From a press release issued by series organizers:

PICOTTE ON A ROLL

BOWMANVILLE, ON Pascal Picotte hits the midway point of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship this weekend riding a wave of momentum.

The defending series champion enters the fourth and fifth rounds of the eight-race tour at Bowmanville, ON’s Mosport International Raceway leading the point standings after a convincing sweep of the doubleheader at Calgary’s Race City Motorsport Park two weeks ago. The Granby, QC ace has 151 points to the 136 of Maple Ridge, BC’s Steve Crevier and the 117 of Calgary racer Clint McBain.

Picotte’s two Race City wins aboard the Team Yamaha / Picotte Performance Yamaha YZF-R1 also brought his career total of Canadian Superbike triumphs to 10, tying him with Michael Taylor for sixth place overall. A similar performance at Mosport and he will move into a four-way tie for third all-time with Rueben McMurter, Michel Mercier and Don Munroe on 12 victories.

The career national Superbike wins leader is Crevier, who notched up his 22nd triumph at this season’s Parts Canada Superbike season opener at Shannonville Motorsport Park. The DXS / Diablo Racing Team Suzuki GSX-R1000 rider had a pair of second place finishes in Calgary and has never won at Mosport.

Second on the all-time win list is Brantford, ON’s Jordan Szoke with 14 victories. The Honda Canada / Fast Company Honda CBR1000RR rider is fourth in the 2004 Superbike standings with 96 points and is a two-time Mosport winner.

McBain has yet to win on the national tour but he is knocking on the door and finished a close second to Crevier at the opening round on the Coors Light Racing / Blackfoot Suzuki GSX-R1000.

Other challengers at Mosport this weekend will include Rock Forest, QC rider Francis Martin on the Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX-10R, and Kleinburg, ON’s Frank Trombino, who is going for a third career Mosport victory on the Brooklin Cycle Yamaha YZF-R1.

Racing at Mosport this weekend will also include a doubleheader for the Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike Championship. Picotte leads the standings in this class and is the defending series champion.

The International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike Championship will run its third round at Mosport. Despite not having won either of the opening two races Yamaha rider Rudy Raposo of Mississauga, ON leads the point standings.

Qualifying for the Parts Canada Superbike and Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike classes will go Friday afternoon, with races scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. Competitors in the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike class will qualify Saturday and race Sunday.

This weekend’s events will be televised on TSN on Aug. 7 and Sept. 11 at 11:30 a.m. EDT and on Quebec’s RDS on Sept. 12 at 12:00 p.m. and Sept. 25 at 11:30 a.m. The action will also appear in one-hour format later this summer on TORONTO1 and A-Channel stations in Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton.

For more series information, visit www.cdnsuperbike.com


All Time Mosport Superbike Wins
Don Munroe (Halifax, NS) 2; Frank Trombino (Kleinburg, ON) 2; Jordan Szoke (Brantford, ON) 2; Rueben McMurter (London, ON) 1; Gary Goodfellow (Vancouver, BC) 1; Linnley Clarke (Barrie, ON) 1; Jeff Sneyd (Mississauga, ON) 1; Martin Gaudreault (Longueuil, QC) 1; Pascal Picotte (Granby, QC) 1; Francis Martin (Rock Forest, QC) 1

Mosport Fast Facts

…Frank Trombino and Jordan Szoke come into this weekend’s event with a chance to become the first three-time national Superbike winner at Mosport. Along with Don Munroe, Trombino and Szoke have won twice at Mosport, Szoke in 1999 and ‘02, Trombino in 2000 and ’01.

…Mosport has twice previously staged doubleheaders, in 1998 and 2003. Don Munroe and Martin Gaudreault split the wins in ’98, while Pascal Picotte and Francis Martin shared the spoils last year.

…Last year Pascal Picotte became only the second Mosport winner to go on and claim the Canadian Superbike national title in the same year. The first time it happened was a year earlier, when Jordan Szoke won at Mosport en route to his second Canadian crown.

2004 Point Standings
Parts Canada Superbike: 1. Pascal Picotte (Yamaha) 151; 2. Steve Crevier (Suzuki) 136; 3. Clint McBain (Suzuki) 117; 4. Jordan Szoke (Honda) 96; 5. Kevin Lacombe (Yamaha) 83
Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike: 1. Pascal Picotte (Yamaha) 138; 2. Clint McBain (Suzuki) 115; 3. Steve Crevier (Suzuki) 105
International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike: 1. Rudy Raposo (Yamaha) 71; 2. Mark Douglas (Yamaha) 64; 3. Darren James (Yamaha) 61

Provisional Weekend Schedule
Friday July 16
1:15 p.m.-1:40 p.m. Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike Qualifying
4:40 p.m.-5:25 p.m. Parts Canada Superbike Qualifying
Saturday July 17
1:00 p.m. Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike Race 1 14 laps
3:00 p.m. Parts Canada Superbike Race 1 16 laps
3:55 p.m.-4:55 p.m. International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike Qualifying
Sunday July 18
1:00 p.m. Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike Race 2 14 laps
1:50 p.m. International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike Race 12 laps
3:00 p.m. Parts Canada Superbike Race 2 16 laps