CALGARY, Alberta – Race City Motorsport Park

On what was to be the last official Parts Canada Superbike Championship held at the Race City Motorsport Park, an enthusiastic audience was granted endless rays of sun. As if to remind the crowd of the will of the weather gods, the Buell® bikes of the Deeley Racing/Ruthless Racing Inc. team emanated a constant growl and grumble throughout the weekend.

The Deeley Racing/Ruthless Racing Inc. team had four top-ten finishes within two national events, consequently validating Buell® 1125RTM bikes as high-performance sport bikes. The qualifying rounds of the Yoshimura Pro Sport Bike on Saturday came to an abrupt end when a red flag appeared just 2.5 minutes before the planned end of the race due to Rupert Collins’ Ducati clipping Darren James’ 1125RTM motorcycle and crashing into the wall. James’ expert reflexes allowed him to counteract and maintain control of his bike in order to bring it to an 11th place finish. Dave Estok, although still mildly concussed from his crash in Mirabel, finished in a solid eighth spot, while veteran Steve Crevier displayed brilliant tactics and qualified in fourth, just a split-second behind the top three racers.

With a grid of 25 contending riders in the Yoshimura Pro Sport Bike final race on Sunday, the spectators witnessed some electrifying moments and some very close action.

Dave bravely defended his qualifying position until the very end, commenting afterwards, “I am happy with the results today. I know I can do better, but it is comforting that I was running only seconds off the guys ahead. One of my main goals was to keep the BMWs at bay, which I managed to do. They were struggling with the front end and the Buell® 1125RTM [bike] just ate them up on the straightaways.

A beaming Darren James hopped off the bike after finishing in tenth position and with unconcealed pleasure confided, “I am obviously ecstatic about placing in [the] top ten, and I owe everything to Dave, Rod, and Thomas Morin, who gave it their all to have the bike prepped so well for me. I am also grateful for not having wrecked a bike this weekend for a change!”

Steve Crevier relentlessly weaved his way through the race, looking to take advantage of opportunities with his Buell® 1125RTM bike and finally settled for fifth place, the highest position of the three 1125RTM bikes on the track, just a split-second away from the riders in the lead. In a rare moment of seriousness, he conceded that, “Three races into the season, I am quite excited about the performance of the bikes. I am having quite a lot of fun because my bike favours larger tracks such as this one.”

The Superbike event delivered the promised entertainment to all racing fans. With a seventh position, Crevier secured a second row start in the Pirelli Superpole, and commented, “I’m a little disappointed and could have done better. I dragged the fairing and slid the bike in the second-to-last turn, so my drive onto the front straightaway was affected. But still, I managed to shave three-quarters of a second off my personal best Superpole time.”

Finally, in a showdown that visibly engaged the crowd, there was some serious dicing action between lead contenders Jordan Szoke, on a Kawasaki, and Brett McCormick on his Suzuki. Meanwhile, a judicious Crevier carved his path on the track, using corners three and four to attempt passes. Highlights included Crevier block-passing Kawasaki rider Alex Welsh, and making an aggressive pass on Mike Zottmann, decisively cutting off the Suzuki rider on the carousel.

As eager spectators cheered on Brett McCormick in his final pass as he stole supremacy from Szoke, Crevier narrowly missed out on the fifth position he was aiming for, and concluded his race with a sixth-place finish behind Suzuki rider Clint McBain.

In attendance of Don James, Chairman & CEO of Deeley Harley-Davidson® Canada, an impish smile crossed Crevier’s face as he tried his luck in stating, “I know, I know… I could have done better! I was under too much pressure knowing that the big boss was here. But I promise, I will do my homework and put the 1125RTM [bike] onto the podium before the end of the season. It’s a great bike and [it] deserves to be there. I will be humbled to be the one to ride it there.”

And Crevier being Crevier, we cannot but take his word for it.

The Deeley Racing/Ruthless Racing Inc. team – powered by Buell will be racing in the double-header of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship at the Mosport International Speedway in Bowmannville, Ontario. For information on how to get there, please refer to www.partscanada.com.

CALGARY, Alta. - Despite controlling the race for 21 laps, five-time Canadian champion Jordan Szoke had to settle for a second pace finish in the third round of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship at Race City Motorsport Park in Calgary on Sunday.

