The star power continues to grow at the front of the Liqui Moly Pro Sport Bike class entering the season finale, as Sam Guerin is now expected to join the middleweight class for the last round of the Bridgestone CSBK season at Shannonville Motorsport Park, September 15-17.
Guerin currently sits third overall in the feature GP Bikes Pro Superbike category for the EFC Group BMW team and has played a pivotal role in helping that brand to top spot in the Constructors Championship, scoring five podiums including four second-place finishes.
Superbike will remain Guerin’s top priority for the feature class tripleheader, insisting his main focus is on helping secure the manufacturers title for BMW, but if all goes as intended he will become the latest rider to do double-duty in both pro classes.
Guerin’s announcement adds yet another star talent to the Sport Bike ranks, after Sebastien Tremblay, Francis Martin, and Trevor Dion have all announced their own comebacks in recent rounds.
Reigning champion Dion will be the one Guerin finds himself alongside for part of the weekend, as he will be hopping aboard Dion’s spare privately-owned LDS Consultants Kawasaki.
Guerin is unable to ride a BMW in the category as the manufacturer has been out of the Sport Bike ranks since their unsuccessful HP2 project of 2009, though he will join forces with a former BMW rider in Dion who makes his return to Sport Bike while continuing his own Superbike campaign.
It will be slightly different for Guerin, who has never raced a Sport Bike at the national level in his career (even dating back to his amateur days), but the Quebec City native has shown he can quickly adapt to almost any machinery, evidenced by his past success in the Bagger Racing League.
Considered by many to be the best rider without a pro victory, Guerin has racked up seven podiums in his 26 career race starts and finished as the championship runner-up in his rookie Superbike season in 2020, hoping to capture that elusive win at SMP.
Guerin’s addition to the front of the field will further complicate things for title rivals David MacKay and Matt Simpson, as the duo are set to fight for their first national championship at the SMP finale.
The Liqui Moly Pro Sport Bike class has seen unprecedented parity in 2023, with a record six different winners in seven races and nine separate podium finishers.
