Collingwood, Ontario’s, Ben Young dominated the first round of the 2019 MOPAR Canadian Superbike Championship on board the Scot-Build / Barrie Trim BMW S1000RR. Young topped the time sheets in every session, and he maximized on championship points by taking pole position, leading every lap in the race and by winning the first CSBK round at Shannonville Motorsport Park.
Straight off the bat, in unseasonably cold conditions, Young lead Friday morning's first free practice 0.244 seconds in front of defending champion Jordan Szoke. Continuing the trend into free practice 2, Young topped the result sheet again with Szoke being 0.212 secs behind on his Kawasaki ZX10R.
Saturday, morning practice and qualifying brought slightly warmer conditions but a biting wind kept the track cool. With a few minor set up changes to work on, "The Flying Scotsman" put in a 1:05.695 lap time, 0.149 seconds ahead of fellow BWM rider, Micheal Leon in second.Afternoon Qualifying arrived with a sigh of relief, as in the morning practice Szoke had an off into turn 8, “Allan's” where his ZX10R was launched into Pit Lane among race teams and awnings. Thankfully no one was injured.
The Qualifying was as thrilling as ever. CSBK runs a Superpole format, with a first 30-minute qualifying session for everyone, then the top ten fastest riders proceed into the 10 min Superpole session. This gives the teams 5 min to re-fuel, tire change and any make any final tweaks. Young was confident and determined to keep the top position. In his 3rd lap, he clocked a 1.05.025 lap which earned him his first pole position at Shannonville Motorsports Park. Concluding the front row grid line up was Jeff Williams (BMW) +0.038, Kenny Riedmann (Kawa) +0.184, and Szoke (Kawa) +0.192.
Race day bought the sun and heat for perfect race conditions. Morning practice again saw Young at the top of the time sheets, being 0.927 seconds in front of Szoke. It was ramping up to be an impressive first championship race.
Young got the hole shot into turn one with Riedmann and Szoke on his back wheel. The top three broke away with Young keeping ahead throughout the hard pressured 22-lap race. Both riders were on his heels all the way, in the hope he made a mistake. Each time the trio crossed the line, there was no more than 0.5 second covering the three of them. Young continued to lead every lap from the start and as ever, kept his nerve to take the chequered flag with Reidmann 0.677 seconds behind, and Szoke rounding out the podium.
Young said, "it’s an amazing start to the season. I knew I had the pace from the Friday, my team, Scott Cartier, Willy Vass and Steve Weir gave me an amazing bike over the whole weekend. In the race, I worked out it was Kenny and Jordan behind me as I saw their pit boards come up the same time as mine. It was a tough race with the boys being on my tail all the way, there was no rest. With two laps to go, I concentrated on my breathing to get my heart rate down, I got an incredible drive out the final turn going into the last lap and put my head down, I manage to pull a big enough gap to make sure neither Kenny or Jordan didn't have the opportunity to draft on the back straight. Huge thanks for all my sponsors and BMW Motorrad Canada".
Grand Bend Race Way, Ont. June 7/9 hosts the next exciting round of the 2019 MOPAR Canadian Superbike Championship.
Young’s partners for his 2019 CSBK Championship season include; Scot-build Developments, BMW Motorrad Canada, Barrie Trim & Mouldings, ACF-50, Joe Rocket, Arai Helmets, Hindle Exhaust, Woodcraft, Bickle Racing, DP Brakes, Motion Pro, K-Tech Suspension, Liqui-Moly, Weireverywhereracing, Willy Vass Performance Cycle.
The 25-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.
Article Credit: Robyn Young / Tim McGill