The 30-year-old from Brantford, Ont. qualified on pole on his Canadian Kawasaki Motors factory Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R and led the every lap around the 3.2km (2.0-mile) track, but in the final section of turns on the last lap he slipped just a little bit wide and was passed for the top spot. The tight nature of the final section of turns left few opportunities to regain the lead; Szoke used every ounce of power from his Ninja ZX-10R to run down McCormick to the checkered flag but finished second by just 0.080 secs.

"Kawasaki always gives me a great motorcycle and I had the bike to win today," said Szoke, who was trying to win for the ninth time at Race City in the Superbike class. "The bike was perfect. I'm mad at myself for leaving the door open. I felt super-comfortable all race."

Despite ending the morning pre-qualifying session in second on Saturday Szoke claimed pole for Sunday's Superbike race with a lap at 1:15.126 in the Pirelli SuperPole session. The time was under the previous lap record and put him almost half a second clear of his nearest rival.

"You hate to complain when you've put it on pole but I had some trouble with my downshifts into turn one and lost a bit of time there," Szoke said. "After that the lap was going great but in the Bus Stop Chicane I got into a wheelie and that screwed my drive up for the run into corner eight. In the end I was pleased to get that good a lap."

Although he didn't get the holeshot off the line at the start of the race Szoke powered into the lead by the time the field reached turn one and he controlled the race from there. He set the fastest lap, a 1:16.120 on the sixth tour and in the middle portion he had eked out a margin of just under two seconds.

Despite his runner-up finish Szoke remains a strong contender in his bid to claim a fourth straight Parts Canada Superbike title. He is just 11 points out of the lead with 146 and four races still on the schedule.

Szoke's factory Kawasaki team-mate Alex Welsh finished seventh on his Ninja ZX-10R after running as high as third early in the race. The 21-year-old from Uxbridge, Ont. qualified sixth in Pirelli SuperPole but a good start saw him running third at the end of the opening lap.

Welsh's limited Superbike experience saw him dropping back as the race progressed, however, as he struggled to maintain the pace as to tire wear started to set in on his Kawasaki.

"I'm still learning," said last year's HJC Pro Rookie of the Year. "I got a good start and the bike was good for a bit. But I have to learn how to slide the bike more later in the race. I'm still trying to keep it the same as it is on lap six and that's not the way to do it. But I think we'll be up there the rest of the season. I've got a great team behind me and the guys are working hard."

Welsh is now sixth in the Superbike point standings with 79 but just seven points out of third.
Szoke regained the lead of the Yoshimura Pro Sport Bike Championship with his second win of the season at Race City on Sunday. Despite a mid-race red flag stoppage that erased a four-second lead Szoke was able to control the eight-lap second part to win by 0.085 secs.

"You never like to see anybody get hurt and I know we have to protect out racers, but I have to admit I was kind of upset about having to restart a second time," admitted the three-time defending class champion. "I had such a good lead and I was in a groove. The bike was phenomenal."

On the restart Szoke again got the lead before the end of the first lap but this time had company all the way. He stayed cool under pressure, however, and overcame a last minute challenge for the top spot to take the win.

"I thought I might be able to do the same in the second race and break away but it's tough here," admitted Szoke, who also qualified on pole. "It's nice if you can break the draft but I couldn't manage it again after the restart."

His win gives Szoke a nine-point lead in the Pro Sport Bike standings with 155 points.
Welsh took third place at Race City on his Ninja ZX-6R, his best career national finish and his first ever podium appearance. He was fourth after the opening lap of the restart but took third on lap three and pulled away from his pursuers.

"I was stuck in fourth when the red flag came out and I thought I had waited too long to make a move," he explained. "I didn't want to do that in the second race so I got up there as early as I could and after that just put my head down.

"This is an awesome feeling. I wouldn't be here without my family; it's been a long road to get here. And I can't thank the Kawasaki team enough. They gave me a once in a lifetime chance."
Welsh is now fourth in Pro Sport Bike points with 98, just one point out of third.


The Canadian Kawasaki Motors factory team resumes its 2009 Parts Canada Superbike season at Mosport International Raceway in Bowmanville, Ont. July 17-19 for the traditional mid-season doubleheader.

Derby (UK), Monday 29th June: Noriyuki Haga, Ducati Xerox Team rider and current leader of the World Superbike Championship, was transported to the Emergency department of Derby City Hospital by helicopter at about 5pm yesterday afternoon, after having been victim of a massive high-side during race 2 at Donington Park.

