From a press release issued by Monstermob Ducati:

MONSTERMOB DUCATI BRITISH SUPERBIKE TEAM

Round 8 – 2002 MCN British Superbike Championship, Knockhill
Saturday 6th/Sunday 7th July 2002
Race Report

High Drama for Hizzy at Knockhill

MonsterMob Ducati rider Steve Hislop left his native Knockhill with his 2002 MCN British Superbike Championship lead still intact despite another dose of high drama at round eight of the thirteen round series.

The Hawick born rider won a thrilling race one ahead of the Ducatis of Michael Rutter and Sean Emmett to increase his lead to 18 points at the head of the series but it was in the second race that the drama unfolded.

Leading going into the final hairpin Hislop turned into the corner only to be upended as title rival Michael Rutter cannoned into the rear of Hizzy depositing them both in the gravel.

Hislop managed to extract himself and claimed seventh at the flag but with Emmett finishing third, the Isle of Man based rider’s lead was reduced to 11 points.

“I lost some time on the final lap with the backmarkers but I knew if I held a tight line at the hairpin, I had the win. The next I knew, Michael hit me from the rear and I was rolling through the gravel” said Hislop who, in a show of true sportsmanship, gave Rutter a lift back to the paddock. Hislop was then checked over by the medics who revealed he had a suspected crack in his right collarbone but the championship leader has vowed to be back in the next round at Thruxton in five weeks time.

Supersport team mate Stuart Easton suffered a weekend of frustration after a crash in qualifying saw him start from row seven on his Monstermob 748.

The 17-year-old from Hawick was up inside the points when he slid off on lap seven and with title rival Scott Smart winning, Easton’s lead has been reduced to 29 points.

“I’m still leading the series and that’s the important thing but I need to get back to winning ways at Thruxton. This weekend’s been a disaster.”

Team owner Paul Bird was left ruing what might have been:

“We should have been leaving here with a 32 point increased lead in the Superbikes but as it is, we’ve had it reduced to just 11. People say it’s a racing incident but I’m not feeling that charitable at the moment” said the Penrith businessman.

Race One Result
1. Steve Hislop (MonsterMob Ducati) 26m59.545s, 2. Sean Emmett (Ducati) 27m01.955s, 3. Michael Rutter (Ducati) 27m03.054s, 4. Paul Brown (Ducati) 27m04.225s, 5. John Reynolds (Suzuki) 27m06.187s, 6. Simon Crafar (Yamaha) 27m07.152s, 7. David Jefferies (Suzuki) 27m13.043s, 8. Glen Richards (Kawasaki) 27m13.134s, 9. Paul Jones (Yamaha) 27m19.888s, 10. Dean Ellison (Ducati) 27m21.353s.

Race Two Result
1. Shane Byrne (Ducati) 25m21.236s, 2. Paul Brown (Ducati) 25m28.997s, 3. Sean Emmett (Ducati) 25m29.560s, 4. John Reynolds (Suzuki) 25m29.845s, 5. Steve Plater (Yamaha) 25m30.112s, 6. Glen Richards (Kawasaki) 25m35.455s, 7. Steve Hislop (MonsterMob Ducati) 25m37.771s, 8. Dean Thomas (Ducati) 25m41.375s, 9. Simon Crafar (Yamaha) 25m44.662s, 10. Dean Ellison (Ducati) 25m55.926s.

Supersport Result
1. Scott Smart (Honda) 23m10.528s, 2. Michael Laverty (Honda) 23m12.079s, 3. Craig McLelland (Suzuki) 23m12.929s, 4. Callum Ramsay (Suzuki) 23m15.766s, 5. Ben Wilson (Honda) 23m34.202s, 6. Torquil Paterson (Suzuki) 23m36.572s, 7. Les Shand (Honda) 23m36.706s, 8. Douglas Cowie (Kawasaki) 23m37.162s, 9. Mark Davies (Kawasaki) 23m39.700s, 10. Chris Bishop (Honda) 23m41.174s.

