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Toronto, Ontario – While several familiar names are expected to headline the feature Pro Superbike category in 2022, the support classes in the Canadian Superbike Championship are instead gearing up for the first round of what is expected to be a wide-open campaign this weekend at the Grand Bend Motorplex, June 9-12.

The most intriguing battle of the group will be in the Liqui Moly Pro Sport Bike category, which will have no returning champion for the first time since 2017 as Sebastian Tremblay chooses to focus solely on his Superbike program. The perennial frontrunner captured his first Pro title in dominant fashion last season, winning every race from pole position, but will now relinquish his crown heading into Grand Bend.

The grid won’t be without a former champion entirely, however, as the season is expected to bring the return of 2019 title winner Will Hornblower. A regular frontrunner in his own right, Hornblower managed two victories and a podium in all seven races to capture a dream championship two seasons ago, but his return has been put on hold for a number of factors.

The privateer Yamaha rider suffered rib and shoulder injuries in a brutal preseason crash while prepping for the 2020 campaign, with his recovery keeping him on the sidelines throughout 2021. Now mostly healthy, Hornblower will return as the presumptive favourite for a second career title, but recent regional racing has proved that won’t come easy.

Leading the charge in the SOAR series, notably hosted at Grand Bend, is former lightweight star Trevor Dion, who has adjusted quickly to the bigger bikes and put that expertise on full display by finishing second in his only appearance at CTMP last season. The LDS Consultants Kawasaki rider will have another local challenger to deal with, and another aboard Kawasaki machinery, as 2021 national runner-up David Mackay has also looked strong aboard his Mack Attack Racing machine.

The Quebec contingent will also have plenty to say in 2022, as the Pro 6 GP regional series welcomed the frontrunning trio of Phillippe Masse, Vincent Levillian, and Louie Raffa back to Calabogie Motorsports Park last weekend.

Masse – the third overall finisher from last season – was the eventual winner in that race, but the Turcotte Performance Kawasaki rider had to deal heavily with the SpeedFactory67 Kawasaki of Levillian, who finished just one spot behind Masse in the 2021 standings and one spot clear of Raffa, who wound up fifth overall aboard his Raffa Racing Honda.

The category will also feature a pair of young Yamaha wildcards that could play heavily into the championship equation, as former Guyanese champion Elliott Vieira and teenage star Jake Leclair are both expected to return full-time in 2022.

Vieira pushed Tremblay perhaps more than anyone else last season but continues to be plagued by mechanical issues within his Snow City Racing program, while Leclair flashed strong pace to begin the 2021 campaign and again showed that pace last weekend by battling with Masse and Levillian for the win in Calabogie aboard his Yamaha Canada machine.

Outside of the Pro ranks, the series is expected to feature just as much unpredictability and excitement in the Amateur Superbike, Sport Bike, and Lightweight classes, which are all likely to see unknown challengers emerge over the course of the season.

Leading the return in the AIM Insurance Amateur Superbike category will be an East-coast sensation and a pair of Quebecois talents, as John Fraser leads the way for Yamaha ahead of last year’s fifth-overall finisher Marc Labossiere (BMW) and sixth-place rider Guillaume Lavallee (Yamaha), the latter of which earned a pair of podiums but did not enter round two at CTMP.

Another pair of frontrunners expected to return are Suzuki-mounted William Degrasse and Aprilia-backed Erick Gosselin, both of whom entered the final round with a chance at a top-three finishing spot before Degrasse crashed out and Gosselin did not enter.

As for the Amateur Sport Bike category, a pair of young talents are expected to front the title battle in 2022, as Fraser does double-duty for Yamaha against former Lightweight star Mackenzie Weil, who is moving up to the Amateur ranks.

Fraser turned plenty of heads in his one-off appearance at CTMP last season, challenging eventual champion Brad Macrea en route to a second-place finish, and is expected to return for the full campaign this year – including a long-awaited return to his home race in Shubenacadie this July.

Weil, meanwhile, conquered the first four races of the Lightweight championship last season before a crash in Calabogie dashed his title hopes, though his focus has now shifted to a larger Yamaha machine as he aims to become the latest teenage star to graduate to the Pro ranks for 2023.

Fraser and Weil won’t be alone at the top, however, as they will have to worry about a pair of returning frontrunners in the form of Honda’s Nathan Playford and Yamaha’s Nolan Eadie, both of whom enjoyed exceptional 2021 campaigns and could have turned Pro if not for a DNF in the final round by both riders.

With Weil departing the Super Sonic Race School Lightweight category, the junior class will be open for plenty of intrigue in 2022, with reigning champion Harvey Renaud’s title defence uncertain for Kawasaki.

Perennial frontrunner Jacob Black is expected to return, also Kawasaki-mounted, but will likely have to deal with Honda challenger Paul Etienne Courtois, who finished third overall in last years championship but only 26 points off the front.

Another presumptive favourite will be the returning Istvan Hidvegi, who dominated the Pro 6 GP aboard his Yamaha machine and impressed in his only appearance at CTMP last season.

