Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1546195
K evin Lacombe ended Jordan Szoke's dominance of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship with a victory in round six at Atlantic Motorsport Park, August 13. Lacombe led all 22 laps on his Team Toyota Yamaha/Picotte Performance Yamaha YZF-R1 to claim his first win of the 2006 season and his third win at AMP. Defending Parts Canada Superbike Champion Francis Martin was second on his Team Suzuki/Blackfoot Suzuki GSX-R1000, while Lacombe's Yamaha teammate, Pascal Picotte, completed the podium, riding another Yamaha YZF-R1. "I knew we had a good setup," Lacombe said. "We were working all weekend on a setup that would go the distance. I've been waiting all year for this; I knew, here, I would have something extra." Szoke, meanwhile, had to put his National Superbike title celebrations on hold, as he failed to win for the first time this season. Szoke finished seventh on his Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX- 10R after falling in turn three on lap 10. Szoke takes a 41-point series lead over Lacombe into the season finale at Shannonville Motorsport Park on September 3, with 56 points available at each Parts Canada Superbike series round. "Anything can happen," said Lacombe of his championship chances. "I won now, so I will go to Shannonville trying to win again." Lacombe started second in the 23-bike field and grabbed the lead right off the start. He was already a second ahead after two laps and was five seconds ahead by half-distance. Szoke had started from pole position, but was only fifth off the start. He had worked his way up to second by lap nine before his fall. Matt McBride placed fourth on his Riders Choice Suzuki GSX-R1000, while Tom Kipp was fifth on another Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX-10R after making a late-race pass of the Z1 Cycletech Yamaha YZF-R1 of Andrew Nelson. In other action at AMP, Szoke extended his lead in the Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike Championship by edging Lacombe to victory in the 18-lap race. Riding his factory Kawasaki ZX-6RR, Szoke edged the Yamaha YZF-R6 of Lacombe by .730 of a second. Defending class champi- on Steve Crevier was third on his Ruthless Racing Yamaha YZF-R6. Saskatoon's Brett McCormick kept his International Motorcycle Supershow Amateur 600 Sport Bike title hopes alive with a victory aboard his Yamaha YZF- R6. Championship leader Karl Daigle was second on a Honda CBR600RR and Dany Jourdain was third, riding a Suzuki GSX-R600. Lacombe Stops Szoke's Streak C Y C L E N E W S • AUGUST 23, 2006 13 M ike Kidd Entertainment Group recently announced the schedule for the 2007 BooKoo Arenacross Championship Series. They kick off its second series on the West Coast at the Selland Arena in Fresno, California, and will work its way across the country, wrapping up on the East Coast at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The schedule also includes a stop at the all-new 11,000-seat Sears Centre in Chicago, Illinois. "This schedule puts the BooKoo Arenacross Championship Series in some of the hottest motocross markets in the country," Mike Kidd, president of Mike Kidd Entertainment Group, said. "With strong industry and sponsorship support last year, we created a new series that enhanced Arenacross racing from opening ceremonies to the checkered flag. That support continues, which will allow us to create the most aggressive Arenacross series on the planet." The complete 2007 BooKoo Arenacross Championship Series race schedule is as follows: Nov 3-5 Fresno, CA Selland Arena Nov 10-12 Salem, OR The Pavilion Nov 17-19 Yakima, WA Yakima Valley Sundome Dec 29-31 Fort Worth, TX Will Rogers Memorial Center Jan 5-7 Reading, PA Sovereign Center Jan 12-14 Chicago, IL Sears Centre Jan 19-21 Fort Wayne, IN Memorial Coliseum Jan 26-28 Guthrie, OK Lazy E Arena Feb 2-4 Minneapolis, MN Target Center Feb 9-11 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena BooKoo Arenacross Champ- ionship Series Announces 2006-07 Schedule U.S. Army Suzuki's Antron Brown came into the August 13 Lucas Oil Nationals in Brainerd, Minnesota, ranked fourth in the POWERade Pro Stock Motorcycle standings but left in first after a convincing victory. Brown ran a 7.10 in the final round to beat Snap-on Suzuki's Steve Johnson, who trailed with a 7.15. "Our bike was good in qualifying, but it was great on race day," Brown said. "Steve Tartaglia, my crew chief, made all the right calls, and we managed to avoid red-lights and other prob- lems and managed to get it done. This is my fourth win in Brainerd, and I really like this place." Brown was solid throughout the event, but his best per- formance came in the second round when he beat fellow championship contender Chip Ellis, in a race that was decided by just six-thousandths of a second. "That was a great race," Brown said. "I actually turned my head to see where he was, and I knew it was going to be close. That race was just five-thousandths of a second and at the speeds we're running you can't tell. I actually thought I'd lost because the win light came on in his lane, but when I got off the track, they told me that the light was wrong and that I'd actual- ly won. It was all very confusing, but it worked out in the end." Brown got a free pass in the semifinals when Tom Bradford red-lighted on his Hal's/S&S Buell. Johnson, who struggled earlier this year, has since made a quick turnaround after hiring crew chief Mark Peiser, qualified 10th, but advanced to the semifinals after red-lights by Chris Rivas and Macro Andreano. Johnson ran just a 7.17 in the semi- finals, but won the round after Trim-Tex Buell's Ryan Schnitz ran into an electrical problem and slowed to a 7.38. "I didn't exactly set the world on fire, but I managed to get to the final," Johnson said. "I'm bummed that I didn't win, but all things considered, it wasn't a bad day. I think our bike is actually a bit better than we showed today, so I'm pretty opti- mistic about the last five races of the year." The balance of power shifted in the opening round when points leader Andrew Hines red-lighted on his Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson. A short time later, Brown's teammate, Angelle Sampey, was disqualified after her U.S. Army Suzuki came up five pounds light at the scales following her victory over Ryan Schnitz. "We weighed our bike before the run and it was 615 pounds, which is right at the limit," Sampey said. "We weighed without my helmet, which is three pounds, so we figured we'd be okay. I'm convinced that the scales are off because we did- n't change anything on the bike, but unfortunately, there's nothing I can do about it now." With 10 of 15 races in the books, Brown is the current points leader, while Hines is in second, 15 points back. Ellis and Sampey are also still in hunt, trailing Brown by 45 and 51 points, respectively. Brown Takes Over NHRA Antron Brown took over the NHRA points lead with a win at Brainerd.