MCN British Superbike Championship Standings
1. Steve Hislop (280pts), 2. Sean Emmett (269pts), 3. Michael Rutter (228.5pts), 4. John Reynolds (177.5pts), 5. Shane Byrne (166.5pts), 6. Paul Brown (159.5pts), 7. Steve Plater (158pts), 8. Simon Crafar (111pts), 9. Glen Richards (102.5pts), 10. Dean Ellison (90.5pts)

MB4U.com Supersport Championship Standings
1. Stuart Easton (170pts), 2. Scott Smart (141pts), 3. Tom Tunstall (80pts), 4. Pete Jennings (77pts), 5. Jeremy Goodall (73pts), 6. Ben Wilson (62pts), 7. Simon Andrews (60pts), 8. Michael Laverty (54pts), 9. Chris Bishop (52pts), 10. Jim Moodie (45pts)



From a press release issued by Scott Smart:

KENT-based national supersport racer Scott Smart has taken his second win of the year at Knockhill this afternoon despite starting from 12th place on the grid and has moved to within 29 points of series leader Stuart Easton.

The 26-year-old, from Wateringbury, had an average time during qualifying as conditions were either wet or damp across Friday and Saturday, and there were a lot of Knockhill “specialists” in the field. However, Smart managed to get his Norwood Adam-backed Honda into the midfield and was looking forward to a good race.

“I got quite a good start and managed to make up about eight places on the first lap,” said Smart. “After that, it was a case of plugging away, putting in good lap times to catch the guys in front. I had quite a good battle with Callum (Ramsay) for a couple of laps. I managed to get by him, and then it was a case of chasing down Laverty for the lead.

“It wasn’t easy though, as I thought at one point I had oil on my tyre as it was getting a bit squirrely, but the Pirellis held up well and I was able to get by Michael after I ran into one turn too hot, he went wide and I didn’t look back.

“After that I just took it steady, kept to a good lap pace and pulled away.”

Team manager “Tiny” Tony Weaver was heard to say: “Yesssssss” just for a change.

Smart is now looking forward to mixing it with the big boys at Brands Hatch on July 28. He has a wildcard entry and is looking forward to dicing with the best in the world.

“I think we can do well at Brands, it’s my home circuit, we’ve got some good settings and some good tyres so I’m really looking forward to a good dust up.”


Race result:
1. Scott SMART, Honda, Norwood Adam Honda, 23:10.50

2. Michael LAVERTY, Honda, Millar Racing, 23:12.079

3. Craig McLELLAND, Suzuki, Swona/McLelland Racing 23:12.929

4. Callum RAMSAY, Suzuki, Team Vitrans/CR Racing, 23:15.766

5. Ben WILSON, Honda, Dave Seidel Racing, 23:34.202

6. Torquil PATERSON, Suzuki, Alvins.com/YPE Powered, 23:36.572

7. Les SHAND, Honda, M & S Motorcycles, 23:36.706

8. Douglas COWIE, Kawasaki, SBT Racing, 23:37.162

9. Mark DAVIES, Kawasaki, AMD Racing, 23:39.700

10. Chris BISHOP, Honda, BikeShop Faversham/Equia, 23:41.174

From a press release issued by Proton Team KR:

HOME TRACK BECKONS PROTON TEAM

The British GP, eighth of 16 round in the new MotoGP World Championship, is in many ways the race of the year for Proton Team KR.

England is home to the team, with the manufacturing base not far down the road in Banbury.

One of the two riders, Jeremy McWilliams, is from Northern Ireland – and is the top British motorcycle racer in the top class of motorcycle racing.

Finally the nature of the Donington Park circuit is especially suited to the attributes of the unique lightweight three-cylinder Proton KR3.

All these factors make it a big race for the team – with all the pressure, the promise and the pleasure that implies.

Donington Park is the second of a quartet of circuits that McWilliams and team-mate Nobuatsu Aoki have been looking forward to throughout a season in which the lightweight bike has produced a string of top ten results even at tracks that were not expected to favour the specialised lightweight 500 two-stroke.

The first of the Big Four was Assen, where the Dutch TT promised much for the team, but delivered only heart-break, with both riders retiring with unprecedented gearbox failure.

It makes them all the more eager to make up for it at the British round, and the team has put together an unprecedented effort for their home GP. There will be no less than six complete motorcycles available for the two riders, offering a choice of the standard chassis, and the all-new “wide-line” chassis – which combines radically different tyre-friendly geometry with dimensions that mean it can also be used for the new V5 four-stroke engine planned for next year.

Donington favours the KR3 for one major reason – two-thirds of the 2.5-mile lap distance is smooth, flowing and fairly fast. Complex corner combinations reward accurate steering and faithful handling … two areas where the lightweight machine excels. But what the track gives, it also takes away. The final third comprises a slow chicane and two hairpins, linked with drag strip straights. While the KR3 performs well also under hard braking, the light weight a positive asset, its weaker area is acceleration, where the brute power of the heavier and clumsier four-cylinder 500s and the new heavyweight 990cc four-strokes comes into its own.

