The fight for the Canada Cup was blown open in race two of the GP Bikes Pro Superbike tripleheader on Sunday, as Sam Guerin dominated for a start-to-finish victory in the rain at RAD Torque Raceway.

The pole-sitter showed just why he’s considered a wet-weather specialist as he stormed away from the field and led every single lap, stretching out an eight-second lead at one point as Guerin cruised to his third win in the last four races.

The EFC Group BMW rider had already done exactly what he needed to as he tries to make up for his round one setbacks, but his team was paying a little extra attention to the fight behind him as the story became a three-rider battle between Jordan Szoke, Alex Dumas, and race one winner Ben Young.

Dumas would slot in behind Guerin off the line with Szoke third while Young got a lackluster start in fourth, but the trio would tighten up for majority of the race in a pivotal battle for second.

Szoke would look for a few ways by on Dumas before eventually making a lunge into turn four on lap four, though with Guerin too far up the road as he continued to hammer out fast laps.

That would set up a brief battle between rivals Young and Dumas behind him, with Young attempting a bold move into turn two – the same spot where he made his race-winning pass on Saturday – before Dumas slammed the door on the championship leader.

The group would then settle into their respective positions as Szoke gradually chipped away at Guerin’s lead, though it was too little too late as the Quebec City native held on for his fifth career victory.

“I was really happy when I saw the forecast this morning. I wanted to just get a lead right away and avoid any spray, so it all went according to plan,” Guerin said. “We needed this one for the championship, so I’m super happy. Hopefully it stays wet for race three this afternoon.”

The title fight would see a major shift with the one-two finish for Guerin and Szoke, with just 16 points covering the entire top four down to Guerin, who’s one point behind Szoke for third in the standings.

As for the Canadian Kawasaki Motors rider, Szoke felt his early laps stuck behind Dumas prevented a shot at the win – a valid belief given his strong lap times – though he was happy to salvage a crucial second and keep his title hopes in good shape.

“I’ve been a bit under the weather, so I just tried to hang in there as long as I could yesterday. I knew Sam would be tough to beat in the rain, but I think I could have gone with him if I had got by Alex sooner,” Szoke said, which prompted Guerin to jokingly shake his head. “I know Sam’s making fun of me. But I know we have a good bike, so we’ll see what race three brings.”

The main championship battle between Dumas and Young was also tightened slightly, with the Economy Lube/Fast Company BMW rider fending off the race one winner to take the last podium spot and cut his deficit to only four points.

“Sam pulled a gap right away, so I tried to follow Jordan and hope for an opportunity, but he was just a bit quicker,” Dumas admitted. “I didn’t want to push too much, so I just tried to keep Ben behind me and pick up points for the championship.”

The result sees Young’s personal-best 23 race podium streak come to an end, a stretch dating back to the CTMP finale in 2023, but more crucially puts the Van Dolder’s Home Team Honda squad back under pressure following a breakthrough on Saturday.

Completing the top five was rookie Laurent Laliberte-Girard, an incredible effort aboard his Supersport-spec Nadon Sport Yamaha YZF-R6 in the tricky conditions.

The reigning Amateur Supersport champion managed to peel away from a number of Superbike riders early in the race, including the Honda duo of Phil DeGama-Blanchet and David MacKay.

DeGama-Blanchet struggled in the early stages of the race before finding a bit of a late rhythm aboard his Mots Machining Honda, salvaging a decent points haul in sixth after his crash on Saturday.

MacKay appeared to be dealing with a few issues in the rain setup for the ODH Snow City Cycle Honda crew, initially battling with DeGama-Blanchet before settling back into a lonely seventh.

The result sees BMW stretch their lead significantly atop the Constructors Championship, exiting with a 40-point advantage over Honda after a disappointing race one.

The field will return to the track for the final leg of this tripleheader, a massive one in the championship battle ahead of the season finale in August.

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.