McBain wins big at Race City

CALGARY, Alta. (June 29) – Cochrane, Alberta’s Clint McBain scored a dominant win in the second round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Race City Motorsports Park on Sunday.

Riding the Acceleration Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000, McBain took the lead from polesitter Jordan Szoke on lap 5 of the 22-lap Blackfoot Suzuki-sponsored race and pulled away to a 9.259-sec. victory over the Canadian Kawasaki Motors rider.

Kevin Lacombe took third aboard his Team Toyota Yamaha / Fast Company Racing Yamaha YZF-R1.

The win was McBain’s third national Superbike triumph in Calgary and came a year after he lost victory with a crash just a few corners from the finish.

“After what happened last year, to do this in front of everybody is tremendous,” McBain said. “It couldn’t be better. I really felt like it was my turn.”

McBain qualified second for the race and was third at the end of the opening lap behind Szoke’s Kawasaki ZX-10R and the Team Suzuki / Blackfoot / Picotte Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 ridden by Calgary’s Chris Peris.

McBain got by Peris on lap 3 and then passed Szoke on the front straight at the start of the fifth lap. He took advantage of a couple of breaks in lapped traffic to open up his lead.

“I was getting better drive out of the last turn and that gave me a good run on Jordan down the front straight,” the 35-year-old McBain said. “Then I just kept watching my pit board and my advantage kept growing and growing.”

Szoke, the two-time defending Parts Canada Superbike champion, was unable to add to his record total of eight Race City Superbike victories, but did extend his lead in the series standings to 14 points over Lacombe, 99-85. McBain is fourth with 55.

“I didn’t win, but I finished ahead of the people I needed to,” said the Brantford, Ont. rider. “On the third lap I almost highsided onto the front straight, then I got messed up in traffic and then my tires went off again. Not taking anything away from Clint, but I didn’t have the set-up.”

Lacombe said he was fortunate to finish the race after his bike overheated almost from the start of the race. After dropping to the back of a four-way fight for third at half distance he worked his way back up, finally taking third from Peris just two laps from the finish.

“I knew right from the start I had a problem,” Lacombe said. “Halfway down the straight I was in seventh or eighth. But in the last few laps I knew if I pushed hard the guys in front of me might have problems with their tires.”

Peris settled for fourth while Szoke’s Canadian Kawasaki Motors teammate Brett McCormick of Saskatoon snatched fifth from Francis Martin on the final lap.

Sherbrooke, Que.’s Martin finished sixth on the second of the Team Suzuki / Blackfoot / Picotte Racing entries, with Matt McBride of Mississauga, Ont. seventh on the third of the factory Suzukis.

Calgary riders Jeremy Stepper and Dave Stokowski battled for eighth throughout the race, with the verdict going to the Stepper Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 by less than half a second over Stokowski’s Calgary Motorsports Kawasaki ZX-10R.

Peter Holzinger of Banff, Alta. finished 10th on a Suzuki GSX-R1000. He battled with the Deeley Harley-Davidson Canada / Ruthless Racing Buell 1125R of Maple Ridge, B.C.’s Steve Crevier for the first half of the race before Crevier retired with mechanical troubles.

In other action at Race City, Szoke scored his second straight win of the year in the Yoshimura Pro 600 Sport Bike class on his Kawasaki ZX-6R, beating the Suzuki GSX-R600 of Peris by just 0.630 secs. in the race, which was shortened by 14 laps due to a crash by Jesse Sherstan.

Lacombe completed the podium in a close third aboard his Yamaha YZF-R6.

Sherstan was not seriously injured in his fall.

Andrew Nelson of Kars, Ont. rode his NCR-Ducati 848 to victory in the 16-lap Canadian Thunder feature at Race City, beating the Ducati 749R of Calgary’s Chad Pasowisty by 2.520 secs. with New Smyrna Beach, Fla.’s Dave Estok third on the Deeley Harley-Davidson Canada / Ruthless Racing Buell 1125R.

Opening round winner Valter Bartolini of Bologna, Italy crashed his NCR-Ducati 848 on lap 11 while in the lead.

Jim Proulx of Ottawa won the Canadian Sport Twins race on a Buell XB12R. His 18-second triumph over the Buell XB9R of Surrey, B.C.’s Olivier Spilborghs earned him his second straight Tirox Winning Big Award.

Jodi Christie of Keene, Ont. won the Armour Bodies Amateur 600 Sport Bike race on his Yamaha YZF-R6, beating the Suzuki GSX-R600 of Calgary’s Patrick Marques by 4.909 secs. Marcel Irnie of Westbank, B.C. placed third riding a Kawasaki ZX-6R.

Irnie claimed the Performance Under Gear Perfomer of the Race Award for his effort.

McBain’s stepson Cody Matechuk completed a great day for the family by winning the Suzuki SV650 National Cup race, coming out on top of a battle for the victory with Burlington, Ont. rider John Jarvie. Matechuk edged Jarvie by 0.882 secs.

Nicky Poon of London, Ont. finished third.

The Parts Canada Superbike Championship continues with a doubleheader at Mosport International Raceway July 17-20.

This weekend’s races will be shown on TSN HD and TSN on Tuesday, Sept. 16 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern, and again on Saturday, Sept. 20 at 4:00 a.m. Eastern.

For complete results go to:
http://www.cdnsuperbike.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=878&Itemid=194


From cdnsuperbike.com