Christie consolidates points lead

By John Hopkins

MONT-TREMBLANT, Que. – Jodi Christie took another step toward repeating as K&N Performance Filters Pro Sport Bike champion with his third win of the year at Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant on Sunday.

But it was not all clear sailing for the Keene, Ont. racer, as he faced a determined challenge from an on-form Raphael Archambault and suffered a mysterious shifting problem on his Jodi Christie Racing / Accelerated Technologies Honda CBR600RR.

Nevertheless, Christie crossed the line 2.605 secs. clear of Archambault’s Team Archambault Racing / Picotte Motorsport / G Suspension Suzuki GSX-R600, with Kenny Riedmann third aboard the Riedmann Racing / Sturgess Cycle Triumph 675.

Christie now takes a 74-point cushion, 216-142 over Frank Trombino into the doubleheader season finale at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park August 24-26. Trombino missed Mont-Tremblant due to personal commitments.

Christie had claimed his fourth pole of the year in qualifying but was beaten into the first turn by Archambault. The Honda rider grabbed the lead on lap two of the 12-lap race and opened up a gap over the next few laps, only to see it all evaporate again.

“I had a problem on the front straight, I think I got hung up between gears, and I kind of coasted through turn one and lost a lot of time,” Christie explained. “It brought a different noise out of the bike, something I haven’t heard before.”

Christie was able to regain his edge and stretched his lead out to as many as five seconds before easing off near the end.

“I knew I had the pace but I checked up near the end, just to play it safe,” he said.

Archambault celebrated his best result of the season and the Terrebonne, Que. racer regained third place in the point standings with 120, 22 behind Trombino.

Riedmann ran with Christie and Archambault for the first three laps but then dropped back with a misfire.

“We think the bike was running too lean; maybe some sort of electrical problem,” said Riedmann, who was making his first national appearance of the season.

Louie Raffa placed a distant fourth on the Centre Hamel Honda / Team Couturier Honda CBR600RR while Bill Card came out on top of a terrific scrap for fifth with James Collins.

Card led at the start of the final lap on the Ripley Racing Honda CBR600RR but around the back of the track Collins got ahead with his Acme Slate Yamaha YZF-R6. Card went inside into the Namerow hairpin just before the start/finish line and edged ahead, crossing the line just 0.136 secs. ahead of Collins.

In a battle of Maritime riders, Beaver Bank, N.S.’s Ron Munroe took seventh on his Freedom Cycle / Beta CNC Technologies / Podium One Kawasaki ZX-6R, just a second ahead of the Suzuki GSX-R600 of Milford, N.S. rider Richard Thompson.

Race Results

Point Standings