Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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JULY 12, 2006 • C Y C L E N E W S 60 BY JOHN HOPKINS MONT-TREMBLANT, QUEBEC, CANADA, JUNE 4 I f winning is infectious, then Jordan Szoke has the bug. After a dry spell of almost two years on the National Superbike tour, the two-time Cana- dian champion scored his second straight win in the Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant. And for good measure, he added a second win in the Hindle Exhaust Pro 600cc Sportbike feature. For those of you keep- ing score at home, Szoke is now a perfect four for four on the 2006 National tour. "It was all I could do to win a race in two years," said the Canadian Kawasaki factory rider after his victory in the 15-lap Superbike event. "Now I've won two in a row." The Superbike victory was Szoke's second straight on the picturesque 2.65-mile, 15-turn Mont-Tremblant course, which last hosted the National Series in August of 2004. It was also his 17th career National Superbike triumph, putting him in sole possession of second place in the all-time rankings, one victory ahead of Pascal Picotte and six behind Steve Crevier. Szoke started from pole on his ZX-10R but was third after the opening lap, behind defending National Champion Francis Martin and Kevin Lacombe. Szoke got around Lacombe's Picotte Performance/Yamaha Canada/Toyota Yamaha YZF-R1 at the end of the back straight on lap three and then did the same to Martin's Team Suzuki/Blackfoot Suzuki GSX-R1000 a lap later. Martin hung close the rest of the way but couldn't retake the lead and finished 1.106 seconds behind the Kawasaki. Lacombe settled for third, Szoke's teammate Tom Kipp was fourth, and injured Pascal Picotte put in another brave ride on the second Picotte Performance Yamaha to take fifth. Only two races into the seven-round Parts Canada Superbike Series, Szoke already has a commanding 26-point lead in the standings, with 106, to Martin's 80 and Lacombe's 79. In Pro 600cc Sportbike, Szoke again started from pole and again ended lap one of 12 in third. But by lap four, he had the lead, and he won by 1.107 seconds on his ZX-6RR. Calgary's Clint McBain was second for the second straight race, aboard the Team Suzuki/Blackfoot Suzuki GSX- R600. Kipp completed the podium after leading the early laps. Highly touted Brett McCormick, a 14-year- old from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, won the International Motorcycle Supershow Amateur 600cc Sportbike feature on his Yamaha YZF-R6 after a race-long duel with pole sitter Ross Millson, on a Suzuki GSX-R600. McCormick took the lead for good on the final lap exiting the Carousel and held on to win by 0.569 seconds. Another big story in Amateur 600 was the performance of Nadine Lajoie, who became the first woman to qualify on the front row for a National event. Unfortunately, she incurred a jump-start penalty and finished 16th. Defending champion Darren James won his second straight Thunder feature on a Buell XB9R, and in Suzuki SV650 National Cup competition, Rob Busby was also a repeat victor. CN LE CIRCUIT MONT-TREMBLANT MONT-TREMBLANT, QUEBEC, CANADA RESULTS: JUNE 4, 2006 (ROUND 2) PRO S/BK: 1. Jordan Szoke (Kaw); 2. Francis Martin (Suz); 3. Kevin Lacombe (Yam); 4. Tom Kipp (Kaw); 5. Pascal Picotte (Yam); 6. Matt McBride (Suz); 7. Andrew Nelson (Yam); 8. Frank Trombino (Kaw); 9. Jean-Paul Tache (Suz); 10. Erick Beausejour (Hon). PRO 600 SPT/BK: 1. Jordan Szoke (Kaw); 2. Clint McBain (Suz); 3. Tom Kipp (Kaw); 4. Pascal Picotte (Yam); 5. Francis Martin (Suz); 6. Kevin Lacombe (Yam); 7. Andrew Nelson (Yam); 8. Matt McBride (Suz); 9. Frank Trombino (Kaw); 10. Zenon Nelson (Suz). AM 600 SPT/BK: 1. Brett McCormick (Yam); 2. Ross Millson (Suz); 3. Eric Brisson (Kaw); 4. Mark Carmichael (Suz); 5. Dany Jourdain (Suz); 6. Steve Bourdeau (Hon); 7. Steve Morin (Kaw); 8. Martin Ricard (Kaw); 9. Simon Blue (Ka w ) ; 1 0 . C a t h e r i n e N a d e a u ( Ya m ) . C A N A D I A N THUNDER: 1. Darren James (Bue); 2. Brett McCormick (Bue); 3. Derek Vammus (Duc); 4. Olivier Spilborghs (Bue); 5. Oliver Jervis (BMW); 6. Chris Duff (BMW); 7. Jean Francois Cyr (BMW); 8. Steve Walker (BMW); 9. Mike Cean (Duc); 10. Dale Wood (Bue). SV650 CUP: 1. Rob Busby; 2. Dave Bagshaw; 3. Martin Grande; 4. Paul Glenn; 5. Bruce Gagnon; 6. Michel Roberge; 7. Nuno Almeida; 8. Lawrence Kovac; 9. Pierre Drouin; 10. David Cote. Parts Canada Superbike Championship Round 2: Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant Szoke Makes It Four