An irate Jordan Szoke was wondering why race officials let Brett McCormick bump him from the lead
Brett McCormick and Jordan Szoke tried to pass off Sunday’s dramatic finish at the Parts Canada Superbike Championship as just another day at the track, but the heated rivalry between the two burst into flames as the young rider from Saskatoon bumped the veteran from Brantford, ON two turns from the finish line and beat him by a length.
A visibly irrate Mr. Szoke was fuming down in the hot pits after the race, wondering why race officials didn’t penalize Mr. McCormick for his aggressive driving. A few minutes later on the podum, Mr. Szoke pointed to the black mark on his leathers and the crack on his bike’s cowling and complained again about the issue, but noisy fans jeered and shouted, “Let it go already!”
The 30-year old rider for Team Kawasaki led the entire race until the “bump” heading into the keyhole turn at Race City. In an exclusive interview with SECN, Mr. McCormick defended his move, saying that Mr. Szoke “gave me the opening and I took it.”
The rider of the Team Suzuki/Blackfoot/Picotte Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 nipped inside Szoke’s Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX-10R and then held him off in the run to the finish line to claim his second straight
win by just 0.080 secs.
Mr. Szoke started from pole position and led the first 21 laps of the 22-lap race around the 3.2km (2.0-mile) track with McCormick never more than a second or two behind.
“It was a pretty long race and I just wanted to study him and not show him anything,” said Mr. McCormick, who extended his lead in the Parts Canada Superbike Championship to 11 points over Mr. Szoke, 157-146. “On the last lap he left the door open and I had some room so I took a chance.”
The bikes of Szoke and McCormick made contact as McCormick made his inside pass.
“I’m a little annoyed right now,” said the three-time defending Parts Canada Superbike Champion. “The bike was perfect. I’m mad at myself for leaving the door open. I know rubbing is racing but I consider that a little much.”
Kevin Lacombe finished third on the Team Toyota Yamaha/OTSFF Yamaha YZF-R1 after a race-long battle with fellow Yamaha rider Andrew Nelson. The Granby, Que. racer was third at the end of the opening lap but
accidentally hit his kill switch at the start of the second and dropped back to fourth behind Alex Welsh.
Lacombe got back ahead of Welsh’s Canadian Kawasaki Motors Kawasaki ZX-10R on lap four only to come under pressure from Nelson, who grabbed third place on lap 14. But Nelson got a pair of false neutrals at the start of lap 17 and Lacombe got back ahead, holding off Nelson’s Nelson Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 by just 0.602 secs.
“It was a really intense race,” Lacombe said. “I was getting really exhausted at the end but I put my head down and pulled it out.”
Despite having to settle for fourth place in the race Nelson maintained third in the Parts Canada Superbike standings with 96 points.
“I had the pace and the bike to finish third,” said the Kars, Ont. rider, who worked his way up from sixth on the opening lap. “I guess it was not meant to be, unfortunately. It’s a lot of work for fourth place.”
Local ace Clint McBain of Cochrane, Alta., who won this race last year, battled serious front suspension problems to finish fifth on his Suzuki Dealers / Acceleration Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000.
Maple Ridge, B.C.’s Steve Crevier placed sixth on the Deeley Racing Powered By Buell / Buell 1125R, passing Uxbridge, Ont.’s Welsh five laps from the finish.
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