The 2023 Bridgestone Canadian National Superbike Championship, CSBK, will open and close next season with rounds at Shannonville Motorsport Park (SMP), east of Belleville, Ontario. The second-ever Superbike National event took place at the same venue, then called Nelson International Raceway, in September 1980.
The first round of the 2023 Bridgestone CSBK Tour will take place at SMP on May 19-21, at the start of the traditional Victoria Day long weekend. The final 2023 National event is scheduled for Shannonville in September, from Friday the 15th through Sunday, September 17.
“This is fantastic news. We are excited by the return of CSBK,” confirmed Shannonville Motorsport Park President John Bondar. “This is a great opportunity for the fans and the racing community. Our facility offers the best viewing experience for spectators to fully enjoy the close competition at every turn. The National Superbike events have always been iconic here at Shannonville and we are delighted to welcome them twice in 2023.”
The CSBK series will start the 2023 campaign on Shannonville’s perimeter Pro layout, 2.47 kilometer in length with nine turns. While plans for next year’s September National at SMP are not settled, the current plan is to use the full or Long track, 4.03 kilometers in length with 15 corners.
Shannonville most recently hosted the National opener in 2019, when eventual Champion Ben Young of Collingwood, ON, took victory for the Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW M1000RR on the Pro track. Young is scheduled to defend his second career overall series Championship and number one plate in 2023 for BMW, and has recently tested in the U.S.
Young’s arch-rival, Quebec City’s Alex Dumas, won the Pro Superbike Championship in his debut in 2021, and fought with Young last season. Although Dumas has never competed at Shannonville, he is an instructor for the FAST-Riding School, based at SMP.
The last time that Shannonville hosted two CSBK National rounds was in 2006, when Jordan Szoke won the opening Superbike feature for the works Competition Systems Kawasaki Ninja effort, and year end event success went to the Brooklin Cycle Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 of Kevin Lacombe.
Brantford, ON, born Szoke, the most successful competitor in the history of the Canadian Championships, missed all of 2022 due to a pre-season Motocross injury. It is expected but not yet confirmed that Szoke will return to the National tour starting at Shannonville next May.
As well, 20-year-old Trevor Dion of Strathroy, ON., is expected to make his full time Pro Superbike Feature class debut at Shannonville next May. As a rookie Pro in 2022, Dion won the Liqui Moly Pro Sport Bike Middleweight Championship for the LDS Consultants Kawasaki team.
As well as classes for Pro Superbike and Pro Sport Bike, with races for these top divisions both Saturday and Sunday, the Shannonville opener will also offer categories for AIM Insurance Amateur Superbike, Amateur Sport Bike, Super Sonic Road Race School Amateur Lightweight Sport Bike and the new-in-2022 Pro-AM Lightweight division.
The 2023 Canadian National series begins in northern Florida March 14 and 15, with an invitational two-day test hosted by new title sponsor Bridgestone at the motorcycle only JenningsGP facility. This is an invitation only event for established CSBK competitors in all six categories.
- From Professional Motorsports Productions
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