Round two in CSBK’s national tour headed out west to the oceanic breezes of Lake Huron for the battle at Grand Bend Motorplex this past weekend. Coming off a bruising round at Shannonville’s season opener, the team was looking to make advances in setup—and ultimately pace—for the pair of pro superbike races.
With the exception of Ben Young, who had a pace that suggested the devil was nipping at his heels, the next eight riders all qualified within a second of each other, which put Trevor in sixth position on the grid. Right off the bat in race one, Trevor dipped below his qualifying time, and at threequarters race distance Trevor passed the evergreen Jordan Szoke for fourth. However, lapped traffic thwarted Trevor’s march toward the podium and Szoke was able to repass Trevor for fourth at the line. Fifth it would have to be.
Soggy skies greeted the paddock for Sunday’s race two and Trevor, pleased that his garden would be receiving much needed moisture, celebrated by launching from sixth on the grid to a solid second place behind fellow Suzuki rider Alex Dumas. Sensing he had a better pace—and more of an appetite for risk—than Dumas, Trevor set up Dumas for the pass but Trevor was ultimately caught out by his machine’s engine brake mapping and crashed. Holding onto his GSX-R like a bull rider unwilling to accept his ride is over, Trevor righted his bike, and broken clutch lever and all, mounted a comeback for the ages.
Dirt-tracking through the shrubbery to make it back on track, Trevor took a lap or two to dig the grass out of his helmet and then set to work. Slicing through the pack like a chainsaw through a wedding cake, Trevor was by far the fastest rider on track, and in the closing laps erased a 12-second gap to the third-place rider to a miniscule 0.073 seconds at the line for a finishing position of fourth. In racing, consistency is all, and Trevor’s willingness to fight for positions on challenging days has rewarded him as he sits a mere one point out of third place in the pro superbike standings.
Special thanks go to Trevor’s makeshift crew for the weekend, consisting of Pat Barnes, Roland Riedmann, the off-site Mike Ferguson, and the ever-effervescent Jon Cornwell, who kept the mood light and the wrenches spinning. Specifically, Jeff Laidman’s MotoSPEC software and Jon’s setup assistance allowed a significant step forward in how Trevor’s GSX-R responded, a good omen as the series heads to Nova Scotia lobster country for round three next month.
Special thanks go to the fans who braved the unpredictable weather and to the Grand Bend race weekend presenting sponsor Goderich Toyota. Finally, Trevor is keen to welcome back crew-chief Scott Cameron for the balance of the season.
With gratitude for support in 2023 to: Suzuki Canada, Ecstar, Excellence Automotive, GB Racing, Eazi-Grip racing products, DP Brakes, MotoSPEC software, Moto-World.ca, Vortex Racing, Motovan, SC Motosport, Revs4Rett, Rice Rocket coatings.
- From Trevor Daley / OneSpeedInc
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