Dumas holds off Young to sweep CSBK opener at Shannonville

Alex Dumas celebrated his switch to BMW with a weekend sweep on Sunday, securing a second consecutive victory to begin the 2025 Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship in round one at Shannonville Motorsport Park.

Dumas had already claimed pole position and a race one victory to kickstart his Economy Lube BMW tenure, fending off Jordan Szoke and Ben Young in a dramatic battle on Saturday, and it was a similar task for him in race two as he chased a perfect start to the campaign.

The 2021 GP Bikes Pro Superbike champion got a great start from the front of the grid and led virtually from start to finish, but it was hardly a straightforward race as he dealt with a five-rider group all over his rear wheel in the opening laps.

Heading that group was Sam Guerin, who was eyeing a much-needed victory after a mechanical issue knocked him out of the battle for the win on Saturday.

Guerin was seemingly lining up a move for the race lead when disaster struck once again, this time of his own doing as the EFC Group BMW rider crashed out of second-place and gave a slight bit of breathing room to Dumas at the midway point.

Dumas would stretch that gap to nearly 1.5 seconds before Young found his rhythm aboard the Van Dolder’s Home Team Honda, carving the gap down until he was eventually right on the rear wheel of Dumas.

The two championship rivals seemed set for a dramatic last-lap showdown, but Dumas defended beautifully – blocking a late pass attempt into the famed Allen’s chicane – to escape with another victory by only 0.134 seconds.

The 16th win of Dumas’ career moves the 22-year-old into a tie with Pascal Picotte for fourth on the all-time Superbike list, trailing only Jordan Szoke (78), Steve Crevier (26), and Ben Young (21) – celebrating that feat next to two of them as Young and Szoke joined him on the podium.

“I wanted to just put my head down after the holeshot. It wasn’t a boring race, I could feel them pushing behind me the whole way, but I was able to hold my pace until the end,” Dumas said. “It feels great to be leading the championship again. I have to give a huge thanks to BMW and Fast Company, the bike feels amazing.”

While an opportunity to strike for the win never materialized, Young was content to exit his first weekend as a Honda rider tied for second in the championship, having come up only marginally short in both Superbike races thus far.

“It had been a difficult weekend, but the team was working really hard on the setup and we were able to make some progress yesterday and today,” Young said. “I fluffed the start again, but managed to fight back and break the gap to Alex. I thought about trying something, but it’s risk vs reward. We’re happy to take second today, and the bike is only going to get better so we’re in for a hell of a ride this season.”

While Szoke couldn’t maintain his pace to the end like in Saturday’s race, the CKM Kawasaki rider secured a sensible third-place as he cements himself as a legitimate championship contender once again in 2025.

“The setup worked a bit better in warmer conditions yesterday, and we didn’t really change it much. I was sliding a lot and had to make up for lost time, but ultimately I just tried to ride my race,” Szoke said. “Once Sam fell and I got caught up in lapped riders I just wanted to bring it home and not throw anything away chasing these guys. I know what this bike is capable of, so it’s great to be back on the podium again today.”

Young and Szoke will exit round one tied on points after trading second and third-place results, with a 14-point gap separating the three title protagonists, though Young will move into the runner-up spot by virtue of finishing better in race two.

While Guerin’s title hopes will already be on thin ice, the vice-champion from a year ago was able to remount quickly and salvage eighth, crucially helping keep BMW ahead of Honda in the Superbike Constructors Championship.

The reigning Constructors winners will only hold a five-point advantage, however, as David MacKay continued to be an excellent wingman to Young for the ODH/Snow City Cycle Honda team, matching his career best in fourth.

MacKay was able to stick with the lead group for a little longer than in Saturday’s opener, running ahead of Young off the line and sticking with the leaders through lap three, something he will hope to build on in round two as he chases a first career Superbike podium.

The Honda resurgence continued with another top-five performance from Philip DeGama-Blanchet, as the 17-year-old exits round one a surprising fifth in the championship in just his second year as a pro.

The Mots Machining Honda star endured another epic race-long battle with Trevor Daley, looking extremely comfortable in his first weekend aboard a full-fledged Superbike.

Daley would again be the lead Suzuki rider in sixth, a terrific effort aboard his OneSpeed machine – a GSX-R750 set up largely for Supersport – as he looks forward to one of his favourite circuits in round two at AMP.

Zoltan Frast would stretch his lead in the Rookie of the Year standings, finishing a solid seventh for Clare’s Cycle BMW as the former Supersport frontrunner continues to look strong in his adjustment to the S1000RR.

Ben Young earned Sunday’s iteration of the FAST Hard Charger Award, chosen by FAST Riding School owner Martin Hamel, after his late-race comeback nearly spoiled Dumas’ perfect weekend.

The feature class will now prepare for round two in just under three weeks, as the series heads to the east coast and Atlantic Motorsport Park in Nova Scotia, June 6-8.

Full results can be found on the series’ official website: www.csbk.ca