CSBK stars Guerin, Fortin shine in first ever Surron Light Bee race at Mirabel

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Category: Industry News

Published on Wednesday, November 2, 2022 08:41 EDT

Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship stars Samuel Guerin and Guillaume Fortin were amongst the names to headline the inaugural Surron Light Bee electric moto race, showing well in the historic event at XTown Centre in Mirabel, QC on October 15. 

The Quebecois duo took to the track just an hour north of Montreal aboard the popular Surron Light Bee X machines, an electric bike with 6 kW of power (roughly eight horsepower) and a weight of just 110 lbs. Sized roughly between a mountain bike and motocross bike, the machine produces zero emissions and has become extremely popular in areas that gas-powered bikes cannot access. 

With excellent weather and a great crowd, one which featured local Surron dealer Goulet Moto, both Guerin and Fortin quickly got up to speed on the new bikes. The Pro Superbike riders each made it through their respective heat races and into the finals, which set up a showdown between themselves and youngster Samuel Martorana. 

The battle quickly became a two-horse race when Guerin unfortunately fell, but the Quebec City native managed to remount and hunt down his rivals ahead. Meanwhile, Fortin gradually stretched a lead over Martorana, with the trio becoming evenly spaced as the race progressed.

Guerin would wind up putting plenty of pressure on the younger Martorana for second, but it wasn’t enough in the end, as Fortin would go on to claim a spectacular debut victory with Martorana runner-up and Guerin in third. 

The inaugural event at XTown is just the latest in what is a growing popularity of the Surron brand in Canada, with the Amateur Motocross Ontario (AMO) group and BC-based Future West Moto series this summer, while Future West Moto is also hosting an e-moto race as part of their Arenacross series. 

The Surron machinery has also become extremely popular with riders looking for different ways to train, with two-time Bridgestone CSBK champion Ben Young amongst the recent purchasers of a Light Bee bike. The brand has more than 50 dealers across Canada, with a full list available on their official website. 

Guerin’s latest adventure comes ahead of a pivotal campaign for the former Pro Superbike runner-up, as he looks to build upon his strong 2022 season where he finished fifth overall for the EFC Group BMW team. As for Fortin, the former Amateur Superbike champion did not make an appearance in 2022 but had some strong rookie results for Suzuki in 2021, finishing ninth overall and helping his factory capture the inaugural Constructors Championship that season.