Collins wins thrilling battle to clinch Supersport crown in race one at CTMP

Torin Collins’ dramatic quest for the Pro Supersport championship ended in the most fitting way possible on Saturday, as a daring last-corner move handed him his sixth victory of the season to officially clinch the title at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

Collins entered the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship finale with a commanding 24-point lead over Andrew Van Winkle, but that didn’t stop the new Economy Lube Ducati rider from making a number of brave passes in what was a spectacular lead battle from start to finish.

The 20-year-old would find himself behind outgoing champion Sebastien Tremblay in the opening laps with Van Winkle, Tomas Casas, and Elliot Vieira right on his rear wheel, as the five-rider group ran nose-to-tail for the first half of the race.

Vieira would have his chances spoiled by lap traffic on lap 12, but the remaining four continued on with Collins and Tremblay trading blows at the front, each making multiple spectacular passes in the back half of the circuit.

They would go side-by-side in turn eight with two laps to go before Collins fully took the lead in turn five, only for Tremblay and briefly Casas to slipstream him past him right back into turn eight, putting Collins between the two Suzuki’s on the final lap with Van Winkle fourth.

It appeared as though Tremblay would hold on for his first win of the season until Collins made a late lunge into the final turn, standing up Tremblay and allowing Casas back into the drag race to the line.

Collins would have the drive to squeeze his V2 Panigale across the finish, securing his Supersport championship in the process, but there was more drama behind him as Casas benefitted from the hard move to leapfrog Tremblay by just 0.003 seconds.

While it was inconsequential in the end, Van Winkle would also crash out of fourth in the final corner, giving Collins a 49-point difference with just one race remaining and handing him the #1 plate for 2026.

“I’m lost for words. I actually teared up a bit on my in-lap. I’ve worked so hard, and my parents have worked so hard for so many years, it feels so nice to have it all pay off,” Collins said. “They had a bit of speed on me on the straight, but I got a good run into ten and I thought ‘let’s go for it’. It was late, but we made it stick!”

Despite racing the entire season up to this point for Suzuki – helping them clinch the Constructors Championship in the process – Collins actually becomes Ducati’s first ever pro champion, with the two brands sharing the title in the record books.

Meanwhile, it was a nail-biting return to the class for Casas, as the two-time former champion already found himself back on the podium and firmly in the lead battle as he makes his debut for the FAST Riding School Suzuki team.

“That was a blast! I had a scary moment with Van Winkle at the end – well, a few scary moments actually – but Torin made an amazing pass that helped me get by Seb, so I’m pretty thankful for second,” Casas said. “I can’t thank FAST enough for the opportunity to get back on track, and Sebastien as well. We’ve had our differences on-track, but he’s helped me a lot.”

Tremblay would wind up marginally in third despite leading more than half the race, though the S.T. Motosport Suzuki star proved he still has it in him to fight Collins for the 2026 title after their spirited clash on Saturday.

“I knew his strong spots, so I tried to take the lead and just pull away, but I made a few mistakes on the final lap that gave him a chance into turn ten,” Tremblay said. “It was fun to battle with Torin. It’s the first time all year really that I’ve been able to, so we’ll aim for better tomorrow. I owe a huge thanks to Suzuki Canada, and I’m glad we could put on a show for the fans.”

Van Winkle would see his faint title hopes slip away entirely on the last lap, watching his friend but title rival Collins win just as he crashed in the final corner, though it was still an incredible showing for the Mountainview Motorsport Suzuki rider as he kept his “old-gen” GSX-R600 alongside his next-gen counterparts around Canada’s fastest circuit.

Being promoted to fourth in the process was Vieira, who had the pace to run to the end with the leaders but was forced to settle into a lonely rider after lapped traffic held him up aboard the GP Bikes Ducati.

Alex Michel would inherit fifth for SpeedFactory67 Kawasaki, another strong result for the 21-year-old as he looks to salvage third in the overall championship on Sunday over Vieira and Tremblay.

Mavrick Cyr would charge to sixth on his privateer Suzuki, matching the pace of the leaders at one point but having too much work to do after a slow start, while Nathan Playford put in a strong effort on his Playford Company Inc. Ducati.

Rob Massicotte would wind up as the top Yamaha rider on his 88Moto machine in eighth, one spot clear of former Yamaha star Matt Simpson who made the late switch to a Blackstock Motorsport Suzuki with the help of fellow competitor Marco Sousa.

Frontrunning rookie Laurent Laliberte-Girard would complete the top ten for Nadon Sport Yamaha, while former race winner Brad Macrae debuted the Yamaha YZF-R9 in eleventh, inching past Ryan McGowan at the line aboard his Colron Excavating machine.

Collins and company will now return with just pride to race for on Sunday, in what is sure to be another thrilling and chaotic battle to end the year at CTMP.

Full results can be found on the series’ official website, www.csbk.ca