But this year has been full of surprises for Team Proton KR. Le Mans in France mainly comprises U-turns and drag-strip straights, and far from the bad results they had expected, both riders finished in the top ten, with Aoki claiming sixth, his best finish of the year.

KENNY ROBERTS – “BETTER THAN EVER BEFORE”
Wet weather would favour us, but I hope it’s dry, because I believe our motorcycle can go round Donington better than ever before, but we can’t prove it in the rain.

The standard chassis is pretty good; but the new chassis offers a different avenue of development. It’s better in ways it needs to be better for more horsepower, when we have our 990cc four-stroke motor. We will have one example of the new chassis for each rider, and I have the feeling that it will be very good round Donington – that depends on how much dry time we get and how many setting changes we need to make. But we won’t be changing from one chassis to another every five laps. We need the dry time to establish the direction early on, and stick with it.

Donington is a very unique track. We should do well there – we have the riders, and the tyres, and I’m looking forward to the weekend. But I’ve been disappointed at Donington in the past. We have to prove that we can be good there, not just say it, and it’s important to us as a small engineering company to do that.


JEREMY McWILLIAMS – “A BIG RACE”
We have a choice of bikes – it will be up to the riders to choose their weapons. We got the standard chassis working so well at Assen that it might not be clear-cut which is better. Donington is two tracks in one, so it’s hard to predict which will work better. In the past, I’ve always concentrated on getting the bike right for the fast sections, then get through the hairpins any way you can. I’ll probably start with the standard chassis, and see how it goes. I hope it’s dry. The important thing is to make the decision early, and concentrate on one bike – not to be stuck in a dilemma on Saturday night. Donington is a big race for me, with a lot of pressure from the crowd. I believe I’m able to handle that better now than in the past. It’s definitely worth half-a-second a lap.


NOBUATSU AOKI – “I WANT TO SEE THE FLAG THIS TIME”
My season started really well, but I’ve had three non-finishes in the last three races with mechanical problems. My main thought for the British GP is to get to the finish, and I need some good luck for a change. I tried the new chassis after Barcelona, and it had some really good things about it. At the same time, I’ve been getting on well with the standard chassis, which I have slightly different from Jeremy. I also tried a 16.5-inch front tyre at Assen, which solved some front-end grip problems I’ve been having. The track should be good for our bike. I hope to give the team a good result at home.

From a press release:

HMC’s New Look

HMC Ducati Racing is proud to launch their new website created by designers Mojotown.com, the virtual agency specializing in e-business innovations. The all-moving, all-racing site covers the team’s history from its start to present day and has the coolest picture of team boss, Mitch Hansen, you’ll ever see.

HMC Racing would like to thank Robert Bullivant, Brian J Nelson and Joseph Wierzbicki for their assistance with photography that is, in our opinion, second to none. We are also in great debt to Max Media’s Mollie Wagner for helping collate the project and to Mojotown for making us look so good.

The site will post preview and race reports for the next three rounds, has a short bio on each team member and gives a basic technical overview of the Ducati Testastretta.

Please take the time to visit us at www.hmcracing.com

From a press release issued by event organizers:

SZOKE STORMS TO POLE

ST-EUSTACHE, QC – Jordan Szoke saved his best for last at Autodrome St-Eustache on Saturday.

The Brantford, ON rider waited until the final lap of qualifying to set a new track record of the 1.2-mile circuit and secure pole position for Sunday’s fourth round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship, the Suzuki Superbike Challenge.

Szoke took his Coors Light Racing/Fast Company Team Suzuki GSX-R1000 to a time of 46.641 secs. That broke the two-year-old record of 46.723 secs. set by his current teammate Francis Martin.

“Out of all the laps I did at the end I’m kind of surprised that one got the lap record,” said Szoke, the current Parts Canada Superbike points leader. “I had a big tank slapper just before the braking marker at the end of the straight. I truly believe I could have gone faster.”

Szoke receives the MPM Array Pole Award for his performance, a Swiss Force Carbon Fiber embellished watch.

Toronto’s Michael Taylor ended the session second fastest with a time of 47.250 secs. on his Brooklin Cycle Yamaha YZF-R1. Frank Trombino of Kleinburg, ON was third on the Orion Motorsport Honda RC51 with a lap at 47.332 secs. and Martin completes the front row for Sunday’s race. The Sherbrooke, QC rider managed a top time of 47.435 secs. on his Coors Light Racing/Fast Company Suzuki GSX-R1000.

