Superbike Preview: Younger kicks off 2024 title quest at Shannonville
Hamilton, ON – The lengthy look forward to the 2024 Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship season is lastly over, because the nationwide sequence will return to historic Shannonville Motorsport Park for the opening spherical this weekend, introduced by the Fallen Riders Help Crew sponsored by Tempo Legislation.
It was simply over 5 months in the past that Shannonville hosted the 2023 season finale, a chaotic weekend within the function GP Bikes Professional Superbike class as Ben Younger clinched his third Canada Cup and second in a row.
Loads has occurred in these months since, nevertheless, and the dynamic of the Superbike grid has shifted dramatically from the one followers would bear in mind in September. Absent will probably be 2021 champion Alex Dumas, the primary rival to Younger and a three-time winner at SMP, together with frontrunners Trevor Daley and Tomas Casas.
Shedding Dumas – the same old thorn in Younger’s facet – will probably be music to the ears of the Van Dolder’s Residence Crew BMW squad, as the 2 rivals had mixed to win each race within the final two seasons and 24 of the final 26 races total (12 victories every).
Betting on Younger to probably sweep the 2024 season can be a well-liked selection, having gained at 5 of the six venues on the calendar and driving on the highest stage of his profession with 5 consecutive victories to grab the 2023 crown.
However one rider’s absence is one other rider’s alternative, and also you don’t must look any farther than spherical one a 12 months in the past to see that Younger is totally bulletproof. The Collingwood, ON native completed a distant second in race one earlier than a bodywork situation relegated him to sixth in race two, undoubtedly his worst weekend of the season.
Younger additionally gained’t overlook who was main that opening race, because the eventual victory was handed to Dumas after a crash out of the lead by Sam Guerin – maybe Younger’s greatest rival coming into the 2024 marketing campaign.
Guerin has but to style victory within the professional ranks however proved he’s greater than succesful a 12 months in the past, ending third within the championship and at instances trying like the one rider who may match the duo on the entrance.
The EFC Group BMW star would love nothing higher than to complete what he began a 12 months in the past, successful the opening race at Shannonville and ending Younger’s quest for a “good season” earlier than it even begins, however he’s hardly the one one with these ambitions.
Trevor Dion may also be chasing his first profession Superbike victory in 2024, and he could not have to attend lengthy for it after his breakthrough performances to finish 2023. After beginning the 12 months with Kawasaki and solely cracking the top-five on one event, Dion joined Financial system Lube Ducati for the ultimate spherical and promptly rattled off three podium finishes in a row to complete because the Professional Rookie of the 12 months.
The 22-year-old by no means received the possibility to race round Shannonville’s spherical one “professional observe” structure final season, lacking the opener with an damage, however his performances on the “lengthy observe” finale had been sufficient to place your entire discipline on discover.
The ultimate title of the “huge 4” to observe will probably be one far more acquainted to Younger, nevertheless, as he’s positive to resume his rivalry with 14-time champion Jordan Szoke sooner or later this season.
Now the healthiest he’s been for the reason that 2021 season, Szoke has appeared revitalized in his quest for an additional title and isn’t one to doubt on at any observe, together with Shannonville the place he has totalled a powerful seven profession victories. The Canadian Kawasaki rider scored two podiums on the venue final season and will probably be hoping so as to add to that complete this weekend from the highest step of the field.
Whereas the names above appear the most probably to stress Younger on the season opener, they’re hardly the one riders able to turning heads at Shannonville.
David MacKay will probably be an particularly intriguing rider to observe because the reigning Professional Sport Bike champion adjusts to an even bigger Snow Metropolis Cycle Honda machine, piloting a Superbike for the primary time in his nationwide profession.
Becoming a member of him within the midfield will probably be teenage sensation John Fraser, who narrowly missed out on high rookie honours a 12 months in the past with six top-eight finishes on the season, together with a profession greatest fifth on the Shannonville professional observe aboard his RLS Contracting Suzuki.
Preventing alongside him would be the favorite for this 12 months’s Brooklin Cycle Racing Professional Rookie of the 12 months award in Connor Campbell, who made the soar to Superbike within the closing spherical final season and can proceed with B&T MacFarlane/Kubota Kawasaki for the complete marketing campaign in 2024.
Different darkish horses to maintain an eye fixed out for at Shannonville will probably be Paul Macdonell and Guillaume Fortin, each of whom will probably be racing new machines this season. Macdonell has switched to Vass Efficiency BMW and can look to construct upon his greatest end of seventh at SMP final 12 months, whereas Fortin returns to the sequence aboard a Turcotte Efficiency Ducati after only one look final season.
The fourth 12 months of the Constructors Championship may also get underway at Shannonville, the place two-time reigning champions BMW hope to kickstart their title defence with Younger and Guerin on the entrance.
Inaugural champs and 2023 runners-up Suzuki might want to rely totally on Fraser in spherical one at SMP, opening the door for the likes of Kawasaki and Ducati to hitch the title struggle for the primary time after the award was launched in 2021.
The complete weekend schedule for the GP Bikes Professional Superbike class – and the remainder of the seven Bridgestone CSBK classes – might be discovered on the sequence’ official web site at CSBK.ca.
For extra data on the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship, go to www.csbk.ca or electronic mail information@csbk.ca.
The publish Canadian Superbike: Championship Opens Might 17-19 At Shannonville appeared first on Roadracing World Journal | Bike Driving, Racing & Tech Information.
