Team News: Connor Campbell Season Update

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Category: Team News

Published on Tuesday, September 6, 2022 09:45 EDT

Campbell turning focus to 2023 title challenge

Preparations for the 2023 Canadian Superbike Championship season have already begun for Connor Campbell and the B&T MacFarlane/Kubota Canada Kawasaki team, as he shifts his focus towards a national championship bid in the Liqui Moly Pro Sport Bike class.

Campbell was one of the breakout stars of the first two rounds in 2022, sitting fourth in the championship entering Atlantic Motorsport Park and coming off a career-best fourth in race one at Grand Bend, sitting right on the verge of his first Pro national podium.

Unfortunately, that momentum was halted when Campbell suffered a number of serious injuries in a major crash at AMP, sidelining him for the final four races of the campaign as he slid to eighth in the final standings. 

Now nearing a full recovery, Campbell has not been shaken one bit by the crash, instead using the time off to fuel himself for a full-fledged championship push in 2023 as he ramps up his offseason training, including hiring a personal trainer for the winter.

“I’m staying focused and motivated for our 2023 title push, and we are already putting a great program together – definitely our best yet,” Connor said. “We ride our Kawasaki KX450’s on the ice as much as we can over the winter, and we have hired a personal trainer to help with my diet and fitness plan this offseason so I can be ready to chase that title in 2023.”

Campbell proved his abilities against one of the strongest Sport Bike fields in recent memory last season – a grid that produced five different winners in eight races – and knows he can take another step forward in 2023 as he looks to join that list of first-time winners in the category.

His return will also be a boost for Kawasaki, who will look for their third consecutive Sport Bike title after Trevor Dion won the championship in 2022. Campbell was an integral part of their early-season dominance, representing the third ZX-6R rider inside the top-four prior to his injuries. 

With many of his rivals shuffling places this offseason, Campbell’s familiarity with the machine will provide an even bigger opportunity to him next season, as he becomes one of Kawasaki’s most important Pro national riders returning in 2023. 

“We hope to put in a solid title push and hopefully come out on top at the end of the season,” Connor said. “We were close to the podium already in 2022 and had pace in AMP, which unfortunately didn’t go as planned, but it has motivated me even more and I’ll be back stronger and faster next season!”

Campbell plans to ride as much as possible over the harsh Canadian winter, and has remained trackside even after his campaign was cut short as an instructor for the Canadian Mini Superbike Championship.

Those plans may include a trip south of the border for winter testing, as Connor and the team aim to hit the ground running when round one of the 2023 CSBK campaign rolls around next summer. 

Campbell would like to thank Kawasaki Canada, B&T MacFarlane, Kubota Canada, DP Brakes, Bickle Racing, RST, Moto World, KYT, EURO Race, Pro 6 Cycle, and 613 Motorsports for all their support through the difficult but promising 2022 season, and hopes to welcome everyone back for an even stronger title push in 2023. 

From a press release