The Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship will continue its cross-country journey this weekend, with the feature GP Bikes Pro Superbike class heading west for their pivotal third round at RAD Torque Raceway, July 4-6.
The series will return to Edmonton for a second consecutive season, a whopping 4,770 kilometres from the last time we saw the feature class in Nova Scotia, with three races on deck and just two points separating rivals Ben Young and Alex Dumas at the top.
It’s hardly a two-horse race, however, with Jordan Szoke just a further nine points back and Sam Guerin only seven points adrift of him following his round two sweep at AMP, meaning a mere 18 points will cover the entire top four at the midway point of the season.
Guerin will carry the momentum into round three after the best showing of his career, besting Young in a pair of last lap battles at arguably Young’s best circuit, though the three-time reigning champion is strong across the entire calendar – including RAD Torque, where he won a crucial race one a year ago.
Young is one of just three former winners at the venue, with Szoke sweeping the inaugural visit in 2015 before home phenom Torin Collins took a maiden victory in race two last season, though Collins is expected to focus on his Supersport campaign this time around.
That leaves a relatively unpredictable weekend ahead for the top four, especially given that Young and Dumas will be returning to the circuit aboard new machines in 2025.
Young has yet to take a debut victory for the Van Dolder’s Home Team Honda squad after leaving BMW this winter, earning his championship lead through his usual consistency with three runner-up finishes in four races thus far.
It’s hard to envision Young’s 22-race podium streak ending in RAD Torque either, even with a rare tripleheader offering plenty of risk and opportunity, though he won’t be eager to “play it safe” with his two-point title lead either as he looks to inflict maximum damage ahead of the season finale in CTMP.
Conversely, Dumas will be looking to do damage control after a career-worst round two in AMP, entering with a 14-point lead and exiting with finishes of fourth and fifth.
The difficult weekend was partially due to a few mechanical issues aboard his new Economy Lube/Fast Company BMW, something the team will hope to have sorted in RAD Torque, especially given Dumas’ strong showing at the circuit in 2024.
It was in Edmonton where Dumas made his season debut last year, ending a brief hiatus to join his current squad aboard a Ducati, picking up strong finishes of third and second despite limited knowledge of the V4 Panigale.
Now piloting the friendlier M1000RR, Dumas will try to return to his winning ways after a dominant opening round, though it likely won’t be a straight fight against his rival Young.
Szoke and Guerin won’t have fond memories of their trip west in 2024, with Szoke taking consecutive fourth-place finishes while Guerin settled for fifth in each race, but both have looked much more competitive in 2025 and will try to keep that rolling at RAD Torque.
Guerin in particular will try to extend his mid-season comeback aboard the EFC Group BMW, having turned around his year in a big way with consecutive victories after a disastrous round one.
The Quebec City native is especially confident in tricky weather conditions, something that could crucially go his way with heavy rain forecast for Sunday’s doubleheader.
As for Szoke, the 14-time champion is still chasing a dream 79th career victory after four years away from the top step of the podium, though he’s looked closer than ever this season after leading at multiple points across rounds one and two.
The Canadian Kawasaki Motors star will also have a bit of added confidence after his strong showing at the recent Loudon Classic, with Szoke still firmly in the mix for not just an emotional victory but also a record-extending 15th Canada Cup in 2025.
Outside of the “big four,” the rest of the GP Bikes Pro Superbike class will be relatively wide open as well at RAD Torque, with a few familiar names set to battle an array of local talent in Alberta.
Leading that group will be David MacKay, who continues to knock on the door of a breakout result after running right in the mix of the lead group in both races at AMP.
The ODH Snow City Cycle Honda rider has yet to claim a first career Superbike podium but has finished lower than sixth just twice in his 16 races aboard the CBR1000RR-R, making him a sure bet to run at least in the top-five range as he did at RAD Torque last season, finishing sixth and then crashing out of fifth in race two.
Should Collins sit out the Superbike weekend as expected, the home favourite will become his close friend and fellow Calgary native Phil DeGama-Blanchet, who has quickly emerged as one of the rising stars of the CSBK paddock.
The 17-year-old phenom sits fifth in the championship with three top-five finishes in four races aboard his Mots Machining Honda, and a maiden podium of his own may not be far off with the home crowd behind him in Edmonton.
Another rider looking to build on his own career-best result will be Connor Campbell, having overcome a mechanical issue in race one to take an excellent sixth in race two at AMP.
The B&T MacFarlane Kawasaki rider has seen a pair of technical problems spoil an impressive start to his sophomore year, finishing seventh in the season opener before consecutive DNF’s, but better fortune will be all Campbell needs to continue his form out west.
One local favourite set to make his 2025 debut will be Brian Worsdall, this time piloting a privateer BMW after a strong showing at his home round for Honda last season.
The Edmonton native finished seventh and eighth in his first career Pro Superbike weekend last year, matching a competitive midfield of CSBK regulars, and there’s no signs of him slowing down on his new machine after opening the EMRA regional season with a victory last month.
The feature class will open the weekend with qualifying on Friday at RAD Torque, just a half-hour south of Edmonton, before race one on Saturday and a doubleheader on Sunday.
For more information on the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship, visit www.csbk.ca or email info@csbk.ca.
