Sport Bike Preview: Van Winkle chases Tremblay to east coast at AMP
Hamilton, ON – After an especially transient mid-season break, the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship will get again underway with spherical 4 motion this weekend, returning to the east coast and Atlantic Motorsport Park, July 12-14, introduced by Professional Cycle and Canadian Kawasaki.
The Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia venue will hope this weekend brings higher fortunes after historic flooding cancelled the occasion in 2023, and higher climate can be music to the ears of two Financial system Lube Professional Sport Bike riders who had been eagerly anticipating their races one 12 months in the past – Sebastien Tremblay and Andrew Van Winkle.
The 2 discover themselves in very reverse spots within the championship battle, as Tremblay has paced the standings since race two of the season and constructed up a 32-point benefit within the course of, whereas Van Winkle solely made his Sport Bike debut in spherical three.
Nonetheless, the contrasting resumé’s meant little or no in race two at Edmonton when Van Winkle surprised the sector to develop into the youngest winner in Professional Sport Bike historical past, carving his option to the entrance in solely his second look within the middleweight class.
The 17-year-old did capitalize on an injured shoulder that restricted Tremblay all weekend, however there was loads of different prime riders he wanted to beat at RAD Torque, together with residence favorite and race one winner John Laing who sits second within the championship.
What’s the largest concern for the Sport Bike grid is that if anybody believed Edmonton could possibly be a one-off for the Chilliwack, B.C. teenager, they need to be reminded that his “residence spherical” isn’t even Van Winkle’s favorite monitor – that honour would as a substitute go to AMP.
It was at that monitor final season the place the then-16-year-old took his first profession pole place within the Professional Twins class, narrowly beating Jeff Williams who at that time had constructed up an ideal season. Whereas he by no means acquired the chance to start out from pole after the flooding cancelled the weekend, it was a turning level that launched Van Winkle’s championship season within the Twins class.
The FD Racing Suzuki rider will now enter Nova Scotia as a confirmed race winner on the monitor he loves most, a threatening message to the paddock as he seems to proceed his successful methods on the east coast.
Nonetheless, a extra rested Tremblay could have his personal fond recollections of Shubenacadie, a monitor he’s no slouch at both. The Turcotte Efficiency rider gained there in 2018 and almost did once more in 2019, taking three consecutive podiums within the Sport Bike class at AMP, and he was set to be the pole-sitter himself one 12 months in the past.
He gained’t have to concern himself with Van Winkle within the factors battle, holding an 87-point lead over {the teenager}, however Tremblay noticed his title grasp diminish at spherical three as he fought by means of the ache and can wish to maximize each probability to revive that in spherical 4.
It is going to signify the other sort of weekend for Laing, who trimmed his deficit to Tremblay with a win and third-place end at his residence monitor however is without doubt one of the least skilled riders within the class at AMP.
The Vass Efficiency Kawasaki rider made the 49-hour drive straight from RAD Torque to AMP to race the sARL regional occasion final weekend, ending second in every Professional Sport Bike race, however his greatest time of the spherical (1:11.363) would have positioned him solely seventh on final 12 months’s grid.
The Cochrane, Alberta native might want to discover extra enchancment if he hopes to maintain his title hopes in good condition – a powerful risk for somebody of his expertise, however a tricky spot to be in with solely at some point of unofficial apply earlier than Friday qualifying.
One other pre-season favorite who now finds his again in opposition to the wall is Elliot Vieira, who wasn’t even scheduled to experience at AMP when the weekend was cancelled in 2023.
The Financial system Lube Ducati rider has crashed out of three of the final 4 races to see his championship desires evaporate, and his final AMP go to in 2022 yielded solely sixth and fourth-place finishes, placing Vieira’s possibilities of a 2024 comeback on skinny ice.
Hoping to leapfrog the title contenders can be teenage sensations Mavrick Cyr and Philip DeGama-Blanchet, who’ve traded weekends because the rookie to beat in their very own private rivalry.
Cyr seemingly moved the purpose posts final trip as he earned his first profession professional podium for Financial system Lube Ducati, ending second to Van Winkle in race two at Edmonton, and he could have one other benefit coming his method as DeGama-Blanchet makes his first ever journey to Shubenacadie.
The 19-year-old Cyr took provisional pole in each Beginner Superbike and Beginner Sport Bike earlier than the weekend was washed out in 2023, and the circuit was additionally the location of his first Beginner Superbike podiums as he completed third in every race, a powerful indicator of how snug he feels round “Shubie.”
Will probably be the other for the 16-year-old DeGama-Blanchet who owns zero prior information of the tight, twisty format, however the Vass Efficiency Kawasaki star has exceeded expectations in nearly each race to this point and will proceed to impress in his first go to to the east coast.
As for potential locals to throw into the combo, Atlantic Motorsport Park hasn’t seen as many wildcards in recent times however has loads of regional expertise to supply if that adjustments in 2024, together with Eric Stanley.
The Halifax native beat Laing in each sARL races final weekend and posted occasions that might have positioned him fifth on the nationwide grid in 2023, making him a reliable podium menace if he joins CSBK for spherical 4 at his residence monitor.
Extra info might be discovered on the collection’ official web site.
