The Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship, Matt McBride seen here at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, heads west again in 2015 with a trip to Castrol Raceway. (Photo-Nik Karagianis/RaceCanada.ca)

Toronto, Ontario – Canadian national Superbike racing will return to its Edmonton, Alberta birthplace in 2015 with two rounds of the Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship at Castrol Raceway July 10-12.

The weekend will feature a full slate of doubleheader action for all of the national classes on the 2.7 kilometre (1.62-mile) road course, plus plans for support races from the thriving Edmonton Motorcycle Roadracing Association (EMRA).

“Our goal for the series is to establish a date long term in Edmonton at Castrol Raceway,” said Colin Fraser of Professional Motorsports Productions, which runs the Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship. “We would eventually like to return to the days of a multi-venue western swing for the series.

“We look forward to working with the successful local EMRA club, hosts of the first season of regional activity at the new venue in 2014.”

The first Superbike national in the modern era of Canadian road racing took place at the old Edmonton road course in June of 1980, and was won by Kawasaki rider George Morin.

Since then, western Canadian tracks have a long and proud history of hosting national Superbike events. The popular Westwood circuit near Vancouver staged rounds from 1985-1990 and Manitoba’s Gimli track held events from 1985-1988. Calgary’s Race City Motorsport Park was a staple of the national tour from 1987 until 2010, and a race was run on a temporary circuit at Edmonton’s Namao Airport in 2001.

Castrol Raceway is a multi-purpose motorsports facility. In addition to the road course there is a quarter-mile International Hot Road Association (IHRA) drag strip, a three-eighths mile clay oval, 10-acre motocross track and mini-sprint kart track.

The facility’s Mopar Rocky Mountain Nitro Jam Nationals is the largest, most-attended IHRA event in Canada and Castrol Raceway was voted North America’s top IHRA racing facility in 2006 and 2009.

“We are very excited about being part of the Canadian Superbike family and bringing the Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship to Castrol Raceway,” said track owner Kimberly Reeves. “We are thrilled to have Mopar showcased at Castrol Raceway on back-to-back weekends in conjunction with our Mopar Rocky Mountain Nationals IHRA drag event.”

The 2015 season will mark the fourth year of Mopar’s title sponsorship of the CSBK series.

“We are very pleased to be a part of Canadian Superbike racing’s return to western Canada and look forward to an exciting weekend of competition at Castrol Raceway next July,” said Jim Kiritsis National Manager, Service and Mopar. “We are also excited to see an affiliation with a venue where we already enjoy a strong partnership and which has a history of running strong, major motorsports events.”

Jodi Christie of Keene, Ont. will enter the 2015 Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship wearing the number one plate after wresting the title from Jordan Szoke last summer aboard his Honda Canada / Accelerated Technologies Honda CBR1000RR.

Brantford, Ont.’s Szoke, Canada’s winningest national Superbike racer, is expected to return in 2015 in an attempt to capture an unprecedented 10th national title.

Final details on the remainder of the 2015 Mopar CSBK schedule are expected to be announced shortly.