More, from a press release issued by CSBK:

Daley doubles up with maiden Superbike win in wet race two at Grand Bend

Grand Bend, ON – The Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship produced another first-time Superbike winner on Sunday, as Trevor Daley captured an emotional debut Superbike victory in a wet race two at the Grand Bend Motorplex, presented by Southwest Marine & Powersports.

Daley was already victorious on the day after a dramatic win in the Economy Lube Pro Sport Bike class, but saved something even more special for the feature GP Bikes Pro Superbike category as the rain poured down in the afternoon.

It was race one winner Sam Guerin who originally looked poised for a weekend sweep, grabbing the holeshot and pacing 14-time champion Jordan Szoke while pole-sitter Ben Young slipped to third and Daley ran fourth. 

A scary moment for Szoke on lap one backed up the pack, however, allowing Daley to move past his close friend and championship leader Young for third, eventually passing Szoke only a lap later as he began to chase down Guerin.

The OneSpeed Suzuki rider attempted a move for the lead on lap four but was denied by Guerin, who fought hard for a second career win and led for almost half the race. It was only a matter of time for Daley though as he made the move into turn eight on lap seven, one that would prove to be the race-winning overtake.

It wasn’t without pressure, as Young would string together a pair of beautiful passes on both Szoke and Guerin to move into second. The three-time champion had then caught his former Daytona teammate and dragged Guerin with him, setting up a brilliant three-rider battle over the final five laps.

Daley would make the crucial decision – similarly to his earlier Sport Bike win – to attack lapped traffic early and put the slower rider between himself and the chasing duo, holding up Young and Guerin and preserving his hard-fought victory.

It was an emotional one for the perennial frontrunner, considered by many to be the best rider to never win a Superbike race with 16 career podiums – something he put an end to on Sunday.

“I was stepping on spiders all week to get this rain,” Daley joked. “I’m really at a loss for words. It’s been a long time coming. I can’t thank my team and everyone that’s supported me enough. With the adjustments we made, the confidence I had in the rain…it was just incredible!”

Daley missed round one as he balances double duty as part of Sean Dylan Kelly’s crew in MotoAmerica, and while he may miss future rounds for the same reason, he did let on that this won’t be his final appearance in the CSBK paddock.

“I really just wanted to come here and have some fun this weekend, and it’s true that you do ride faster when you’re having more fun,” Daley admitted. “Hopefully we’ll be back soon to have a little more fun.”

It was a popular win throughout the paddock, but one also extremely popular with the man he beat on Sunday, his best friend Ben Young. The Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW rider held off a late charge from Guerin to claim a crucial second for the championship, but was focused mostly on the emotion with Daley on the podium.

“I’ve probably never been this happy to finish second, to be honest. It’s been a bit of a tough weekend for us, but I can’t be happier for Trev, he’s earned this,” Young said. “As the track started to dry a bit our Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW worked really well, but we just got held up by traffic again which is pretty unfortunate.”

As for Guerin, it was still a confidence-inspiring performance after he captured his own debut victory on Saturday, as he pushed Young and Daley right to the end – including a thrilling late attack aboard his EFC Group BMW.

“I had a good start, and I was comfortable up front. It was pretty easy to lead, to be honest, but then Trevor got by me and Ben was just a bit faster when the track was drying,” Guerin said. “It was a crazy race, but we’re still doing well in the championship.”

The second and third-place finishes for Young and Guerin will see the title gap grow to only eleven, just a single point higher than Young’s advantage was going into the weekend.

Fading backwards in the middle portion of the race was Szoke, who flashed his wet-weather expertise early but quickly lost pace after a couple of moments in the early laps.

The CKM Kawasaki would limit the damage and escape with a solid fourth, however, keeping himself firmly in the title mix entering round three in Edmonton, a track he is the only previous CSBK winner at. 

Saturday’s breakout star Steven Nickerson would round out the top five, making a last-lap pass on local friend Chris Pletsch. The DeWildt Honda rider didn’t have quite the same pace as his race leading laps from a day ago, but still managed an impressive performance to cap off the weekend.

As for Pletsch, the Stratford Cycle Centre Honda rider was unable to add another wet podium after doing so in 2023 at Grand Bend, but will be pleased with his performance after a battle with Nickerson and Szoke in the middle portion of the race.

Finishing a career-best seventh was Turcotte Performance Ducati’s Guillaume Fortin, who has struggled with various mechanical issues in his return this season but looked very comfortable in the wet conditions, salvaging much-needed points for Ducati.

Phillip Leckie would take a strong eighth for the SCM/Tanians BMW team, fending off rookie Connor Campbell in ninth, who was hoping for rain aboard his B&T MacFarlane/Kubota Kawasaki but ultimately couldn’t overcome his round one rib injury that has still not fully healed.

Rounding out the top ten despite a last-lap incident was Paul Macdonell, who came together with home favourite David MacKay in the penultimate corner before Macdonell remounted his PMR/Vass Performance BMW. 

