VIDEO: SZOKE VS. McCORMICK – BAD BLOOD AT RACE CITY THIS WEEKEND?

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VIDEO: SZOKE VS. McCORMICK – BAD BLOOD AT RACE CITY THIS WEEKEND?

Posted on 27 June 2009 by Markham Hislop.

Jordan Szoke, left, and Brett McCormick have become intense rivals this year

Jordan Szoke and Brett McCormick used to be teammates. Now they’re battling for the lead in the Parts Canada Superbike Championship. Mr. Szoke, the five-time and defending champion, currently sits in second place behind the 17-year old upstart from Saskatoon and doesn’t like it one bit.

In an exclusive SECN interview, Mr. Szoke made it clear he thinks Mr. McCormick’s attitude needs a bit of adjusting. He said that “on a personal level” Mr. McCormick “needs some work” and claims that the young Saskatchewan rider has “burned some bridges,” no doubt referring to the defection to Team Suzuki this year.

The king of Canadian superbike racing is only 30 years old and hardly ready to cede his crown. He’s as competitive as ever and says that racing is all about consistency over an entire season, not a few good showings early on.

Heading into Round 3 of the superbike championship series, Mr. Szoke is out of top spot for the first time in three years. He won the season opener at Ontario’s Calabogie Motorsports Park in May.

But the next round in Quebec was a different story. Mr. McCormick’s performance there was dominating. He topped every practice and qualifying session and lead all but one lap of the race on his Team Suzuki/Blackfoot/Picotte Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000.

Mr. Szoke says he didn’t like the track at Mirabel ICAR, claiming it wasn’t a proper racing facility and that it was unsafe. But the next three tracks are better suited to his style and his motorcycle, he said.

As if to prove his point, Mr. Szoke set the pace during practice sessions Friday at Race City. He roared around 3.2km (2.0-mile) track in a time of one minute, 15.236 seconds. Not surprisingly, Mr. McCormick was right on his tail with a 1:15.500.

But racing fans should keep an eye on a couple of local boys turning in good times and looking like they may be able to compete with the big guns. Mike Zottmann set the fourth fastest time of 1:16.851 on the Mountain Toys Racing / Majik X / Suzuki GSX-R1000 and Clint McBain of Cochrane, Alta., last year’s winner of this race, was fifth fastest at 1:16.953 riding the Suzuki Dealers / Acceleration Racing / Suzuki GSX-R1000.

Racing heats up Saturday at Race City, with the pre-qualifying heat for the Pirelli SuperPole starting at 10:20 a.m., followed by qualifying for the Inside Motorcycles Pole Position Award at 2:25 p.m.

Everything’s on the line Sunday, with the 22-lap superbike championship race starting at 3 p.m. Three-day event tickets are $50 and race day tickets are $30. More information on the race and tickets is available at www.calgarysuperbike.com.