With pole position Szoke earned four points towards the Parts Canada Superbike Championship and extended his lead in the standings. He now has 154 points to the 121 of Huntington Beach, CA resident Owen Weichel. Weichel will start sixth in Sunday’s race on his Canadian Kawasaki ZX-7RR after setting a qualifying time of 47.618 secs.

Granby, QC’s Kevin Lacombe is third in points with 91. In his debut with the Orion Motorsport Honda team Lacombe qualified fifth for Sunday’s Superbike race with a time of 47.564 secs.

In other action at St-Eustache series leader Clint McBain claimed pole position for the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Open Sport Bike event. The Calgary rider set a time of 47.896 secs. on his Coors Light Racing/Blackfoot Suzuki GSX-R1000.

Lacombe grabbed the pole for Sunday’s Yoshimura 600 Sport Bike feature with a time of 48.523 secs. aboard his Orion Honda CBR600F4i.

Practice Sunday begins at 10:00 am with the first race scheduled to go at 12:45 pm.

This weekend’s event will be televised on TSN on Sunday, Aug. 4 at 1:00 pm EDT and later this year on Quebec’s RDS and across Canada on the Outdoor Life Network.

Starting line-up for Sunday’s Suzuki Superbike Challenge, the fourth race in the Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Autodrome St-Eustache, showing starting position, rider name, hometown, type of motorcycle and qualifying time:

1. Jordan Szoke, Brantford, ON, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 46.641; 2. Michael Taylor, Toronto, ON, Yamaha YZF-R1, 47.250; 3. Frank Trombino, Kleinburg, ON, Honda RC51, 47.332; 4. Francis Martin, Sherbrooke, QC, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 47.435; 5. Kevin Lacombe, Granby, QC, Honda RC51, 47.564; 6. Owen Weichel, Huntington Beach, CA, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 47.618; 7. Benoit Pilon, St-Jerome, QC, Yamaha YZF-R1, 48.132; 8. Jean-Francois Cyr, Joliette, QC, Yamaha YZF-R1, 48.701; 9. Ugo Levert, Lorraine, QC, Suzuki GSX-R1000 48.801; 10. Jeff Williams, Harrowsmith, ON, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 48.871; 11. Jerome Plourde, St-Hubert, QC, Suzuki GSX-R600, 49.142; 12. Darryn Wilbur, Maple, ON, Yamaha YZF-R1, 49.414; 13. Matthew McBride, Toronto, ON, Honda CBR600F4i, 49.887; 14. Bruce McDonald, Mt. Albert, ON, Yamaha YZF-R6, 49.949; 15. Joel McDonald, North York, ON, Yamaha YZF-R6, 50.052; 16. Philip Onisto, Bolton, ON, Suzuki GSX-R750, 50.073; 17. Tony Bouffard, Longueuil, QC, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 50.140; 18. Dave Young, Woodstock, ON, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 50.338; 19. Gaston Labrie, Brossard, QC, Suzuki GSX-R1000, 50.522; 20. Jim Proulx, Ottawa, ON, Kawasaki ZX-7RR, 50.988; 21. John Brundl, Toronto, ON, Honda CBR954RR, 51.005; 22. Derek Vammus, Brampton, ON, Honda RC51, 51.874; 23. Marc Tremblay, Lac St-Charles, QC, Suzuki GSX-R600, 52.343

From a press press issued by the event organizers:

For Immediate Release

Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada…For the first time in over a decade, the ‘Coors Light’ Canada vs. USA Match Races return to Mosport International Raceway July 19-20-21 for an exciting three days of racing action, produced by SUPERSHOW Events.

Coors Light, in conjunction with Buell, Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha and Stylemaster, presents three full days of exciting motorcycle racing including top Canadian and American Racers competing in the Formula USA Road Race Series and the Parts Canada Superbike National Series, the Mosport Round of the ASM Superbike Series with Amateur races sponsored by Snow City Cycle, the Buell Lightning Series, and the Diablo Can-Am 125 GP Challenge.

Daytona track announcers, Pat Gonsalves and Richard Chambers will deliver exciting race reporting over the McBride Cycle Public Address Radio Network. In addition to the three exciting days of racing, visitors will enjoy the Racer autograph sessions, Manufacturer Demo Rides, Helicopter rides and Contests, browsing through the vendors and club displays and observing the dyno horsepower runs.