The two were fighting over seventh position when MacKay attempted a rare pass around the outside, one that collected both riders – though Macdonell had no ill will towards the ODH Snow City Cycle Honda rider in what was described as a racing incident. MacKay would also remount to finish 12th.

Full results from the weekend action can be found on the series’ official website.

More, from a press release issued by CSBK:

Daley wins dramatic Sport Bike race two at Grand Bend

Grand Bend, ON – It was a long-awaited return to the top step of the podium for Trevor Daley on Sunday, as he won a thrilling Sport Bike race two in the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship, presented by Southwest Marine & Powersports.

Daley returned to Grand Bend Motorplex after a round one absence and scored an impressive podium on Saturday, his first action in the Economy Lube Pro Sport Bike class in nearly ten years, but he had even more up his sleeve in race two on Sunday.

The OneSpeed Suzuki rider immediately snatched the holeshot from second on the grid and led the field through lap one, threatening to break away as soon as lap two with pole-sitter Sebastien Tremblay busy defending from rookie Mavrick Cyr behind.

However, Daley seemingly gave up his race-winning hopes as he ran off-track in turn two, relinquishing the lead and rejoining outside the top ten. That would kick off an incredible five-rider battle for the lead over the next few laps, but one that only distracted the crowd from a hard-charging Daley behind.

The long-time Superbike frontrunner had joined the leaders once again by the halfway point of the 18-lap race, and wasted no time in carving his way through the pack to reach Tremblay with six laps to go. Daley made another slight mistake in turn one, but again rebounded with remarkable pace to put the pressure back on Tremblay on lap 14.

He would make the race-winning pass in the penultimate turn of that lap, slicing past Tremblay under brakes in the penultimate corner and continuing his strong pace to the end to secure the victory. Tremblay would run deep in turn one chasing Daley, though he recovered to hold onto a crucial second place finish.

While he admitted it was a bit of an adventurous race, it was a much-deserved win for Daley in his return to the paddock, having taken his last pro victory nearly ten years ago at Atlantic Motorsport Park in 2014.

“They don’t call me the Wild Child for nothing,” Daley joked. “I made a few mistakes, but our pace was also really good and I had a ton of confidence, so hats off to Suzuki and my team. It was a long time coming, it feels great.”

It was an incredible comeback after Daley was running outside the top-ten early on, and one that came against perhaps one of the strongest Sport Bike riders ever in Tremblay.

However, it was also a sensible ride for the championship leader, as he escaped with yet another podium to extend his title advantage to a whopping 45 points for the Turcotte Performance Suzuki rider.

“It was a hell of a race. One of my contact lenses actually fell out fairly early, so I was trying to manage that,” Tremblay admitted. “I was a bit lucky to finish second, but we were able to pick up more points for the championship which is always good.”

The result was boosted by another DNF for title rival Elliot Vieira, though one that wasn’t entirely his fault. The GP Bikes Ducati rider was defending from local star Zoltan Frast when the two made contact in turn one and Vieira crashed out, effectively ending his early championship hopes.

Frast avoided any discipline as it was deemed a racing incident, and continued on to hunt down the lead group as he chased his first career national victory. The Clare’s Cycle Kawasaki rider ultimately couldn’t hang with Daley in the final stint, but managed a repeat podium after putting plenty of late pressure on Tremblay for second.

“I’m super excited. I still gave myself some early work to do, but to get my first two national podiums this weekend is something you can never complain about,” Frast said.

The breakthrough weekend actually moves Frast to second in the championship order, while Daley climbs to third and just two points adrift of Frast despite only appearing in one round thus far.

It was an excellent day for the Bauer brothers, as Dylan Bauer claimed fourth after briefly running as high as second, while Jordon Bauer managed a career-best fifth.

Dylan’s potential podium run was ruined by a disastrous lap 12 where he slipped from second to fifth in just three corners, though he was able to salvage an excellent fourth for Economy Lube Ducati.

As for Jordon, the OneStop Goat Shop Yamaha rider gradually managed his way through the field, earning an impressive fifth behind his brother.

Settling for seventh was John Laing, who slides to fourth in the championship and into a tie with Daley (who owns the tiebreaker thanks to his race two victory). The Vass Performance Kawasaki rider will hope to improve upon his tough weekend when the series shifts to his home track in Edmonton for round three.

Absent from the final finishing order was Cyr, who encountered a clutch failure on the penultimate lap. The Rizzin Racing/Economy Lube Triumph rookie seemed on course for at least his first career podium if not a potential victory, but instead failed to see the chequered flag due to the late issue.

Daley’s victory will not only keep Suzuki’s perfect win streak alive but also help extend their lead in the Constructors standings, where they have opened up a 64-point advantage over Kawasaki through four races.

Full results from Sunday’s race can be found on the series’ official website.

More, from a press release issued by CSBK:

Guerin takes first career victory in wild Superbike race one at Grand Bend

The long wait for Sam Guerin’s maiden national victory is over, as he escaped a chaotic race one at Grand Bend Motorplex with a first career win in the second round of the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship, presented by Southwest Marine & Powersports.

