Motourage

The Parts Canada Superbike Doubleheader Weekend comes to Mosport International Raceway July 9-11. Headlining the weekend is the Superbike class, as defending Series champion Jordan Szoke of Brantford, ON continues his pursuit of a record seventh Superbike crown and fifth in a row.  The 31-year-old is off to a great start, winning the first race of the season – his 30th career Superbike win – at Quebec’s Circuit ICAR.  The series veteran was able to hold off teammate Jodi Christie, 17, of Keene, ON, who finished less than a second behind Szoke.

Honda's Jordan Szoke hopes for a repeat of his season-opening victory at ICAR

Szoke and his Honda CBR1000RR will face stiff competition from a number of riders who will be looking to halt his title run. Kevin Lacombe on his Suzuki GSX-R1000 finished third in the season opener, and Alex Welsh will have extra motivation as it will be a home-race for the 22-year-old. The BMW S1000RRs will be making their North American debuts this summer, with two-time Superbike champion Francis Martin of Sherbrooke and teammate Mike Ferreira of Mississauga aboard Rush HD/BMW Mortorrad motorcycles.

Szoke will also compete in the Pro SportBike class as he looks win a fifth straight title in that division.  He was able to take an early lead in the points standing by again edging his teammate, Christie.  As Szoke continues his pursuit of another title, he will be chased by Jean-Francois Cyr on his Suzuki GSX-R600, James Collins on his Yamaha YZF-R6 and the Deely Harley-Davidson/Ruthless Racing Buell 1125R combo of Darren James and David Estok.

The first-ever electric motorcycle race in Canada will take place at Mosport over the weekend.  The TTXGP eGrand Prix will hold four rounds in North America this season.  It will be the only Canadian stop for the Series, with Mosport hosting round three.  These bikes are powered without the use of carbon-based fuels and have zero toxic/noxious emissions.  When they hit the 10-turn road course, they will be out to prove that being clean and green can be lean and mean.

The Honda CBR125R Challenge supplies riders with an excellent venue for development, teaching riding technique and racing skill.  All participants use the same type Honda CBR125R single-cylinder motorcycles.  Many of the young racers go on to the higher levels of competition such as the Amateur Sport Bike.  Ryan Appenrodt of Quesnel, British Columba won both races at Mosport in 2009.  He kicked off his 2010 campaign by winning both dashes in the season opener and has put himself out in front for the series title.  Loic Viscasillas finished second at Circuit ICAR and Will Hornblower rounded out the top-three.

Also on the schedule for the Doubleheader Weekend will be the Amateur Sport Bike, the all-new K&N Filter’s Sports Twins Pro/Am and the Pro Honda Oils Women’s Cup.

Off track, BMW Motorrad Summerfest returns to Mosport for its fourth year. Designed to cater to the motorcycle enthusiast, Summerfest is a motorcycle lifestyle experience that features the BMW Marketplace, on and off-road test rides and an off-road skills course.  Once you’ve had the chance to try your skills, sit back and enjoy performances by the Streetbike Freestyle World Champion, Chris Pfeiffer.  The German ace thrilled audiences when he last performed at Mosport in 2007.  Music is a big attraction at Summerfest, and the area will be rocking on Saturday afternoon and evening with a live concert showcasing Canadian music talent.

Along with BMW Motorrad, Honda and Suzuki will also be offering demo rides on their latest models around the neighboring roads near Mosport throughout the weekend. Registration is in the paddock and participants must have a valid motorcycle license, riding gear and helmet. Be sure to sign-up early because all of the time slots go quickly.

The two-wheel action Begins on Friday, July 9 with a full-day of practice.  Qualifying and races in all classes will take place on Saturday, July 10 and Sunday, July 11.

Round One, Parts Canada Superbike Championship, Mirabel, Quebec, May 28-30, 2010

The final weekend in May – round one of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship – marked road racer Rheanna Christie’s first national race. She entered her Durham Honda Powerhouse CBR125R in the CBR125R Challenge Series’ double header at Mirabel, QC’s Circuit ICAR, located about 40 miles west of Montreal. ICAR hosted rounds one and two of the 10-round series, which will travel across the country to Calgary, and then return to Mosport, ON and on to Shubenacadie, NS for the final two rounds on Aug 5-8.

The heat and a new track made for some nervous moments Thursday, but after an orientation with head instructor Ed Sorbo, she was ready to take to the track. With instruction to take her time and learn the course, she did well and placed 11th in the first session with a time of 206.171. After a good night’s rest, a track walk the following day and a talk with her brother, Jodi, she felt more confident. In the Friday sessions, her times dropped to the 1.58 mark. With ongoing track instruction and more one-on-ones with some of the local racers, Rheanna was optimistic about Saturday qualifying and felt she could better her times. She ended qualifying on the third row with a time of 156.775 – a full 10-second improvement from her first day

Lining up for her first national race, Rheanna got a great start  and was through the first corner in 8th place  Riding a great race, she slowly picked off three more riders and ended her race in 5th place dropping another second off her time with a new personal best of 155.313.
“It took me a while to get my confidence at this track,” said Rheanna. “It’s a lot different than Shannonville; it’s very flat yet still quite bumpy. The track walk helped me a lot and I was able to improve over yesterday. It was a great battle for position out there, and my Durham Honda Powerhouse CBR125R was working great; traction on the Pirelli tires was good throughout the race” She was also happily surprised to see that 5th place paid $250.00.

By Sunday morning, there was one more practice session before the final race in the afternoon, and Rheanna decided to only turn a few laps and try a couple of changes in lines then come in and rest for the afternoon final.

Starting one row farther back proved to be a bit of a challenge. Off the fourth row she got a good start, but on the equally powered machines it was hard to make up time. She picked her way through the pack and ended up 10th, running times of 153.039 through the race.
“To have dropped that much time through the weekend was great; it sure felt a lot faster in the last race,” said Rheanna. “I have to be happy with my weekend. It’s a long series and all the tracks are new to me; I can’t wait for Calgary.”

The teams second development rider Giselle Philp had to sit out Icar but attended the weekend to support her fellow competitors, she is recovering from an ankle injury she received at the last Regional round and will be on track for Calgary’s triple header.

RMR Racing’s Ryan Appenrodt from Quesnel, British Columbia is looking to continue last year’s success in the upcoming season of the Honda CBR 125R Challenge.

Last season, Ryan competed in three Honda CBR Challenge national rounds with strong finishes at each race that helped him earn a spot for this upcoming year.

Being one of a few riders from the west, Ryan is looking forward to traveling as a team as part of the AMRA for the entire national series with fellow riders Cody Conrad, and Bodhi Edie, as well as others that are planning on competing this year.

Ryan’s hope for this season is to win the National title, and he believes that he has a strong chance after last year’s performances, which included multiple podium finishes.

Ryan would like to thank his sponsors starting with the AMRA, Honda Canada, and long time local sponsor Brian Curry of Curry Repairs.