for Four Defending 2005 Superbike champion Francis Martin (1) is chased by Kevin Lacombe (34), eventual race winner Jordan Szoke (101), Tom Kipp (behind Szoke), Pascal Picotte (21) and Clint McBain (9) at round two. PHOTO BY ROB O'BRIEN/CDNSUPERBIKE.COM BY CHRIS WEBB COLUMBUS, MT, JUNE 18 T he rolling, green hills of Montana roared to life this past weekend with the second round of the Racer X/Suzuki NAHA Hillclimb Series. Spectators and riders came from all across the nation. The riders were especially eager to test their mettle against the rocky, shaley, gnarly hill - and to get a chance at the $30,000 purse. Riders and fans alike were brimming with excitement for the runs this year, as the hill was insanely fast, with huge gaps right from the take-off and a pants-soiling gap at the top of the hill that claimed more than its fair share of motorcycle parts. Take some 200-plus-horsepower bikes guzzling nitro methane and nitrous oxide and combine them with a ridiculously fast hill and 20- to 30-foot gaps, and you have quite a recipe for excitement - and, unfortunately, disaster! Dusty Beer, the National number-one rider in both the 700cc and Open classes, was having an astonishing weekend until the third gap claimed him and his motorcycle, flinging him 20 feet off into the adjoining forest. Unfortunately, Beer dislocated his shoulder, and he will probably miss most of the series. Jeff Thomas also turned his bike and certain body parts into offerings to the gods of speed as he flew up the hill, blazing one of the fastest times of the day. However, at the crest of the hill, his bike bucked him off and then landed squarely on his stomach, sending him to the hospital. The former marine known fondly around the circuit as the "Throat Smasher" promptly returned from the hospital, barely able to walk, and hopped aboard his 100-percent nitro-methane Yamaha and gritted it out through an amazing run. Talk about tough as nails! The 0-700cc class was tight, to say the least! Robie Peterson bested the hill with an ear-shattering 9.931-second run that was the fastest time of the weekend. Beer was a sprocket tooth away, putting up a 9.975- second time. Harold Waddell rounded out the podium with a 10.325-second time on his Suzuki GSX-R. Waddell displayed an amazing amount of aerial grace as he and Bret Peterson trounced the competition in the Open class. Waddell piloted his Suzuki to an 11.481-second winning run, and Peterson manhandled his 1500cc Harley-Davidson to an 11.801-second run. Travis Whitlock, always a crowd pleaser, put up a 12.319-second time to round out the podium in the hang-on-for-the-love-of-God Open class. One of the real crowd pleasers was Friday night's pit-bike race. All the Pros came out with their tricked-out mini-hardware to vie for big-man-on-little-bike honors. Robie Peterson ran away with it in the individual class, and Robie and Bret Peterson also took the team class. Each rider would ride two laps, then pit and trade off. A couple of guys were so excited to go that they forgot to let off the throttle coming into the pits; hilarity ensued. Jason Smith was kind enough to pump his pit-bike muscles for the ladies, whipping his TTR all the way out and even putting up a heel-clicker on the last lap. CN BIG SKY THUNDER COLUMBUS, MONTANA RESULTS: JUNE 18, 2006 (ROUND 2) 0-700: 1. Robie Peterson (KTM); 2. Dusty Beer (Kaw); 3. Harold Waddell (Suz); 4. Bret Peterson (KTM); 5. Jeff Thomas (Yam); 6. Dave Thomas (Yam); 7. Travis Whitlock (KTM); 8. Ross Johnson; 9. Jason Smith (Yam); 10. Ken Long (Ski); 11. Corey Sweat; 12. Brian Peterson (Zab); 13. Scott Olson; 14. Dusty Quast (Yam); 15. Chris Axelson; 16. Pete Loomis (Yam); 17. Brandon Whitlock (KTM); 18. Paul Stoffers; 19. Dusty Davis; 20. Austin Fox. 701-OPEN: 1. Harold Waddell (Suz); 2. Bret Peterson (H-D); 3. Travis Whitlock (KTM); 4. Dave Watson; 5. Jason Smith (Yam); 6. Pete Loomis (Yam); 7. Matt Coleman; 8. Corey Sweat; 9. Paul Stoffers; 10. Austin Fox; 11. Dusty Quast; 12. Brandon Whitlock; 13. Robie Peterson (H-D); 14. C.R. Eizenzimer; 15. Jeff Thomas; 16. Colin Guy; 17. Scott Olson; 18. Chris Axelson; 19. Brian Osborn (Hon); 20. Chuck Dubell. TOP 5 SHOOTOUT: 1. Harold Waddell (Suz); 2. Travis Whitlock (KTM); 3. Dave Watson; 4. Jason Smith (Yam); 5. Bret Peterson (H-D). NAHA Hillclimb Series Round 2: Big Sky Thunder Peterson, Waddell Ascend to Big Sky Wins! Harold Waddell topped the Open class at round two of the NAHA Hillclimb Series. Robie Peterson flew to the 0-700cc win at Big Sky Thunder. PHOTOS BY KEVIN BOUTWELL