Admission Friday, Open Practice Day and Qualifying, is $10; Saturday, featuring the Formula USA / International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Open Sportbike Race, is $25; and Sunday, featuring the Parts Canada Superbike Race, is $30. A weekend SuperTicket for all three days is available for $50 or purchased in advance for $40 through select motorcycle dealers or from Mosport’s web-site at www.mosport.com saving $10 and avoiding on-site line-ups. Admission includes full paddock access, free camping and parking, and a free copy of INTERNATIONAL MOTORCYCLE Magazine. Children under 12 years of age are admitted free.

For more information on Bike Week 2002 and the ‘Coors Light’ Canada vs USA Match Races go to www.supershowevents.com or call (905)655-5403.

Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Free Bike Yamaha’s Philippe Donischal, Mathieu Lagrive and E. Misera will start the 31st 24 Heure de Liege at Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium from pole position with a new lap record time.

In Friday’s final qualifying session, Free Bike Yamaha’s riders’ used a YZF-R7 Superbike to record a best time of 2:28.975 around the 4.33-mile course to beat out the previous lap record of 2:29.377 set by Terry Rymer, Brian Morrison and Jehan D’Orgeix on Kawasaki ZX-7R in 1997.

Free Bike Yamaha just edged out second-fastest qualifier Suzuki GSX-R1000-mounted Zongshen. Zongshen’s Stephane Mertens, Warwick Nowland and Igoj Jerman missed out by 0.009-second with a time of 2:28.984. Starting third on Saturday will be the SERT Suzuki trio of Christian Lavieille, Brian Morrison and Laurent Brian with a combined time of 2:29.007 on their Suzuki GSX-R1000.

Riding another Suzuki GSX-R1000, fourth-fastest qualifier GMT94’s Sebastien Scarnato, William Costes and Christophe Guyot also lapped under the old record with a 2:29.011.

The Spa 24-hour is not part of the 2002 FIM Endurance World Championship series but many of the 59 entries are regulars with the FIM series. No American riders appear on the entry list for the Spa 24-hour.

From a press release issued by Mat Mladin’s publicist:

Rounds 12, 2002 AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship and Round 9, 2002 Superbike World Championship

Laguna Seca Raceway, Monterey, California, USA

Event preview

MLADIN SCORES ‘WILD CARD’ RIDE FOR WORLD SUPERBIKE EVENT AT LAGUNA SECA

Monterey, California, USA (Friday, July 5) – No fewer than six Australians will take part in the American round of the 2002 Superbike World Championship to be held at the Laguna Seca Raceway, near Monterey, California next weekend, July 13 & 14.

One of those riders is three-times American Superbike champion Mat Mladin. The Blimpie Yoshimura Suzuki rider has been nominated along with fellow Australian Anthony Gobert and four American riders as the ‘wild card’ entrants for the round. Each hosting country is permitted a number of riders from their domestic championship to take part in the SWC races and with Mladin the defending American Superbike champion, he was granted an entry.

Mladin, from Camden south west of Sydney, will be making his first appearance in the SWC since 1998, where he again rode at the Laguna Seca round of the championship, but was forced out of both races with mechanical problems.

The Laguna Seca meeting will also play host to round 12 of the AMA Chevy Trucks US Superbike Championship. With the two SWC races scheduled for Sunday, the AMA competitors will take to the track for their race on Saturday afternoon. The hectic schedule will see Mladin take to the 3.610km Laguna Seca circuit for four practice sessions, four qualifying sessions and three 100km races (one AMA and two SWC) during the course of the weekend.

To compete in the SWC events, Mladin’s team have had to make modifications to his Suzuki GSX-R750 to make it eligible for the category, but due to their busy American race program, have yet to test the new bike.

“We’re committed to doing the SWC event and we’ll be out there trying our best,” said Mladin. “The SWC rules mean that we have to change parts of the throttle bodies that we use here in America, plus we are also allowed to use different fuels here that you can’t in SWC. Due to the closeness of the championship races here, we haven’t had a chance to test the new bikes and will get to do that in the opening practice session next Friday.”

“One thing is for certain, we will be doing a lot of riding over the weekend with three long races for us,” added Mladin. “It will be hard for us out there. The SWC regulars are producing a lot of horsepower from their bikes and I hope that we can be somewhere in the ball park to be competitive. All we can do at this stage is stay positive and keep working forward with the development of the bike.”

Fellow Australian and defending World Superbike champion Troy Bayliss (Infostrada Ducati) leads the championship points race after eight rounds of the championship, having won 13 of the 16 races held this year. Bayliss holds a 49-point lead over American rider Colin Edwards (Castrol Honda), with the two expected to be in the thick of the action over the weekend.

