16-year old local racer Cody Matechuk placed 3rd in spite of an injured hand
By Josh Penner, reporter
The Parts Canada Superbike rolled into Calgary the last weekend of June and provided local race fans with plenty of exciting action. The Calgary Beacon is pleased to provide this look back at an exciting three days of world class motorsport.
The frontrunner heading into the weekend was six-time Superbike National champion Jordan Szoke and he didn’t disappoint. Szoke finished rounds 2 and 3 in perfect form last weekend on his 2010 Honda CBR1000, winning every Superbike and Pro Sport Bike race.
Calgary rider Dave Stokowski finished 7th on Sunday's 3rd leg
Szoke’s good fortune began on Friday when he won the Super-pole event, and continued into Saturday, where he won Superbike a whole three seconds ahead of 2nd place, Kevin Lacombe. Szoke’s best lap of the race was a healthy 1:15:972.
That wasn’t all, though; Szoke also won Pro Sport Bike, after a grueling battle with Keene, Ontario’s Jody Christie, who crossed the finish line two tenths of a second behind the race leader.
The culmination of the Parts Canada Superbike Nationals on Sunday brought similar results for Szoke. With more wins in Superbike and Pro Sport Bike, Szoke’s bid for a 5th straight Superbike title put a 54 point gap between himself, and the second place spot currently occupied by Francis Martin, who has 110 points. Cody Matechuk holds down the third place spot with 90 points.
More than a hundred competitors from across the country descended upon Race City Motorsport Park. Riders from as far away as the Maritimes arrived Thursday evening to begin testing on Race City’s road course for 2 rounds of Superbike action, but they were met with a healthy local resistance.
The local star was none other than Cochrane’s Cody Matechuk, who despite a crash during practice, managed to clock a 3rd place finish in Superbike on Sunday. Matechuk’s crash in Race City’s infamous corner number one left him to race in both rounds of competition with a badly injured hand. Matechuk said he lost control of the front tire and went down. Racers hit speeds over 300km/h before a sweeping left hand turn.
Local legend Clint McBain tunes up Matechuk's ride before a race
Calgary rider Curtis Lindenbach, of HardKnox racing, made a incredible effort to score a 5th place finish in Pro Sport Bike on Sunday, besting his Saturday finish in 12th position. Lindenbach said it was the best finish of his career at nationals.
“My sponsors, my team, and my wife made this happen this weekend” Lindenbach said.
Dave Stokowski’s Saturday performance netted him an 11th place finish, followed by 7th place on Sunday in the Super Bike class. Stokowski managed to make it through the weekend competition without any mechanical problems, but did mention the need for a little more power on the front straight.
At the beginning of the weekend, Mikal Zottmann, former Calgary Motorcycle Road-racing Association three-time Open Superbike Champion, said he was excited to get out on to the track with some of the bigger nationals teams. “Our race pace lap times are right up there with the top 5 national level riders” Zottmann said.
“There’s no reason we shouldn’t be fighting for a podium spot. I worked my back off to get here; I don’t even have a trailer. We loaded the bikes up into the back of my truck, and came down to race.”
Zottmann’s weekend took a turn for the worse when he wrapped up Saturday’s race with a 9th position finish, and a DNF on Sunday. Zottmann said problematic steering head bearings were the culprit.
Superbike champ Jordan Szoke being interviewed after another winning run, surrounded by his crew, including wife Amy
Saturday Results for Superbike:
1 Jordan Szoke Brantford, ON
2 Kevin Lacombe St-Cesaire, QC
3 Francis Martin Sherbrooke, QC
4 Cody Matechuk Cochrane, AB
5 Andrew Nelson Kars, ON
6 Alex Welsh Uxbridge, ON
7 Mike Ferreira Mississauga, ON
8 Steve Crevier Maple Ridge, BC
9 Mike Zottmann Calgary, AB
10 Jodi Christie Keene, ON
11 Dave Stokowski Calgary, AB
12 Franklyn Dominguez Montreal, QC
13 Peter Meier Langdon, AB
14 Justin Knapik Edmonton, AB
DNF Greg White Raleigh, NC
DNF Scott Rupert Gadshill, ON
DNS Sebastien Tremblay Sherbrooke, QC
Local CMRA champ Mike Zottman had a disappointing weekend, finishing off the podium
Pro Sport Bike:
1 Jordan Szoke Brantford, ON
2 Jodi Christie Keene, ON
3 Cody Matechuk Cochrane, AB
4 Dave Estok New Smyrna Beach, FL
5 Sebastien Tremblay Sherbrooke, QC
6 Trevor Bernhardt Calgary, AB
7 Chad Swain Calgary, AB
8 Scott Rupert Gadshill, ON
9 Tom Bodrovics Calgary, AB
10 James Collins Kaladar, ON
11 Matthew Elder Calgary, AB
12 Curtis Lindenbach Calgary, AB
13 Greg White Raleigh, NC
14 John Crump Bragg Creek, AB
15 Rob Darlington Calgary, AB
Sunday Results for Superbike:
1 Jordan Szoke Brantford, ON
2 Francis Martin Sherbrooke, QC
3 Cody Matechuk Cochrane, AB
4 Andrew Nelson Kars, ON
5 Mike Ferreira Mississauga, ON
6 Alex Welsh Uxbridge, ON
7 Dave Stokowski Calgary, AB
8 Steve Crevier Maple Ridge, BC
9 Jodi Christie Keene, ON
10 Franklyn Dominguez Montreal, QC
11 Scott Rupert Gadshill, ON
12 Justin Knapik Edmonton, AB
13 Greg White Raleigh, NC
DNF Mike Zottmann Calgary, AB
DNF Kevin Lacombe St-Cesaire, QC
DNS Sebastien Tremblay Sherbrooke, QC
DNS Peter Meier Langdon, AB
Pro Sport Bike:
1 Jordan Szoke Brantford, ON
2 Jodi Christie Keene, ON
3 Cody Matechuk Cochrane, AB
4 Dave Estok New Smyrna Beach, FL
5 Curtis Lindenbach Calgary, AB
6 Trevor Bernhardt Calgary, AB
7 Scott Rupert Gadshill, ON
8 Tom Bodrovics Calgary, AB
9 James Collins Kaladar, ON
10 Matthew Elder Calgary, AB
11 Greg White Raleigh, NC
12 John Crump Bragg Creek, AB
DNS Sebastien Tremblay Sherbrooke, QC
DNS Chad Swain Calgary, AB
DNS Rob Darlington Calgary, AB
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