There was a massive shift atop the Amateur ranks at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on Saturday, as Andrew Cooney seized the lead of the AIM Insurance Amateur Superbike class at round four of the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship.
Facing a 12-point title deficit to rival Mavrick Cyr – who had thus far been unbeaten in both amateur classes – Cooney found himself locked in a six-rider battle at the front early on, one that included Cyr right on his tail as Matt Vanderhorst paced the field.
A determined Cooney eventually ran out of patience at his favourite venue, though, working his way into the lead and stretching out a slight advantage aboard his Fast Company Honda.
Meanwhile, the fight for second began to take its toll on Cyr, turning things from bad to worse for the Rizzin Racing Triumph rider as he was relegated to fifth at the line. That not only saw his perfect run broken, but it also turned the tide entirely in the championship hunt, as Cooney takes over a four-point lead at the top of the standings.
Early leader Vanderhorst would come under pressure from both Cooney and Tyler Brewer at the front, with Brewer eventually getting the better of the BMW rider aboard his Yamaha to decide the final podium places, while Mack Weil turned in a spectacular fourth to shunt Cyr down an additional spot in the final corner.
The Scorpion EXO Amateur Sport Bike race was pushed to Sunday morning at CTMP, after a lap one crash forced major delays due to a fire in turn five. Thankfully, no competitors were injured in the incident.
The battle of the Vincent’s raged on in the Super Sonic School Amateur Lightweight class, as Vincent Wilson held off a relentless attack from championship leader Vincent Lalande in race one.
The duo immediately broke away from the rest of the field and ran together from start-to-finish, but Lalande was unable to make a move stick on the Atlantic Mini Kawasaki rider who brought home his third consecutive victory.
Lalande would limit the damage to his championship lead, though, finishing second aboard his SpeedFactory67 Kawasaki machine to take a 21-point advantage into Sunday, while fellow teenager Jack Beaudry completed the podium in a lonely third for the TPL Squadra Corse team.
Wilson would double up his day later on in the amateur split of the EBC Brakes Lightweight Pro/Am, but it was Cameron Walker who celebrated a triumphant return to the series with an overall victory in the pro ranks.
Walker was part of a five-rider duel with fellow pros Gary McKinnon and Stacey Nesbitt, while Wilson and Lalande renewed their rivalry atop the amateur split, though it was the amateur duo who gave Walker the toughest run to the line.
In the end, the entire podium was separated by only 0.160 seconds, with Walker fending off Wilson and Lalande at the chequered flag in his first race since winning at CTMP a year ago.
Nesbitt will extend her lead atop the pro division, however, as main challenger Ryan Vanderputten could only muster fourth in his split and sixth overall, while Wilson extends his advantage over Lalande to 21 points entering race two on Sunday.
Despite the difficult result in the Amateur Superbike race, Cyr will retain his lead atop the Surron Electric Rider Award battle, as closest challenger Vanderputten was denied the fastest lap in the Pro/Am duel to keep Cyr in first place with two fastest laps in four races.
Full results from Saturday’s amateur action can be found on the series’ official website at CSBK.ca.