TORONTO, ON – There are plenty of questions surrounding the opening round of the 2006 Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Shannonville Motorsport Park this weekend. Can Francis Martin win a second straight national Superbike crown? Who will succeed the legendary Steve Crevier as king of the Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike class? And just how effective will former champion Pascal Picotte be as he recovers from nasty preseason injuries? Martin will certainly be in the spotlight as the bikes take to Shannonville’s 4.0km, 15-turn ‘Long Track’ this weekend. The Rock Forest, QC native parlayed an opening round win last season into his second Canadian national Superbike title, and his first for Suzuki. Martin remains on Suzukis and the potent GSX-R1000 for 2006, but has switched from the now-disbanded Diablo squad out of Montreal to Calgary’s Blackfoot Motosports team. The scenery is familiar to Martin, however, as he raced for Blackfoot Suzuki from 2001 to 2003. Among those chasing Martin will be his Blackfoot Suzuki teammate Clint McBain. The Calgary rider is coming off a banner year in 2005, as he won his first two career national Superbike races and placed a close third in the final standings. Picotte is an unknown quantity heading into this weekend. The Granby, QC rider suffered a crash at Barber Motorsports Park last month in which he broke three veterbrae, a bone in his foot and banged up both knees. Picotte is reportedly planning to ride but it is unclear how effective he will be on the Picotte Performance Yamaha YZF-R1. Yamaha hopes may well rest on the shoulders of Picotte’s teammate and fellow Granby racer Kevin Lacombe, who finished fifth in Superbike points last year with the Blackfoot Suzuki team. The Kawasaki forces shouldn’t be underestimated this weekend. American star Tom Kipp returns to the factory team aboard the updated ZX-10R. The Chardon, OH racer was quickest in last autumn’s Pirelli tire evaluations at Shannonville and was second to Picotte in testing in Jennings, FL this spring. Pirelli has become the spec tire supplier for the national tour this season. Joining Kipp in the factory Kawasaki team is Brantford, ON’s Jordan Szoke, who returns to the squad for which he won his first of two national Superbike crowns in 1998. A Kawasaki darkhorse is Kleinburg, ON’s Frank Trombino, who will be running a privateer ZX-10R with support from Kahuna Kawasaki. Trombino placed a close second to McBain at Shannonville’s RACE Ontario Superbike opener earlier this month. Honda Canada’s efforts will be led by defending HJC Pro Rookie of the Year Erick Beausejour of Val Senneville, QC, who will campaign a CBR1000RR. Defending Pro 600 Sport Bike champion Crevier doesn’t have a regular ride for 2006, so the title chase is wide open to begin the season. Suzuki’s McBain finished second in points last year and won the title in 2002, while Andrew Nelson won the opening round of the RACE series on his Yamaha. Teenager Karl Daigle marked himself out as one to watch in this year’s International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike battle as he won the RACE opener on his Honda CBR600RR. This weekend also sees the openers for Suzuki SV650 National Cup and Canadian Thunder. Qualifying for national classes will take place Saturday afternoon with feature races on Sunday. All Time Shannonville Motorsport Park Superbike Win Leaders Steve Crevier (Maple Ridge, BC) 10; Michel Mercier (Thetford Mines, QC) 5; Pascal Picotte (Granby, QC) 4; Rueben McMurter (London, ON) 3; Francis Martin (Rock Forest, QC) 3; Miguel Duhamel (Repentigny, QC) 2; Jeff Gaynor (Toronto, ON) 2; Michael Taylor (Toronto, ON) 2; Don Munroe (Halifax, NS) 2 Shannonville Motorsport Park Fast Facts -A trio of Canadian road racing legends was recognized among the first inductees into the Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame. Shannonville track builder John Nelson, former racer and current aftermarket icon Lang Hindle, and two-time Superbike champ Don Munroe were honoured at the May 6 gala. -This season’s Parts Canada Superbike Championship schedule features a twist, as the season is now opening on Shannonville’s Long Track and will conclude on the 2.46km ‘Pro Track’ in September. Traditionally the campaign has opened at the Pro Track and wrapped up on the Long Track. -Last year marked the first time since 2001 that the winner of the opening round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship has gone on to claim the title as well. On that occasion Steve Crevier turned the trick for Honda. 2005 Final Point Standings Parts Canada Superbike: 1. Francis Martin (Suzuki) 315; 2. Pascal Picotte (Yamaha) 310; 3. Clint McBain (Suzuki) 289; 4. Jordan Szoke (Honda) 279; 5. Kevin Lacombe (Suzuki) 276 Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike: 1. Steve Crevier (Honda) 371; 2. Clint McBain (Suzuki) 304; 3. Chris Peris (Yamaha) 265 International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike: 1. Mark Douglas (Yamaha) 212; 2. James Collins (Yamaha) 210; 3. Stephan Chabot (Yamaha) 137 Canadian Thunder: 1. Darren James (Buell) 219; 2. Bill Card (Buell) 205; 3. Derek Vammus (Ducati) 202 Suzuki SV650 National Cup: 1. Karl Daigle 277; 2. Norm Tang 227; 3. Alain Lefebvre 175 Provisional Weekend Schedule Saturday May 20 1:20 p.m.-1:40 p.m. Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike Qualifying 1:45 p.m.-2:05 p.m. Thunder Qualifying 2:10 p.m.-2:55 p.m. International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike Qualifying 3:25 p.m.-4:05 p.m. Parts Canada Superbike Qualifying 4:15 p.m.-4:35 p.m. Suzuki SV650 Cup Qualifying Sunday May 21 (First event at 12:20 p.m.) Event #1 Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike Race 12 laps Event #2 Thunder Race 10 laps Event #4 International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike Race 10 laps Event #5 Parts Canada Superbike Championship Race 14 laps Event #7 Suzuki SV650 Cup Race 10 laps For more series information, visit ~http://www.cdnsuperbike.com~