(June 14, 2017)- Team manager Paul Bastarache, rider Bodhi Edie and the Z1 Racing crew came to CSBK round 2 at Grand Bend Motorplex with clear goals and were not disappointed.
Bodhi rode very hard in the Shannonville opener, recovering from a poor start, but this led to his tires going off. Late in that first 2017 National, Edie low-sided out of third place at the hairpin, but recovered to finish fifth. At Grand Bend, these same mistakes were not going to be repeated.
Team owner and technician Zaid Saleemi made sure that Bodhi had lots of practice using the Yamaha R1’s potent launch control system, and in Sunday’s feature race start Edie was able to get the holeshot. The pace was extremely hot up front, and by the end of the first lap Jordan Szoke had taken the lead, and then a few laps later Ben Young had relegated Bodhi to 3rd place.
However, the young gun from Saskatchewan showed his patience and sat behind Szoke and Young, going to school.
Szoke had put a one-second gap between himself and the duo of Edie and Young. By lap 12, Szoke was starting to lose grip and the chasing duo caught and passed him swiftly. The battle between Edie and BMW-mounted Young was a spectacle for the crowd, with Szoke sitting patiently behind waiting to pick up the pieces.
Chassis expert Mike Fitzgerald of Thermosman Suspensions had worked his magic to give Bodhi the confidence to push his Dunlop slick tires to the very end of the race. On lap 18, Edie made his bold move and took the lead from Young. Then Young fought back, refusing to settle for second and staying side by side with Edie, The Yamaha pilot with the advantage in track position.
Unfortunately, Young high-sided mid-corner and the race was immediately stopped.
Bodhi Edie was declared the winner as Jordan Szoke took the runner-up spot and Kenny Riedmann completed the podium. Edie broke a long dry spell as he took his Yamaha R1M to victory a full 10 years since the last Yamaha Superbike win by Steve Crevier.
Edie and all his team was very happy to see that Young was not seriously hurt in the crash and wish him a swift recovery.
Z1 Racing would like to thank all those involved in this achievement: Z1 Racing crew (Paul, Gloria, Mike, Zaid) Yamaha Motor Canada, Parts Canada, Flexi-glass bodywork, Don Butt Autobody, Forsaken Motorsports, Vortex Racing, Db Holders, Proline Motorsports and Marine, Bickle Racing, Recreational Supply, Hardco Construction, London Property Corp, Jensen Trailers and Clockwork Productions.
Z1 Racing is a private racing team and welcomes new sponsors as it carries this momentum into round 3 at Autodrome St-Eustache June 22-25. Team rider Bodhi Edie sits second in points, tied with Kawasaki rider Kenny Riedmann.
Last but not least, the squad would like to thank CSBK, its crew and all the series sponsors and marshals for its ongoing commitment to professional motorcycle racing in Canada.
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