Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

Parts Canada Superbike Championship Round 1: Shannonville Motorsport Park By (Above) Steve Crevier (14), Pascal Picot1e (21), Tom Kipp (5) and Clint McBain (9) launch off the front row at the start of the Parts Canada Superbike feature at Shannonville Motorsport Park. JOHN HOPKINS PHOTOS BY WWW.CDNSUPERBIKE.COM SHANNONVILLE, ON, CANADA, MAY 18 teve Crevier is back, and that's bad news for his rivals in the Parts Canada Superbike Championship. After an injury-plagued 2002 season, the six-time Canadian Superbike Champion returned to form with an impressive victory in the opening race of 2003 at Shannonville Motorsport Park on May 18. In his first Canadian appearance for the Diablo Suzuki team, the Maple Ridge, British Columbia, rider took the lead from Francis Martin on lap five of the restarted 12-lap race and eased clear to a 1.739-second victory. Martin settled for second aboard his Coors Light Racing/Blackfoot Suzuki GSXRI000, while his teammate Clint McBain completed a podium sweep 5 (Right) Pascal Picot1e celebrated his return to Canadian competition with a win in the Hindle Exhaust Pro 600cc Sportbike feature, aboard a Yamaha. for Suzuki with a third-place finish on another GSX-R 1000. "I'm always happy to win, but this one's for the guys on the team," said Crevier after his record-extending 21 st career Canadian Superbike National win. "They've been working especially hard this weekend." The race was the first under new rules for the Superbike class. Horsepower has now been limited to 155 hp, and other performance restrictions have been put in place to curb escalating costs and tighten the racing at the front of the field. The new measures seemed to have the desired effect at Shannon ville, with 33 riders 'r entering the feature class and the top eight qualifiers separated by less than a second. The first attempt to run the race, originally scheduled for 18 laps, was halted by a red flag for a crash by Michael Taylor on lap six, just after Crevier had taken the lead from Picotte Yama'ha rider Pascal Picotte. The field was regridded in its running order for a 12-lap sprint, with Martin grabDan Henri wa. the winner of the inaugural IntematloRal Motorcycle Supershow . bing the lead from Amateur 600cc Sportbike NatiOnal race. Crevier and Picotte. Crevier shadowed the 70 JUNE 18, 2003' cue I e n eVIl's 1999 Canadian Superb ike champ until near the end of lap five, when he outbraked the Rock Forest, Quebec, rider into the tight Allen's Corner. "I couldn't quite keep up with Francis on the back straight," Crevier said, "but I was sizing him up in Allen's, and I just came through the chicane cleaner." After leading before the red flag, Picotte found a slight front-fork adjustment during the break threw off the handling of his Yamaha YlF-Rl, and he was unable to challenge Crevier or Martin. He fell behind the Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki lX- 7RR of Chardon, Ohio's Tom Kipp on lap five of the restarted race but regained the spot when Kipp slid wide into Allen's three laps later and nearly ran off the track. McBain also got around Kipp and put the pressure on Picotte, finally passing him in turn three on the final lap to score his best-ever Superbike finish. "The bike was working great, and I was carrying a lot of speed through turn two," McBain said. "If I could have done it earlier, I would have. I tried it a couple of times before that." Despite losing a podium spot on the last lap, Picotte was happy with a fourth-place finish on his return to Canadian competition after more than a decade racing in the AMA Superbike Series. Joliette, Quebec, rider Jean-Francois Cyr also passed Kipp a few laps from the end on his Yamaha YlF-Rl to claim fifth. The Michelinbacked rider was the first non-Dunlop finisher. Kipp settled for sixth on his Pirellishod lX- 7RR. The AMA veteran was a late addition to the Canadian Kawasaki factory team after primary rider Owen Weichel broke his wrist at the AMA Superbike National at Infineon Raceway in early May. In other action at Shannonville, Picotte led all 12 laps to win the red-flag-shortened Hindle Exhaust Pro 600cc Sportbike feature on his Yamaha YlF-R6. Picotte was challenged most of the way by Frank Trombino, on the Brooklin Cycle Yamaha, but after the Kleinburg, Ontario, rider fell on lap 10, Picotte was left to score the win. Andrew Nelson finished second, 1.434 seconds behind on his II Cycletech Honda CBR600RR, and defending class champion McBain held off Crevier for third on his Suzuki GSX-R600. One of the most dominant riders in the history of the class, Crevier had to start 18th in the field after crashing his GSX-R600 early in qualifying. Shannonville also saw the debut of the International Motorcycle Supershow Amateur 600cc Sportbike Series. Dan Henri of Ottawa won the event on his Yamaha, taking the lead when Bill Card crashed in front of him on lap four of the race, which was shortened to 13 laps due to a red flag. Derek Bowker, also from Ottawa, placed second on another Yamaha, and Suzuki jockey Yanick Beauregard of Rock Forest, Quebec, was third. The Parts Canada Superbike Championship resumes at Race City Motorsport Park in Calgary, June 6 through 8. eN Shannanville Matorspart Park Shannanville. Ontario, Canada Results: May 18, 2003 [Round 11 PRO S/BK: 1. Steve Crevier (Suz); 2. Francis Martin (Suz); 3. Clint McBain (Suz); 4. Pascal Picotte (Yam); 5. Jean-Francois Cyr (Yam); 6. Tom Kipp (Kaw): 7. Robbie Baird (Han); 8. Frank Trombino (Yam); 9. Jeff Williams (Suz); 10. Benoit Pilon (Yam). PRO 600 SPT/BK: 1. Pas<:al Picotte (Yam); 2. Andrew Nelson (Hon); 3. Clint McBain (Suz); 4. Steve Crevier (Suz); 5. Chris Peris (Hon); 6. R.obbie Baird (Hon); 7. Kevin Lacombe (Hon); B. JeanFrancois Cyr (Yam); 9. Tom Kipp (Kaw); 10. Francis Martin (Suz). AM 600 SPT/BK: I. Dan Henri (Yam): 2. Derek Bowker (Yam): 3. Yanick Beauregard (Suz); 4. Marco Alessandrini (Yam); 5. Jeremy French (Hon); 6. Jeremy Burgess (Suz): 7. Michael Ferreira (Hon); 8. Gus Bakos (Yam): 9. Tyler Kennedy (Hon); 10. Jason Brown (Yam).

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