The Japanese rider, accompanied by doctors fram the Clinica Mobile, was seen by Doctor Rajan and once extensive test and un urgent CAT scan were carried out, Dr. Rajan declared that the fracture to one of the vertebrae that had shown up on the X-ray taken at the circuit's Medical Centre was actually a very old fracture and must have been caused during another much earlier incident, years previously. This fracture has, over time, sealed without medical intervention and doesn't present a problem.

After a stable night in the Pre-Op assessment ward of Derby City Hospital, Noriyuki Haga will undergo surgery this afternoon to insert a plate and screws in his right forearm, to set a fracture to the right ulna. His is continuing to experience pain in the left shoulder blade, and so although no serious damage has yet been detected, doctors will investigate further to undertand teh cause of the pain.

The only injury needing immediate treatment at this time is the broken ulna. If the surgery is deemed a success, and there are no complications regarding his shoulder blade, Noriyuki should be able to return home to Italy in the next two days and the Ducati Xerox Team does not currently exclude the possibility of Noriyuki's return to the track in time for the next round in the Czech Republic, on the 26th July at Brno.

I haven't seen the AGV brand of helmets around at shops on the East Coast (Canada) but a bit of searching seems to suggest that plenty of Canadians are wearing them. They can be ordered in at many shops. They're just not broadly distributed in Canada - or at least it would seem. They do make some beautiful looking helmets.

Donington Park (UK), Saturday 28th June: today was once again conditioned by the British weather and unfortunately the Ducati Xerox riders Noriyuki Haga and Michel Fabrizio had to complete the final phase of today’s Superpole under a light rain. For tomorrow races the two Ducati men, on board their Ducati 1198s, will line up on the grid next to each other in fifth (Fabrizio) and sixth (Haga) position. Although the Superbike riders woke up to another grey and cloudy day, the weather fortunately did not impede them in the morning’s first qualifying session and all of the strongest players were able to improve on yesterday’s lap times. Michel Fabrizio, the only rider to duck under 1m31 yesterday, continued to progress today and closed the session at the top of the timesheets, three tenths of a second faster than the best time he recorded in first qualifying. Today’s forty-five minute session also proved to be more positive for Haga who, after the problems experienced yesterday, got back on the right road this morning and, mid-session, put in a few very fast laps to record in the process the second fastest time, just two tenths off team-mate Fabrizio’s pace.

In the afternoon the first two mini-Superpole sessions took place in the dry and both Noriyuki and Michel passed from the first to the second and then to the final phase without difficulty. Michel recorded a new lap record in the second phase, lapping in 1m29.6s. Of the eight riders remaining in the third and final session, those who exited the pits immediately gained a small advantage as the rain then began, preventing the Ducati Xerox riders from pushing without taking risks. The technicians declared themselves satisfied with the performance of Haga and Fabrizio today; the riders will line up in fifth (Michel) and sixth (Noriyuki) place on the grid tomorrow, alongside Byrne on Team Sterilgarda’s 1198 in third place, and Czech rider Smrz on the Ducati of Team Guandalini eighth.

Michel Fabrizio 1m30.7s “It was a pity it started to rain right at that moment, in the last part of the Superpole, but I did my best and starting from the second row shouldn’t be too much of a problem. For tomorrow I’d say that we’re sorted with regard to the race tyre and as far as the qualifiers we used today are concerned it didn’t go badly. I wanted to get under 1m30 and in the second Superpole I managed that, breaking the lap record in the process. Tomorrow we have to see what the weather will do, and then based on the track temperature, we’ll decide which rear tyre we’ll use to try and get back on the podium again.”

Noriyuki Haga 1m31.0s “We found a good solution today for the setting of my 1198 and I considerably improved my lap times. We just need to decide on the race tyre. The choice comes down to which rear, because there are two quite similar solutions, but we need to wait and see and decide tomorrow based on the track temperature. I just hope that track conditions tomorrow are not damp but either totally dry or totally wet. In the final Superpole this afternoon I could have pushed harder but to tell the truth I didn’t want to risk a crash; some of the guys made some fast laps but I preferred not to take risks and so will start tomorrow in sixth.”

TIMES (Superpole): 1. Spies (Yamaha) 1m29.8s; 2. Biaggi (Aprilia) 1m30.0s; 3. Byrne (Ducati) 1m30.5s; 4. Nakano (Aprilia) 1m30.6s; 5. Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) 1m30.7s; 6. Haga (Ducati Xerox) 1m31.0s; 7. Checa (Honda) 1m31.3s; 8. Smrz (Ducati) 1m34.7s

The 2009 Erzberg Rodeo is the main topic of the latest edition of KTM's online magazine "Brennraum."

