Reigning Pro Superbike champion Alex Dumas found his way back to the front of the grid on Saturday, taking his second career BS Battery Pole Position ahead of this weekend’s CSBK doubleheader at Calabogie Motorsports Park.
Dumas had plenty of pace throughout the day, setting lap-record pace in morning practice, but it was Suzuki-mate Trevor Daley who led the majority of the qualifying session as he chased his first career Superbike pole.
The usual suspects returned in the late stages, though, as Dumas and rival Ben Young traded fast laps in the dying moments, with the reigning champion ultimately getting the last laugh as he posted a time of 2:00.949.
“It feels good to be back up here at the front of the grid, it’s where we really wanted to be for this afternoon and tomorrow,” Dumas said. “The plan is to get to the front and try to hold these guys off, and pole position is hopefully going to help that.”
Dumas remains undefeated at Calabogie after four wins here last season, and will look to keep that streak alive in race one on Saturday evening. The Liqui Moly/Fast School Suzuki rider will have more important matters to focus on, however, as he looks to erase his championship deficit to rival Ben Young.
Young will get some consolation in his second-place grid spot, as it promotes him to the overall lead in the season-long BS Battery Pole Award battle, two points clear of Alex Dumas after coming up just short on Saturday.
The Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW rider is debuting his brand new 2022 M1000RR this weekend, and has come to grips with the machine early as he prepares to battle it out with Dumas on two occasions this weekend.
Completing the front row will be Daley, who lost out again on a dream pole position charge but will still be in a good position to challenge for his maiden victory later on this afternoon aboard his OneSpeed Suzuki machine.
BS Battery Pro Superbike Qualifying – Top 5:
1.Alex Dumas 2:00.949
2.Ben Young 2:01.309
3.Trevor Daley 2:01.870
4.Sebastien Tremblay 2:03.585
5.Michael Leon 2:04.132
Trevor Dion will start on pole position for the Liqui Moly Pro Sport Bike class after another sensational qualifying effort, crushing the field by over a half-second as he set a new qualifying lap record.
Dion was far from the betting favourite entering Calabogie, having never appeared here as a Pro before, but the LDS Consultants Kawasaki rider proved himself once again as he looks to stretch his championship lead later on Saturday.
The full qualifying order can be found on the series’ official website at csbk.ca.