The 2022 campaign will also bring the introduction of the Pro/Am Lightweight class, a more “relaxed” version of the Lightweight category which will likely feature a group of former Pro riders sporting their new smaller machines, including the talented brother pairing of Cameron and Jared Walker.

The full schedule of events and additional information for round one at the Grand Bend Motorplex can be found on the series’ official website at www.csbk.ca.

For more information on the CSBK Canadian Superbike Championship, visit www.csbk.ca

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Toronto, Ontario – The Canadian Superbike Championship is pleased to welcome BS Battery as the official sponsor of the Pro Superbike Pole Position award in 2022, with compensation now available to the fastest qualifiers in the feature class courtesy of the French company.

Established in 2008 in Paris, France, BS Battery has quickly emerged as one of the largest distributors of automotive batteries in the world, servicing 70 countries with over 400 different battery types.

The brand is just as successful on the track, sponsoring numerous French talents including reigning MotoGP champion and current world championship points leader Fabio Quartararo. The Monster Yamaha rider has been supported by BS Battery since his premier class debut in 2019, helping him develop into one of the sport’s greatest young talents.

BS Battery is also a former partner of fellow MotoGP star Johann Zarco and currently sponsors World Supersport frontrunner Jules Cluzel, while their offroad sponsorships include the successful Sherco Factory enduro team and the upstart BUD Racing Kawasaki motocross team, amongst others.

The high-quality batteries are distributed across Canada exclusively by Importations Thibault, one of the nation’s premier distributors of motorcycle, scooter, ATV, and snowmobile products. Established in 1981, Importations Thibault Ltd. is centred in Sherbrooke, QC, and has helped introduce a number of motorsports brands across Canada in their 45+ years of operation.

The BS Battery Pole Position format will be the same as in 2021, with the award going to the top qualifier from each round in the Pro Superbike feature class as well as an accompanying $2000 reward, courtesy of BS Battery.

Additionally, each weekend’s qualifying results will contribute to the overall season-long award winner, which comes with it an additional $2000 award. The points system will be the same as in 2021, with ten points for pole position, eight for qualifying second, six for qualifying third, four for qualifying fourth, and two for the final spot in fifth.

Former national champion Ben Young was the winner of the inaugural Pole Position award last season, taking the top qualifying spot in the first two rounds before qualifying second in the final weekend as he finished six points clear of eventual Canada Cup winner Alex Dumas.

Young and Dumas – two of the last three Superbike champions – are expected to be the frontrunners once again for the Pole Position award in addition to the overall crown, as both are notoriously strong qualifiers and have racked up a number of front-row starts in their Pro careers.

For more information on the CSBK Canadian Superbike Championship, visit www.csbk.ca

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Category: Motorcycle

Toronto, Ontario – The wait for the 2022 Canadian Superbike Championship season is finally over, as the feature Pro Superbike field prepares for another dramatic campaign entering their round one doubleheader at the Grand Bend Motorplex this weekend, June 9-12.

The 42nd running of the Canadian national championship will kick off in unfamiliar circumstances, as 19-year-old phenom Alex Dumas heads to Grand Bend for the first time in his career to defend his 2021 Canada Cup and number one plate.

The Liqui Moly/FAST School Suzuki rider out of Desmaures, QC, has only appeared at two venues in his CSBK career, but showed zero signs of inexperience at either, winning all four races at Calabogie last season and finding the podium on all three occasions at CTMP. Dumas could continue that trend at Grand Bend this weekend but will surely have to go through his rival Ben Young in order to do so – a difficult proposition at perhaps Young’s best track on the calendar.

Click here to watch the official Grand Bend video preview!

The Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW Motorrad rider will be thrilled to return to ‘The Bend’ in 2022, having pushed Jordan Szoke to the limit there in 2018 before beating Szoke one year later en route to his 2019 championship. Having fully shaken the rust off from his 2020 absence, Young will now look to kick off his quest for a second career title in the opening round, a place he should enter as the marginal favourite.

The Collingwood, ON native will surely be looking over his shoulder for Dumas all weekend in what is expected to be a clear frontrunning duo for the 2022 campaign, but there are plenty of challengers to pick up the pieces if the two rivals get in each others way – though that list has shrunk in a big way entering round one.

Fans won’t be able to spot the iconic green Canadian Kawasaki of Jordan Szoke out on track, as the 14-time champion suffered a barrage of injuries in a pre-season motocross accident and is expected to miss the full season. The 2020 champion won’t be alone on the sidelines, either, as fellow fan favourite Tomas Casas will be forced to sit out round one after the Yamaha Canada rider injured his hand in an offseason crash of his own, though Casas expects to be back up at the front by round two in Calabogie.

Leading the charge in their absence will be a wide-open crop of riders, but one with some familiar names at the top. The most likely of the group will be OneSpeed Suzuki star Trevor Daley, who scored a trio of podiums in 2021 and played a pivotal role in helping Suzuki to the inaugural Constructors Championship last season.

