COLLINGWOOD, ONT – August 22, 2017 - Ben Young waged battle against Canada’s top Pro Superbike pilots this past weekend at the highly-anticipated annual doubleheader round and CSBK series finale at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP). Challenging for a spot on the podium in each of the two races Young secured third overall in the national point standings with consecutive fourth place finishes.
Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is known for its unique and often unpredictable weather; however, this didn’t seem to slow down the 24-year-old pilot of the #86 Scot-Build Developments BMW S1000RR. During high wind gusts on Friday Young qualified third fastest with a 1:21.176 in the Dalton Timmis SuperPole on the Dunlop Qualifying “Q” tire that has only been used once before in MOPAR CSBK competition.
Young commented; “It should be a close race and it will be a matter of staying in the lead pack for the first half of the race and then seriously going after it in the closing laps.”
In Saturday’s MOPAR Pro Superbike Feature Young briefly fell back to sixth place but stayed with the lead pack. Young made a calculated pass to position him in the battle for a spot on the podium. While the two front-runners worked hard to break away, Young and Kenny Riedmann would have none of that and began to close the gap. Utilizing the draft is important in all forms of racing and making the most of it at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park is crucial for the Superbikes.
Young made a pass up the inside of Riedmann but he ran wide leaving the door open for Bodhi Edie to make a pass on Young in the final few turns of the race which saw him cross the start/finish line in fourth.
In the second feature of the doubleheader weekend Young got a much better start from the front row and quickly jumped into second place. On lap 5 Young saw his opportunity and took over the lead with two riders in hot pursuit. Riedmann would reel in the lead group making it a close four-rider battle for the top spot on the podium.
An accident on lap eight would bring out the Red Flag to allow medical staff to attend to the downed rider.
The MOPAR Pro Superbikes were rolled back out on to the grid to conclude what was an already intense and entertaining battle. The first of the eight-lap shoot-out saw Young second in a very close chase for the lead. With a few more laps to go the 2016 Pro Rookie of the Year found himself once again able to challenge for the lead but a pack of three other riders had the same intentions. This close and intense battle would playout in the final laps and the final few corners. Suffering on top-end speed in comparison to his rivals a last lap pass of the Scot-Build Developments BMW S1000RR would see Young once gain just shy of the podium in fourth place.
Young secured third overall in the national MOPAR Pro Superbike championship point standings for the second straight year.
“The level of competition this season has been very impressive.” said Young “We’ve had to overcome a few major challenges and I can’t thank Scott Cartier and Willie Vass enough for their dedication and support this season. At times, they made what seemed impossible – possible.”
Young’s 2017 CSBK Championship season was also supported by many friends, family and amazing partners that include; Scot-build Developments, BMW Motorrad Canada, AXO Racing, Arai Helmets, ACF-50, Hindle Exhaust, Woodcraft, Bickle Racing, SBS Brakes, Motion Pro, Human 2.0, K-Tech Suspension & Epic Racewear.
The 24-year-old pilot of the #86 BMW S1000RR is also a proud "Laps for Muscular Dystrophy" (Laps4MD) rider who’s pledged to donate $1 for every lap he lead this season. These donations go to Muscular Dystrophy Canada to help make a difference in the lives of over 50,000 Canadians affected by a neuromuscular disorder.
To keep up-to-date on Ben Young throughout the year visit; www.BenYoungRacing.com, www.facebook.com/BenYoungRacing and on Twitter and Instagram: @benyoung_86.