Despite championship leader Ben Young entering the weekend as the overwhelming favourite, it was a nail-biting race from the drop of the lights as he held off a group of five that included Steven Nickerson, Sam Guerin, Jordan Szoke, and David MacKay.

Young would pace majority of the contest, but never managed to break fully clear of Nickerson in particular, as the local wildcard pressed hard for his first career GP Bikes Pro Superbike victory with Guerin in tow and Szoke fading to a lonely fourth, while MacKay ran off on lap two.

The lead trio would run in unison with eight laps to go when disaster struck for Young, as he found himself on the wrong side of lapped traffic. The Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW rider dove around the outside of Ernest Bernhard while Nickerson and Guerin stuck to the inside line, causing Bernhard to sit up in an effort to avoid the leaders and unintentionally forcing Young wide.

The three-time Canada Cup champion would keep it upright but rejoin in a distant third, as Nickerson and Guerin continued for the lead. Guerin attempted to capitalize on the opportunity just two laps later, but the two briefly made contact as Nickerson defended hard for the top spot.

That gave a slight cushion to Nickerson, but he failed to manage it as Guerin quickly rebounded right to the back of the DeWildt Honda rider, putting all sorts of pressure on the home track favourite as they both chased a maiden Superbike win. 

It all came to a head when Nickerson crashed out of the lead in turn eight with just over two laps to go, paving the way for Guerin to manage a roughly 1.5 second gap over Young and escape with an emotional debut CSBK win for the EFC Group BMW team.

“That was a crazy race! Lots of unfortunate events, but I kept it close to the front and had a feeling something might happen if we could just stay there. Then Steven crashed in eight, which is where I crashed last year, so it’s a bit of redemption,” Guerin said. “I never thought I’d be standing here between champions, but I’m so excited. There’s been so much work and training and wrenching behind the scenes, so it feels awesome to finally win one.”

It was a mildly historic victory for Guerin, as he captures BMW’s 62nd Superbike victory to move them into a tie with Suzuki for the second-most all-time – a tie they will try to break on Sunday.

The win was also a popular one in the paddock for the fan-favourite out of Quebec City, as even Young shared mixed emotions on the podium as he recovered to salvage second.

“You never ever want to lose, but if I was going to lose to anybody, I’m happy it’s Sam. Congrats to him and the team, it’s been a long time coming and it keeps the BMW streak alive,” Young said. “I was running at about 90% pace for the first bit, just trying to manage a few things. The end result is unfortunate, but I’m happy we finished.”

The outcome will also have huge implications on the championship, as Guerin trims his title deficit to just seven points entering a crucial race two on Sunday.

It was an unfortunate end to a spectacular effort for Nickerson, who crashed out of the lead and remains without a podium in his Superbike career, though he certainly put the likes of Young and Guerin on notice if he can rebuild his DeWildt Honda for race two. 

His misfortunate proved to be a blessing for Szoke, who was riding in a lonely but calculated fourth prior to the crash. The CKM Kawasaki veteran made a strong early charge before fading back on his own, though it was an intelligent ride from the 14-time champion as he continued his streak of podiums.

“I wanted to get MacKay and Daley behind me right away because I knew they would be fast early on. From there I hung on as long as I could, but it just wasn’t enough to stick at the front,” Szoke said. “I’ve been in enough of these races though to know that anything can always happen, so I worked hard to keep it where I needed to and think about the bigger picture in the championship.”

It was a whirlwind race for MacKay, who briefly ran with the leaders before botching turn one and falling to a distant fifth. However, the ODH Snow City Cycle Honda star would recover to earn a career-best fourth in just his third Superbike race, setting the table for a potential podium charge on Sunday.

Rounding out the top five was Trevor Daley, who continued his excellent return with a strong showing for OneSpeed Suzuki. The perennial frontrunner was absent in race one but immediately reinserted himself at the front, beginning his campaign with a fifth-place finish and much-needed points for Suzuki.

A pair of other local wildcards exited Saturday with great performances, as Chris Pletsch and Dylan Bauer managed to finish sixth and seventh, respectively. 

It was a quieter effort for Pletsch after his stunning podium a year ago, but the Stratford Cycle Centre Honda rider managed a smart ride to put three Honda’s near the front prior to Nickerson’s crash. 

Bauer, meanwhile, would charge through the field to take seventh for Economy Lube Yamaha, coming out on top of a hectic battle with Connor Campbell, Paul Macdonell, and Sebastien Tremblay for the final places in the top-ten.

As for the Constructors table, another one-two finish for BMW – albeit in reverse order from Shannonville – will continue their perfect run atop the championship, extending a 62-point advantage over Kawasaki. 

Young will now attempt to rebound on Sunday in a pivotal race two at Grand Bend, while Guerin will instead aim to apply more pressure in the title fight with the gap back down to single digits through three races.