Superbike Preview: Young aims to level title fight as Dumas tackles tricky AMP history.

The start of a new era in the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship’s feature class has thus far gone the way of Alex Dumas in 2025, but that early advantage will be put to the test when the series returns to Atlantic Motorsport Park this weekend, June 6-8.

When both Dumas (BMW) and rival Ben Young (Honda) piloted new machines for the first time in round one at Shannonville, it was the former who looked to make the most of his switch, sweeping the weekend with pole position and a pair of wins in the GP Bikes Pro Superbike class.

It would seem logical then that Dumas would carry that momentum into round two as the betting favourite atop the championship standings, but that might not be the case at AMP – a circuit he won’t have too many fond memories of, and one in which Young has celebrated at numerous times.

It was ultimately this venue that helped decide their 2022 title battle, a weekend where Dumas – then leading the championship – crashed out of the lead in race one, handing a full 25-point swing to his rival before Young won in changing conditions again in race two.

That’s not to say Dumas has been a slouch in his two trips to Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, finishing as the runner-up in three of his four races there, but an elusive first win will frustrate the Economy Lube BMW rider given the 16 victories he has racked up across his other 32 career races.

He will have the perfect machine to end that run in 2025, with BMW the winners of 12 of the last 13 races at AMP dating back to 2015, but a large portion of those victories have come at the hands of Jordan Szoke and Ben Young – two riders who will surely be looking forward to a return east.

Young in particular will carry an impeccable record into AMP, a track that produced his epic comeback win from 10th in 2019 as well as the most dominant victory of his career with a 22-second margin in 2022.

The Van Dolder’s Home Team Honda rider has won four times in Shubenacadie but more impressively has not missed the podium in any of his 12 appearances there, a streak dating back to his first full Superbike season in 2016.

That makes AMP the perfect spot for Young to get comfortable aboard his new CBR1000RR-R, but perhaps a crucial one given the unpredictability that lies ahead at RAD Torque and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

Young and Dumas won’t be alone in their fight at the front, however, as the winningest rider in both CSBK and AMP history will be looking to add to his total with Jordan Szoke eyeing a 15th career victory at the venue.

It’s been almost four calendar years since the 14-time champion last celebrated on the top of the box – an absence caused almost entirely by his devastating 2022 injuries – but Szoke looked as healthy as ever in Shannonville as he was back at the front battling for the win in both races.

The CKM Kawasaki rider will know as well as anyone how punishing AMP can be, and it may be the perfect spot for Szoke to return to his winning ways and truly cement himself as the third title contender in 2025.

The true threat to watch out for on Saturday and Sunday may be Sam Guerin, who will have little to lose after a disastrous round one that left him stranded in 12th in the championship with just eight points.

A winner in AMP last season, Guerin looked every bit as fast as Dumas in Shannonville before a race one mechanical issue and race two crash ruined his weekend, making the EFC Group BMW star an equal threat to win again at the venue after seeing his championship hopes slip away to begin 2025.

Guerin can still play a pivotal role in the Constructors Championship, however, where Dumas and Zoltan Frast did just enough to exit round one with a slight five-point lead for BMW over Honda.

The trio of Young, David MacKay, and Phil DeGama-Blanchet will look to close that gap and give Honda their first ever Constructors lead, with the latter duo hoping to build upon their strong performances from round one.

MacKay has never thought of AMP as one of his favourite tracks, finishing sixth and crashing out in his two races there in 2024, but the ODH Snow City Cycle Honda star looked stronger than ever in round one and will hope to build upon that momentum in Nova Scotia.

As for DeGama-Blanchet, the teenage phenom was arguably the rider of the weekend after a pair of fifth-place finishes in Shannonville for Mots Machining Honda, tying his career best from AMP last season, though he will now navigate Shubenacadie aboard a full-fledged Superbike – a difficult task for even the most experienced riders.

The GP Bikes Pro Superbike class will hope to capitalize on dry and warmer conditions to kick off the weekend in qualifying on Friday, with rain expected on Saturday and possibly Sunday in Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, just 45 minutes north of Halifax.

The full schedule can be found on the series’ official website.

For more information on the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship, visit www.csbk.ca or email info@csbk.ca.