TORONTO, Ontario (June 24, 2009) – The team riders are ready for this coming weekend’s Parts Canada Superbike races at Race City in Calgary, Alberta, round three of the National Road Race Championships. After two rounds, the Deeley racers are well placed for a run at two separate championships.

In the premiere Parts Canada Superbike class, Steve Crevier currently sits in fifth place after his fifth place finish at round one in Calabogie, Ontario, and after his inspiring ride to fourth place at the round two race in Montréal. Last year in Calgary, Steve was forced to retire from the race early after a minor mechanical glitch.

“Yeah, that was unfortunate,” he commented. “But that’s racing and that was last year. This year, I’m pretty confident things are going to be different. We’ve been working through some issues, I’m trying to do my part on track, and the crew, Pete Snell, and the rest, have been outstanding. We’ll just put our heads down and do our absolute best. You can’t ask for more than that.”

All three Buell® 1125RTM bike riders will compete in the Yoshimura Sportbike class and are placed as follows after two events. Steve Crevier holds sixth position, Darren James is in 11th, and Dave Estok is holding 13th. Had it not been for an unfortunate crash at the Mirabel race, Dave would be much higher in the standings.

“I’m still disappointed in myself for crashing at Mirabel,” the Florida-based rider explained. “I’ve got kind of a reputation for not crashing, and we were doing pretty good when I went down. But, that’s behind me now. As for Calgary, to be honest, Race City is not my favourite track and yet, ironically, I’ve done well there. Last year I put the Buell® [bike] on the podium, and I’d like to do that or better this weekend. The long straight at Calgary should work to our advantage; it will really show the Buell® 1125TM [bike’s] power. Each race I’m getting closer to Steve, and one of my goals for this year is to have a good heads up race with him. He’s absolutely one of the best, so if I can run with him, I’ll be happy.”

Placing right behind Estok last year in fourth place at Calgary was team boss Darren James. James rode most of the season with aggravating injuries, and Calgary was no different. “I am really looking forward to Calgary,” he commented. “This is the only Parts Canada race we have out west, and it’s very important to us. Our crew has been working extremely hard to get us this far, and we are improving with each outing, so we intend to continue that climb. We have a strong fan following in Calgary, and the Deeley team has no intention [of] letting them down.”

Practise starts Friday for round three of the 2009 series, with qualifying and Pirelli Superpole on Saturday, and a full card of National Championship races on Sunday.

For further information on the track, please refer to www.cdnsuperbike.com.

Yesterday, MCN claimed to have scooped the industry and come out with the first photo's of Honda's new V4 bike, the VFR1200. Photo's and details are all rumor at this point and Honda hasn't commented specifically about the new VFR yet. Honda have have indicated a new V4 bike is on the way though.

The festivities at five-day event known as "Atlanticade" started on Wednesday, June 24th and run through to June 28th. Atlanticade takes place in Moncton, New Brunswick. This is the third year for the event and it's going to be bigger than ever - they're expecting 10,000 motorcyclists this year (according to their website).

Last year they had participants from almost every province, along with entries from the U.S.; they even had a long distance entrant all the way from Ireland.

Speaking of Ireland; Heather Ireland will be there with the folks from Biker-TV to film all the action. Custom builders and painters will be competing for the chance to win over $7,500 in prize money and awards.

Plenty of activities are scheduled; there's some organized rides, wings competitions, tons of live performances, lots of vendors, dyno days, poker runs, burnout competitions, and plenty more.

If you can't get enough live music as part of the many performances of Atlanticade - well then there's a Bon Jovi concert taking place at Magnetic Hill the same weekend too. Headliner for the event will be Bachman-Cummings (former frontmen for The Guess Who.

So, get yourself packed and head on down to Atlanticade - check out the website here for additional details.

Photo courtesy Atlanticade

Corazzo, a maker of some fine looking scooter and motorcycle garments is thinking ahead to cooler times and just came out with a couple Limited Edition "Club Sweaters." I don't want to think of cooler months just yet, but these sweaters should make riding in the cooler evenings and late summer days more enjoyable.

We told you a little bit about Corazzo before, they're a Portland Oregon based company but many of their products are made in Canada and available at finer Vespa dealerships.

