The Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship will be set up for an epic finale in the feature class next month, as Alex Dumas claimed a race three victory to snatch the championship lead at RAD Torque Raceway on Sunday.

Dumas got a good launch from the end of row one but so too did pole-sitter and race two winner Sam Guerin, who paced the opening laps of the race with Dumas and Ben Young in tow.

Guerin had briefly threatened to break away from the championship rivals just as he did earlier in the day, though Dumas was determined to avoid a repeat result as he immediately cut the deficit back down, reeling Guerin in by lap six and launching a nice move into turn two to take the lead.

After resisting a bit of pressure from Guerin, Dumas would eventually stretch the gap out front as he paced the last 14 laps, cruising to a much-needed third win of the season for the Economy Lube/Fast Company BMW team.

The 2021 champion would get a bit of help from his new BMW-mate Guerin, however, as he defended relentless pressure from Young in the final five laps as part of a crucial battle for second.

Young had tried to get underneath Guerin in the banked turn three just as he did on Saturday, with Guerin typically favouring a wider line, but he would change his approach this time around to deny Young and hold on to second.

That proved to be a significant result for all three riders, as it would hand the championship lead back over to Dumas by just five points over Young, with Guerin closing to within 16 points of the lead entering the final round in August.

“This morning was a bit difficult, but it was good to collect some points for the championship knowing we had another chance this afternoon,” Dumas said. “Sam got a good launch, but once I got underneath him in turn two I just tried to put my head down and get away. It was a really fun race, and it feels really good to be back on top.”

The 22-year-old also continued his rapid climb up the all-time win list, surpassing Pascal Picotte for the fourth-most in Pro Superbike history with his 17th career victory – now trailing only Jordan Szoke (78), Steve Crevier (26), and rival Ben Young (22).

As for his chase towards a second Canada Cup, Dumas got some help from fellow Quebec City native Guerin with his second-place finish on Sunday, though Guerin was certainly looking out for his own title hopes as he also puts himself in good shape entering CTMP – a stunning turnaround after his difficult round one.

The EFC Group BMW rider will exit RAD Torque with podiums in every race and five in a row on the season, putting plenty of pressure on Dumas and Young entering the season finale.

“That was such a great race. It felt good to lead for almost the first half, but Alex was like a rocket once he got by me,” Guerin said. “I saw Ben coming behind me, and he tried to pass in the same place as yesterday, but this time I was going to keep second. I wanted the win, but we can’t complain with the three podiums.”

The 12-point swing atop the championship will come at Young’s expense after he entered the day seven points clear of Dumas, though the Van Dolder’s Home Team Honda rider was relatively happy with the final tally after securing his first win with his new brand on Saturday.

“We had a good one yesterday, but this morning was difficult. The Honda is such a great package, but we just didn’t have the same pace in the rain,” Young said, having finished fourth in race two earlier on Sunday. “This afternoon we were a bit closer, and the team is doing their best. Obviously, we gave up the points lead but it’s still very tight, so may the best man win at CTMP.”

While Guerin firmly made the championship battle a three-horse race on Sunday, the hopes of a 15th national title took a small hit for Jordan Szoke as he was forced to settle for another comfortable fourth.

The Canadian Kawasaki Motors rider looked just as fast as Guerin in the wet race two, but a mostly dry track in race three didn’t help Szoke – who was also feeling under the weather this weekend – as he slips 24 points behind Dumas.

Completing the top five was 19-year-old home favourite Torin Collins, another impressive showing for the Supersport championship leader aboard his middleweight-spec Octagon Energy Services Suzuki GSX-R750.

Collins elected to participate in the final Superbike race of the weekend with his Supersport tripleheader wrapped up, and overcame an early battle with David MacKay to eventually settle into a strong top-five finish.

MacKay would have to settle for sixth aboard the ODH Snow City Cycle Honda, enough to keep himself fifth in the overall championship but not enough to improve Honda’s hopes in the Constructors Championship as he and Young will watch rivals BMW stretch out a 59-point lead following consecutive one-two finishes.

Fellow Honda rider Phil DeGama-Blanchet completed his home weekend in seventh, having dealt with a few issues aboard his Mots Machining CBR1000RR after a race one crash on Saturday.

Pro Rookie of the Year leader Laurent Laliberte-Girard inched closer to the award with another excellent finish in eighth, ending a grueling weekend for the Nadon Sport Yamaha rider as he did all six races in the pro categories, navigating a pair of tripleheaders to score a career-best fifth in race two earlier on Sunday.

The feature GP Bikes Pro Superbike championship will now have a few weeks to rest before turning their attention to a climactic season finale at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, set for August 7-10 at the historic venue just east of Toronto, Ontario.

Full results 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.