon); 9. Benoit Pilon (Yam); 10. Matthew McBride (Hon). PRO S/BK 2: 1. Jordan Szoke (SUL): 2. Owen Weichel (Kaw); 3. Tim Easton (Suz); 4. Michael Taylor (Yam); 5. Francis Mllrtin (Suz); 6. Kevin Lllcombe (Suz); 7. Jean-Francois Cyr (Yllm); 8. Darryn Wilbur (Yem); 9. Nick lenatsch (Hon); 10. Philip Onisto (Suz). PRO 600 SPTIBK: I. Clint McB.in (Su,); 2. Owen Weichel (K8w); 3. Chris Peris (Han); 4. Kevin U1combe (Suz); 5. Jean-Frllncois Cyr (Yam); 6. Ugo Levert (Suz); 7. Matthew McBride (Hon); 8. OllIe Yllmada (Kaw); 9. Nick lenatsch (Hon); 10. Steve Dick (Yam). PRO OPEN SPTIBK: I. Clint McBain (SUL); 2. Michael Taylor (Yam); 3. Francis Mllrtin (Suz); 4. Jean-Francois Cyr (Yam); 5. Benoit Pilon (Yllm); 6. Darryn Wilbur (Yam); 7. Chris Peris (Hon); 8. Ugo Levert (Suz); 9. Mlltthew McBride (Hon); 10. Philip Onisto (Suz). n e _ S • JULY 10, 2002 71