Another fan favourite of the bunch will be 2021 Pro Sport Bike champion Sebastian Tremblay, who is turning his focus solely to the feature Superbike category aboard his Turcotte Performance Kawasaki and could play a big role for the brand in Szoke’s absence, though his best hopes will likely come at his home track in round two.

Also in the podium mix all season will be another pair of Quebecois talents, albeit ones at different points in their careers, as veteran Michael Leon returns to the grid aboard his Royal Distributing BMW as does second-year Pro Samuel Guerin for the EFC Group BMW squad. Leon has already scored a pair of top-five finishes in his career at Grand Bend, while Guerin will be heading to the circuit for the first time in his Pro career after a hard-luck rookie campaign for him in 2021.

Grand Bend is also known for its local expertise, and this season will be no different as a group of potential wildcards headline the Superbike grid, most notably SOAR regional champ Steven Nickerson. The Dewildt Powersports Honda rider managed a career-best fourth in his last national appearance at Grand Bend, and could be one of the top podium threats again at his home track to begin the 2022 campaign.

Jordan Royds will also be pleased to return to Grand Bend, as the sixth-overall finisher in last year’s championship has gained plenty of track knowledge aboard his IBEW BMW and could challenge the front-five as well. As for perhaps the biggest wildcard on the grid, former Lightweight star Trevor Dion is rumoured to be sporting a new BMW Superbike for 2022 alongside his Sport Bike program, and could be a top-five threat himself if he decides to run the dual-threat weekend for the LDS Consulting team.

Joining the Pro ranks for the first time in 2022 will be rookies Anthony Bergeron and Pascal Bastien, both of whom could play surprise roles in deciding the midfield as two of the faster Amateur graduates in recent years. Neither have attended Grand Bend before in their national careers, but Bergeron in particular flashed sensational pace in his title-winning 2021 campaign, winning three out of four races on his privateer BMW.

The second running of the Constructors Championship will also have some new names to sport this season, with Ducati and Aprilia expected to join the grid after homologating their race programs for 2022.

It’s unclear who will represent the two Italian factories on the national grid this season, but their inclusion will surely put more pressure on the five returning brands from 2021, while Suzuki will hope to defend their inaugural crown from the growing field.

The opening weekend at Grand Bend will kick off with an official CSBK test day on Thursday and practice day on Friday, before racing properly gets underway for the first of four rounds on Saturday and Sunday.

The full schedule, weekend information, and ticket information can be found on the series' official website at www.csbk.ca.

For more information on the CSBK Canadian Superbike Championship, visit www.csbk.ca

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Category: Motorcycle

Toronto, Ontario – Aprilia’s famed RSV4 lineup of Italian-built Superbikes are now approved for Canadian National road racing competition in both the Pro Superbike feature category and the Amateur Superbike division of the CSBK tour.

Marco d’Acunzo, President and CEO of Piaggio Group Americas, confirmed the homologation of the potent V4 powered street machines, available at dealers across Canada along with the full range of Aprilia sports machinery.

“Aprilia’s first home is the racetrack. It is where the spirit of the brand lives, and with Aprilia, where countless champions first proved themselves on an international stage. This is another step for Aprilia, to bring our championship winning machines to the Canadian racing series, and competition venues across the country,” confirms d’Acunzo, “We look forward to meeting both racers, and fans of Aprilia at CSBK rounds, and further developing our partnership with the series.”

Current Aprilia models confirmed for CSBK action are the RSV4 and the RSV4 factory, the later coming as standard with forged aluminum wheels, Ohlins Smart EC 2.0 semi-active suspension and Brembo Stylema brake calipers. These advanced Aprilia machines also feature MotoGP style aerodynamics, including integrated winglets in the fairing.

Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro currently holds second overall in the MotoGP World Championship points standings, the Spanish rider earning one win and four podiums thus far aboard the factory entry.

(Aprilia Racing just announced that Aleix Espargaro (41-L) and Maverick Viñales (12-R) will be staying with the team through to the end of 2024)

In World Superbike, the RSV4 Aprilia has earned the World Championship three times, the first two courtesy of Max Biaggi (2010, 2012) and most recently with popular French racer Sylvain Guintoli in 2014.

In Canadian National Superbike action, popular veteran Frank Trombino of Uxbridge, ON, scored Aprilia’s first and thus far only win at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, the famous “old Mosport” near Toronto, ON, aboard an RSV4 in 2014.

Two years later, Italian world moto star Claudio Corti brought his MotoAmerica National series team to CTMP for the final round of the Canadian National series, where his Aprilia battled for the win in both events, eventually earning a pair of second-place finishes after two of the best races in the history of the now 43-year-old Canadian Superbike tour.

This year’s CSBK National series opens with the first round at Grand Bend Motorplex, on Lake Huron, Ontario, June 9-12. In total, there will be nine Pro Superbike Feature events in 2022, all telecast on TSN, The Sports Network.

For more information on the CSBK Canadian Superbike Championship, visit www.csbk.ca