The Economy Lube Pro Sport Bike class produced another instant classic on Sunday, as Sebastien Tremblay won a late showdown with Andrew Van Winkle to extend his championship lead in round four at Atlantic Motorsport Park, presented by Pro Cycle and Canadian Kawasaki.
The second half of the doubleheader started out very similarly to race one, as Mavrick Cyr grabbed the holeshot and quickly distanced himself from the rest of the field. Unlike in race one, however, the gap would eventually come down as Tremblay and Van Winkle marched their way towards the front.
The pair fought through the pack almost as a duo, inevitably catching up to the back of Cyr on lap eight. The truce would end there, though, as they traded second place over the next two laps with a pair of hard moves in turn two.
Van Winkle would then put a similar turn-two move on Cyr for the lead on lap 12, with Tremblay and Cyr going side-by-side just one lap later, giving Van Winkle some slight breathing room at the front.
His cushion would only last three laps once Tremblay was through into second, as the two reignited their battle over the final two laps. The championship leader attempted a pair of moves in the final sector, but Van Winkle defended hard as he searched for his second career Sport Bike victory.
Tremblay would finally make a move stick, however, passing Van Winkle in turn eight on the final lap and fending off a drag-race to the line to win by just 0.164 seconds.
The Turcotte Performance Suzuki rider won for the first time since round two in Grand Bend as he has battled through a shoulder injury and various setup issues, but his performance from fifth on the grid on Sunday was still enough to extend his title lead to a very comfortable 51 points.
“I got a great start today so it was a bit easier to fight my way to the front, but these guys were hammering out lap times and I had to work hard to stay with them,” Tremblay said. “Andrew started to have really good pace around mid-race, but I was not letting that kid get away from me!”
The 15th victory of Tremblay’s storied Pro Sport Bike career moves the 2021 champion into a tie with Jodi Christie for fourth on the all-time wins list for the category, trailing only Jordan Szoke, Steve Crevier, and Pascal Picotte for the all-time record – something he admitted he is chasing.
“Of course I’m keeping track,” Tremblay said. “The goal is to win as much as possible, and the record is achievable, so the plan is to go after it one day.”
While he came out on the losing end of Sunday’s battle, Van Winkle proved once again he is now a regular threat in the Sport Bike class, as the 17-year-old nearly put his FD Racing Suzuki on top for the second time in three races to begin his middleweight career.
“We didn’t hit each other, but maybe we should have – I might have won!” Van Winkle joked. “It was close racing, some super aggressive passes, but it was a lot of fun and we both kept it on two wheels so I’m happy.”
Tremblay was flanked on his other side by another teenager, as race one winner Cyr held on for a third career pro podium. The Economy Lube Ducati rider couldn’t hold on for the weekend sweep, but did manage to put himself within striking distance of second in the championship as his spectacular rookie season continues.
“It was a hard race. I had arm pump since lap one, so I didn’t quite have the same pace as yesterday, but I’m happy to be third,” Cyr said.
Earning a much needed fourth was Cyr’s teammate Elliot Vieira, who had rung up three consecutive DNF’s after his mechanical issue on Saturday. The Economy Lube Ducati rider briefly ran in second after a great launch, ultimately holding off John Laing and Philip DeGama-Blanchet in a thrilling battle for fourth.
Pole-sitter Laing would have to exit with another fifth place result just as he did in race one, a solid but disappointing weekend as he slips to 51 points behind Tremblay and now just ten points ahead of Cyr for Vass Performance Kawasaki.
Fellow Vass Performance Kawasaki rider DeGama-Blanchet was sixth, putting him two points behind Vieira and one point clear of Van Winkle for fourth in the championship.
The one-two finish for Suzuki will extend their lead in the Constructors Championship to 93 points, a commanding advantage with only two rounds remaining while Ducati closes to within 19 points of Kawasaki for second.
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