With the anticipated focus on the World Championship races, Mladin will be kept on his toes as he will be preparing his AMA machine alongside that of the SWC bike. It has been a difficult season for the defending champion and he arrives at Monterey lying eighth overall in the championship. An engine fault in the previous round at Brainerd International Raceway cost him valuable championship points and he will be determined not to repeat those results at any of the remaining rounds in the AMA Championship.

From a press release issued by HM Plant Ducati:

Toseland signs two-year deal

HM Plant Ducati announces that James Toseland will remain with the team for the next two years. HM Plant Ducati will be the only official Ducati Corse satellite team in the series and its riders will be equipped with Ducati 998 F02s. The agreement secures the services of Toseland until the end of the 2004 season. His HM Plant Ducati team-mate Neil Hodgson will compete for Ducati Corse’s official team in 2003. Toseland’s team-mate for next season will be named in due course.

Toseland is in his second year with the team. The 21-year-old Yorkshireman has shown both great ability and a continued commitment to improvement that entirely justifies the decision to extend his contract.

“I’m really happy that we’ve been able reach such a great arrangement,” says Toseland. “HM Plant Ducati/GSE Racing has given me so much support over the past year-and-a-half and that has really helped me gain the confidence in my riding that I need to be competitive at world level. The extra support that Ducati Corse has pledged to HM Plant Ducati is going be a real boost and I’m looking forward to getting my hands on the 2002-spec bikes.

“Next season there will only really be three teams likely to win races and I’ll be riding for one of them. HM Plant Ducati is the best team in the paddock and I’m glad that I’ll have the opportunity to compete with them for another two years. I’ve really enjoyed having Neil as team-mate and I’ll be sorry to see him go. That said, if I can continue to improve at the rate I have done, I’ll be aiming to beat him at some point!”

“James is a valuable asset for HM Plant Ducati,” explained Team Manager Colin Wright, “so we’re obviously delighted that he will be riding for us for the next two seasons. His talent is undeniable and his commitment to the team has been second-to-none. After the way he’s performed this season we had no doubts about whether to extend his contract and we’re all very much looking forward to working with him in the future.”

From a press release issued by organizers of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship:

SZOKE STREAKS INTO ST-EUSTACHE

TORONTO, ON – Brantford, ON’s Jordan Szoke is the man to catch as the Parts Canada Superbike Championship reaches its halfway point at Autodrome St-Eustache this weekend.

The Coors Light Racing/Fast Company Team Suzuki rider holds a 29-point lead over Canadian Kawasaki’s Owen Weichel after three races in the seven-round series.

After originally planning to spend his summer on the U.S. Superbike tour Szoke has made a stunning return to the Canadian scene. The 1998 national champion won the two most recent races at Calgary’s Race City Motorsport Park June 8-9.

But the 23-year-old Szoke will be hard pressed to keep his winning streak intact on the tight 1.2-mile St-Eustache circuit.

Chief among his rivals will be Huntington Beach, CA resident Weichel, who finished second in both Calgary races after challenging Szoke relentlessly for the lead.

Another threat will be Szoke’s own Coors Light Racing/Fast Company Team Suzuki teammate Francis Martin. The Sherbrooke, QC racer has won two of the last three Parts Canada Championship rounds at St-Eustache and is still the circuit lap record holder.

Orion Motorsport Honda rider Frank Trombino, winner of the opening race of the season will try to regain his form at St-Eustache after a disappointing weekend in Calgary that dropped him to fourth in points.

The Kleinburg, ON rider will have a new teammate as Granby, QC’s Kevin Lacombe moves over from the Diablo Suzuki squad. After an impressive start to the season that sees him third in points, Lacombe replaces two-time defending champion Steve Crevier, who is still recovering from a knee injury sustained at the opening round.

Yamaha’s effort in the feature class is led by Brooklin Cycle riders Jean-Francois Cyr and Michael Taylor, who sit sixth and seventh in points respectively.

Action at St-Eustache will also feature the third rounds of the International Motorcycle SUPERSHOW Open Sport Bike and Yoshimura 600 Sport Bike national support classes.

Blackfoot Suzuki rider Clint McBain of Calgary is unbeaten in both divisions and leads the points in each coming to St-Eustache.

Practice in all three national classes will begin Friday with the grids set in Saturday afternoon qualifying. Feature races run Sunday afternoon.

Action from this weekend’s races will be televised on TSN Sunday, Aug. 4 at 1:00 pm EDT. They will also be shown later this year on Quebec’s RDS and across Canada on the Outdoor Life Network.