They've got the "Rocker" which is made of custom dyed American made wool, features an extra wide waist band to keep it from riding up when you're on the road. Some other nice touches are the Napa leather letters spelling Corazzo across the chest, large leather elbow patches, a zip up collar that beats back the cold mornings, and thumb holes to ensure the sleeves stay tucked in."

Then there's the "Tricolore" which is designed in a raglan style, with sleeves knitted lengthwise for a comfortable fit. The zip collar and thumb holes keep out the cold. There's a small Corazzo chest patch and tri color stripes knit on the right sleeve.

For ordering details check out Corazzo's website. The Tricolore is listed at $249USD while the Rocker is $275USD.

BMW has become the latest manufacturer to offer up their off-road machines to rent at the ISDE race. KTM had announced their program in early June.

Full details:

This year the 84th International Six Days Enduro (ISDE) will take place in Figueira Da Foz, Portugal, from 12-17 October. For all ambitious enduro riders who would like to participate in this historic event open to all levels of rider, the great news is that BMW Motorrad is offering a rental service.

This is fantastic news for riders from all over the world who believed that competing at an ISDE would be too expensive for them because of the logistics involved in transporting motorcycles, spares and technicians from their home country to the event. Now, with the availability of a limited number of BMW G 450 X motorcycles to rent, as well as spare parts and service package options, competitors can simply fly to Portugal with their riding kit, take part in the race and then fly home again.

This service is being offered in conjunction with Finnish off-road legend Kari Tiainen, a former ISDE champion who is based in Spain and works closely with the development of the BMW Motorrad Motorsport Enduro World Championship team. From his base in southern Spain, Kari also runs BMW adventure riding tours and would love to see more BMW riders represented at the historic enduro event.

“The ISDE is a special event and because everybody is allowed to participate, there are no specific qualifications needed. Naturally, there is a pro class, but there is also a clubman class so if you fancy giving it a go, we can help you not only with the provision of a BMW G 450 X machine, but also technical and spares support too, because at the end of a hard day’s ride, the last thing you’ll want to do is start working on your machine! We’re also hoping to attract local as well as overseas riders with this offer, which we think is great value for money.”

With a limited number of motorcycles available, this offer is open until 15 August. In brief, there is a choice of two types of BMW sport enduro available for rent – a G 450 X ‘six days edition’ at €2,200 euro plus tax, or a G 450 X ‘Kari Tiainen six days racing replica’ at €4,000 euro plus tax. The rental price includes transportation from Spain to Portugal, internal transport to the race paddock, preparation, registration and road insurance. The service package costs an additional €500 euro (plus tax), while the price of the ‘Kari Tiainen six days racing replica’ also includes two training and suspension set-up days (29-30 September) at Kari’s base in Andalucia.

The Service Package offers the supply of spare parts and fuel from the paddock area, as well as special access to reserved areas at various checkpoints where riders will find personnel for technical assistance, supply of emergency spare parts, fuel, lubricants and light refreshments. Please note that fuel, lubricants and spare parts will be charged according to use, and are not included in the Service Package cost. Riders will also have the possibility of storing spare clothing, personal belongings etc., inside special containers in the assistance vans.

The International Six Days Enduro is one of the best known off-road motorcycle events in the world and has been thrilling fans for almost 100 years. Last year, along with more than 450 riders from 33 countries, BMW Motorrad Motorsport team riders Kari Tiainen Anders Eriksson and Spaniard Xacob Agra successfully put BMW’s G 450 X through its toughest ever competitive challenge. All three riders completed the gruelling event, staged in Serres, Greece, without any problems to claim gold medal finishes. For 2009, expect another factory-backed effort – and a host of amateur riders on BMW G 450 X sport enduros – to contest the Portuguese event and fly the flag for BMW Motorrad.

For more information and the full terms and conditions of this offer, please contact Kari Tiainen directly either by visiting www.exdreames.com, emailing info@exdreames.com or calling +34 951 165 199 or +34 606 590 841.

Munich. With immediate effect, David Knight and the off-road team of BMW Motorrad Motorsport will be parting company.

The two-times World Enduro Championship winner and winner of the US Grand National Cross Country only joined the BMW Motorrad Team Offroad at the beginning of the 2009 season. The move during the current enduro racing season is by mutual agreement.

Before the start of the racing season David Knight completed several tests on the G 450 X racing machine. However, during the season it has become apparent that rider and racing bike do not harmonise well enough to be able to achieve top placements within this highly competitive environment. For this reason, David Knight and BMW Motorrad Motorsport have decided to end their collaboration in good and fair manner.