Leon Rebounds for Win
Veteran Pro competitor Michael Leon, who traces his road race routes to the now defunct ASM Regional Series at the closed St. Eustache Autodrome, rebounded from Saturday adversity during round four of the RACEMoto Ontario Regional Championship on the perimeter Pro version (2.47 km in length) of Shannonville Motorsport Park. Leon took his second straight win in the Lou-Ann Printing Pro Superbike Feature.
Aboard his Royal Distributing/Pro6 Cycle backed BMW Motorrad entry, Leon had just moved ahead of arch-rival Elie Daccache (Milwaukee Yamaha YZF-R1) during Saturday’s mid-day Almaguin Sprint Cup race when he tucked the front and his BeeMm slid into the infield in a cloud of dust, visible from the pit lane.
His team got the damaged bike repaired for Sunday, and Leon, winner of the previous round, openly discussed his recent history of recovering from setbacks when he seemed to be on a roll. Sunday’s conditions were not as hit as Saturday, the day overcast due to the remnants of northern forest fires.
Reigning Series Champ Daccache won the Sprint Cup event Sunday, but in the Pro Superbike Feature at the end of the day, Leon grabbed the lead on lap one and built a small lead to edge Daccache by 3.2 seconds. Daccache maintains his title chase lead with 47 points, with rising star Matt Vanderhorst second at 36 points and Leon in third at 28.
Speaking of his frustrating fall Saturday, post victory on Sunday, Leon confirmed that “part of the challenge was in my head, and I had to pretend I was back on my FZR400 at St. Eustache and just don’t think about things too much.”
“I was worried about the repair from the crash, I hurt a coolant pipe, but the bike felt fine. My guys did a great job and I’m proud it’s not bent.”
“I got the lead, my board showed plus zero, plus zero, and then I started to relax,” continued Leon. “The I put down a 5.9 (lap in the 1:05 range, his best an eventual 1:05.8, beaten only by Daccache, by just one tenth of a second), and that pace wasn’t expected –the switch just turned on!”
As far as the challenge from arch-rival Daccache, Leon explained that “he didn’t show me a wheel, and I try not to look back. But I risked a look over my shoulder at the hairpin, and he wasn’t right there…”
Behind runner-up Daccache, Vanderhorst put on a charge to earn third, even though he was disappointed with his pace between old tires in practice Saturday and new rubber Sunday.
Fourth went to Yamaha YZF-R1 mounted “fastest farmer” Ernest Bernhard, Suzuki pilot Matthew Annable good for a close fifth after 12 laps.
In the combined Pro6 Cycle Supersport race on Sunday right after lunch, Yamaha mounted Matt Simpson resumed his weekend long dispute with third-in-National Points Alex Michel (Speed Factory Kawasaki).
Simpson won Saturday, but on Sunday the former National title challenger suhered mechanical issues and handed the win to Michel, visiting in preparation for the next weekend’s Bridgestone National at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (“old Mosport”). Michel also placed third, among the 1000cc racers, aboard his 636 in Sprint Cup, placing third behind Daccache and Leon.
The Amateur Supersport event produced a run-away win, the Triumph of Zaim Laflamme eventually nine seconds up from the Yamaha of Alexis Beaudoin. In Amateur Superbike, Martin Perreault won on a Kawasaki from Beaudoin and Ducati-mounted J.S. Lefebvre. In the Amateur Superbike Championship, Beaudoin has 48 points, just two up on Perreault with one round left.