The final event of the 2023 Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship series featured a busy schedule at SMP and was blessed with the best weather of the entire 2023 tour. As usual, the CSBK event staff were busy with pre and post-race technical checks, including post-race weights and measurement on the official series Dynojet Dyno operated by Brooklin Cycle Racing.
In the GP Bikes backed Pro Superbike Feature class, the strongest horsepower output came from the newly crowned number one plate holder, Ben Young, and his Van Dolder’s Home Team/Motul BMW M1000RR Superbike. After winning Friday’s opening race, Young’s BeeMm “spun the drum” to register 199.81 horsepower, the highest ever officially measured in the history of the series.
The current maximum permitted output for the “big bikes” is 210 horsepower as observed on the Dynojet rear-wheel Dynamometer, a revision made last spring to the previous, long-term maximum of 200 – established based on the second-generation BMW inline four’s recorded performance.
Friday’s feature class runner-up was Jordan Szoke, and his works backed Repsol Kawasaki ZX-10R Ninja had the second strongest reading, at 193.96. Over the course of the weekend, Trevor Dion earned three third place finishes in the Feature races, and in the opener the Express Lube and Tire Ducati v4 Panigale registered 184.66 horsepower.
Sam Guerin’s fourth overall EFC Group/United Rentals BMW S1000RR made 193.18 horsepower, while his race rival, Trevor Daley, registered 185.43 horsepower with his OneSpeed/Ecstar Suzuki GSX-R1000R. Season-long points leader Alex Dumas crashed on the opening lap with his Purple Skull Brewing Suzuki and was not required to attend the Dyno measurement session post-race Friday in the paddock.
When weights were measured in BS Battery Qualifying, pole man Dumas had the heaviest reading of the session, the Suzuki at 402 pounds. Young’s BMW weighted in at 379 pounds, with Guerin at a similar 382 pounds. “T.V. Tommy” Casas fell late in the second “Q” session, forcing a red flag, and his dirt-packed Yamaha YZF-R1 eventually crossed the scales at 398 pounds. Szoke’s Ninja was the weightiest at 407 pounds.
The Liqui Moly Pro Sport Bike title chase was a good one between the Snow City/Salit Steel Kawasaki ZX-6R Ninja of eventual Champ David MacKay and the Blackstock Motorsports/Accelerated Tech Yamaha YZF-R6 of Matthew Simpson. The class maximum for middleweight has been 125 horsepower since 2006. Following Qualifying, MacKay’s Ninja produced 117.12 horsepower, Simpson just ahead at 121.92.
The best output registered among the Pro Sport Bike racers was former class Champ for Kawasaki Sebastien Tremblay on the “Gen 2” new rules Suzuki GSX-R750, measuring 123.21. Interestingly, the second-best overall Dyno run belonged to top class rookie John Laing and his Vass Performance Kawasaki ZX-6R Ninja, with 123.15.
Measured during a different session and thus not directly comparable to the other Sport Bike entries, Elliot Vieira’s GP Bikes “Gen 2” Ducati Panigale v2 registered an impressive 124.89 horsepower on the official Dynojet Dyno, dangerously close to the class limit.
In Amateur production action, new double champ and third generation competitor Maverick Cyr was strong on the track and in Tech, his Rizzin/Speed Factory Triumph 675 Daytona producing 119.15 horsepower after Superbike Qualifying.
Cyr’s season-long rival, Andrew Cooney switched to Ducati after engine issues with his Honda sidelined the team at the previous C.T.M.P. event. Cooney was DQed twice during Tech at S.M.P.: his new twin ran out of fuel during Qualifying (so was unable to run on the Dyno) and then registered 129 after winning the Scorpion EXO Amateur Sport Bike race, well beyond the 125 permitted number.
Top open class bike among the Amateur contingent in AIM Insurance Superbike was BMW mounted Matt Vanderhorst, at 184.29 horsepower.
At the scales, Cyr’s victorious Triumph measured 371 pounds, as did the Kawasaki ZX-6R of Sunday winner Philip DeGamma-Blanchet.
There are two divisions for Lightweight Bikes, with slightly different requirements for post-race Technical Inspection. In the EBC Brakes Pro-Am division, the maximum power allowed is 50, and on the Dyno after race one the victorious Kawasaki Ninja 400 of Vincent Wilson put out 47.74 horsepower and weighed in at 316 pounds, just ahead of runner-up Stacey Nesbitt, her Ninja setting a 44.94 output/317 pounds. The third placed Yamaha YZF-R3 of Ryan Vanderputten secured readings of 46.56/307 pounds.
The Super Sonic Road Race School Amateur Lightweight Sport Bike category is focused on rider development and works with a more restrictive set of standards – maximum engine performance is capped in the 45-horsepower range, depending on the bike.
Fast Qualifier and graduate of the Super Sonic School Vincent Lalande went to the Dyno post session with the Speed Factory Kawasaki, registering 43.91 horsepower. Second best Wilson was docked one starting position for registering just above the prescribed maximum at 45.28.
Wilson’s Pro-AM Ninja was weighed at 317 pound after race one, slightly heavier than the runner-up Kawasaki of Jack Beaudry at 313 – and the same as Nesbitt’s 400 twin.
CSBK Officials don’t expect any significant changes in the rules parameters for the 2024 Bridgestone CSBK season.