From a press release issued by series organizers:

BOWMANVILLE, ON Pascal Picotte rewrote the record book at Mosport International Raceway Friday.

The Granby, QC racer claimed pole for the fourth and fifth rounds of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship and established a new track record with a qualifying time of 1:21.282 on his Team Yamaha / Picotte Performance Yamaha YZF-R1.

Picotte, the series points leader after three of eight events, will start from pole position for both Saturday and Sunday’s feature races. Additionally he picked up four championship points for qualifying fastest and won his third $500 MPM Array Superbike Pole Award this season.

“I was pretty confident,” said Picotte, the defending Parts Canada Superbike champion. “I was actually hoping for a [one minute] 20.9 that lap but I was delayed in a couple of places.”

Steve Crevier of Maple Ridge, BC qualified second aboard his DXS Diablo Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 with a time of 1:22.057 but was penalized 14 positions after his bike ran out of fuel and was unable to complete its mandatory dyno run.

That moved Granby, QC’s Kevin Lacombe up to second with a lap of 1:22.686 riding the Lacombe Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 and Kleinburg, ON rider Frank Trombino improved to third after setting the next fastest time of 1:22.692 on the Brooklin Cycle Yamaha YZF-R1.

Australian Craig Connell completes the front row for this weekend’s races on the Coors Light Racing / Blackfoot Suzuki GSX-R1000. He recorded a lap of 1:22.750.

Crevier held the pole until just past the halfway point of the 45-minute qualifying session, when Picotte unseated him with a lap time of 1:21.744. With 10 minutes remaining Picotte lowered his time to 1:21.493 and on his final lap of the session beat Jordan Szoke’s two-year-old lap record of 1:21.463.

“My guys worked until almost midnight yesterday and the hard work paid off,” Picotte said. “But there’s definitely more to come.”

In other action at Mosport, Picotte also earned pole position for this weekend’s fourth and fifth rounds of the Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike Championship with a time of 1:24.011 on his Yamaha YZF-R6. Kars, ON’s Andrew Nelson took second on his Honda Canada / Fast Company Honda CBR600RR and Crevier qualified third aboard his Suzuki GSX-R600.

The Pro 600 Sport Bike races will also run Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

Eric Warren was quickest in practice for this weekend’s International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike event at Mosport. The Richmond Hill, ON rider set a time of 1:28.377 on his Pro 6 Cycle Suzuki GSX-R600. Qualifying for the Amateur 600 class will be held Saturday afternoon with the race set for 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.