From a press release issued by the Parts Canada Superbike Championship:

CREVIER CLAIMS POLE

SHANNONVILLE, ON – Steve Crevier continued to set the pace at the opening round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Shannonville Motorsport Park Saturday.

The Maple Ridge, BC rider took his Diablo Suzuki GSX-R1000 to pole position in qualifying with a lap time of 1:05.880 around the 1.5-mile ‘Pro’ track. He just failed to break his own course record of 1:05.746.

Pascal Picotte of St-Cecile de Milton, QC was second fastest on his Picotte Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 with a time of 1:06.081 and Chardon, OH’s Tom Kipp qualified third with a lap of 1:06.423 aboard the Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX-7RR.

Calgary rider Clint McBain completes the front row for Sunday’s feature race after setting a best time of 1:06.428 on his Coors Light Racing/Blackfoot Suzuki GSX-R1000.

Crevier claimed the $500 MPM/Array Pole Award for his efforts and earned four points in his bid for a record seventh Canadian National Superbike title. Picotte picked up three championship points, Kipp earned two and McBain received one.

“I’m happy for the team. They’ve been working really hard,” Crevier said. “I got some experience in the States before the season started and that’s made a difference.”

Picotte took the lead of an extremely competitive 45-minute qualifying session with just under 10 minutes to go, only to have Crevier nip ahead for good a few minutes later.

“We keep improving and I’m getting more comfortable with the bike,” said Picotte, who is making his return to Canadian competition after spending over a decade racing in the U.S. “It seems like I’m riding well and I’m trying to use my experience to my advantage.”

This is the first race with new Superbike rules designed to even the playing field in Canada’s premier motorcycle road racing class and the top eight riders qualified within a second of each other Saturday.

Kleinburg, ON’s Frank Trombino, winner of this race last year will start sixth in Sunday’s race after setting a time of 1:06.482 on his Brooklin Cycle Yamaha YZF-R1.

In other action at Shannonville, Picotte waited until his final flying lap to unseat Trombino from pole in qualifying for the Hindle Exhaust Pro 600 Sport Bike category. Picotte recorded a class record 1:06.891 aboard his Yamaha YZF-R6. Trombino set a 1:06.936 on his similar machine.

Defending class champ McBain managed the third fastest time of 1:07.166 on his Suzuki GSX-R600.

Ottawa rider Dan Henri took his Yamaha to the fastest time in the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Amateur 600 Sport Bike qualifying session with a time of 1:10.566. Wellsley, ON’s Bill Card placed second with a 1:11.141 on his Honda and Marco Alessandrini of Bradford, ON had the third fastest time of 1:11.656 aboard a Yamaha.

Feature races in all three national classes will run Sunday. Practice begins at 8:30 a.m. with the first race slated to get underway at 1:00 p.m.

This weekend’s event will be televised on TSN on Sunday, June 15 at 11:00 am EDT and later this year on Quebec’s RDS and across Canada on the Outdoor Life Network.