CSBK Untold: Extra Storylines from Round Four at CTMP

It seems like not much more excitement can be packed into Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship weekends, but every round more and more stories are left on the cutting room floor by the time Sunday comes and goes.

From the major stories that require a bit more detail, to the countless hidden gems that never crack the spotlight, here are some added storylines from round four at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.


Guerin officially part of Superbike “big-three”

Sam Guerin has been a frontrunner from the moment he turned pro in 2020, scoring a pair of podiums that season and finishing second in the championship. However, while he added two more podiums earlier this year and led Alex Dumas in Shannonville, the consensus was that Dumas and Ben Young were in a tier of their own at the front.

Guerin changed that this weekend.

The “big-two” officially became a “big-three” at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, as Guerin proved not just to be a nuisance to championship leader Dumas but was able to outright beat him – not once or twice, but all three times in the tripleheader – something only Young and Jordan Szoke have managed to do since his arrival in CSBK.

The EFC Group BMW rider is still chasing his first victory in the feature class, but has proven now more than ever that it’s not where his potential ends. Guerin has developed into a legitimate title threat for 2024, ending the era of Young vs. Dumas and creating a three-headed monster heading into the final round of the season.


Casas left wanting more at CTMP

A return to his home circuit brought a good weekend for Tomas Casas and the Parts Canada Yamaha squad, as he finished inside the top-five in all three races and even found himself in a battle with Guerin and Dumas in races one and three. 

What many fans didn’t see, however, is just what was keeping Casas locked at the back of that fight for so long.

The fan-favourite was noticeably down on horsepower compared to the BMW of Guerin and Suzuki of Dumas, losing considerable chunks of time on the long, crucial Andretti Straightaway before working hard to make it back up elsewhere.

“For almost five or six laps, I would blow past him on the straight and then he’d just show up again out of nowhere later in the lap,” Guerin laughed.

While Casas extended his advantage over Szoke to now sit a comfortable fourth in the championship – and refused to let any frustration show – he will surely ponder what could have been in a weekend where he demonstrated runner-up potential. 


Laing’s historic Sport Bike breakthrough

Arriving as a relative unknown to CSBK fans in May, John Laing quickly made a name for himself as a Liqui Moly Pro Sport Bike frontrunner in rounds one and two, primarily as a wet-weather specialist.

Well, the skies opened up again for Laing on Friday and he responded with a sensational debut national victory in his first ever trip to CTMP, but that hardly tells the full story of his weekend. 

Looking at the results from that round three make-up race and seeing DNF’s for four championship contenders would imply Laing inherited the lead, but that wasn’t the case as he seized the lead on lap two and pulled well clear of the chaos behind him, becoming the sixth-fastest pro winner in history (needing just five races).

The Alberta native then followed up his breakthrough performance with finishes of fourth and sixth in races two and three to move to third in the overall championship entering round five, a ridiculous scenario for a rider in just his first year of national racing.


Martin’s comeback ends in bizarre heartbreak

Two-time Superbike champion Francis Martin generated plenty of buzz when he announced his comeback at CTMP alongside Dumas under the Purple Skull Brewing/Liqui Moly Suzuki tent, and it looked to be a storybook return until an unusual mechanical issue ruined his weekend.

Having moved his way as high as third and chasing down the leaders in Sport Bike race one, Martin had a piece of porcelain break off the spark plug and fall into a cylinder, ending his weekend before it truly began.

“It’s a weird sport. I raced for over 20 years and never saw that happen, and now it happens first race I’m back!” Martin joked.  

One of the most accomplished riders in CSBK history, Martin admitted he hasn’t been riding much in retirement but that didn’t show, as he had quickly worked his way through the field and into the podium mix before his luck disappeared – a return that would have sent the CTMP crowd into a frenzy.


DeBoer’s incredible Amateur Sport Bike charge

Reigning lightweight champion Bryce DeBoer has enjoyed a quietly solid debut season in the amateur ranks, but he found something special in Scorpion EXO Amateur Sport Bike race one on Saturday.

After mechanical problems left him stranded at the back of the grid and forced to start 26th, the teenager rocketed up the field to find himself in the top-ten by only lap four, inching his way higher and higher with each lap after.

Ultimately, the Yamaha rider managed to just fend off a group of riders for fifth at the line, climbing an absurd 21 places in only a ten-lap race, a charge drawing comparisons to Jordan Szoke or Ben Young – elite company.

The comeback also proved to be crucial for his championship position, as DeBoer conceded only one place to Mack Weil as he falls to fourth in the standings, with the top three in the championship order forced to turn pro for 2024.