We packed our bags and headed north to race the final round of the 2022 Canadian Superbike Championship with Aprilia. It didn’t end well.
The call came the day after MotoAmerica Laguna Seca 2022 from my old Pikes Peak team manager, Shane Pacillo.
“Hey, man. We’ve got an RSV4 Factory and we’re going to race the last round of the Canadian Superbike Championship. You want to ride it?”
“Err, nah, I’m all good thanks, mate.”
After the mental-ness of the Isle of Man TT, then a weekend of Superhooligan-ing with the crew at Roland Sands Design at Laguna, more racing was about the last thing I wanted.
Then, about five minutes after I hung up the call to Shane, I realized what an idiot I was.
I called Shane right back.
“I mean, yes! Yes, for sure. Count me in. Don’t give the ride to someone else. I’ll do it.”
Opportunities to race are not as frequent as you may think, least of all a turn-key job like this in a new country and at a legendary venue like Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, formerly known as Mosport about an hour’s drive northeast of Toronto.
But there was more to this than just a freebie ride for a journo. Aprilia was essentially conducting a fact-finding mission about the possibility of racing the CSBK Championship full time next year as, until this time of writing, CSBK was the only championship in North America in which Aprilia’s 1100cc V4 could be legally raced against the hordes of regular 1000cc four-cylinder superbikes from BMW, Suzuki, Yamaha and Honda.
This was due to CSBK running a 200 rear-wheel horsepower limit for the class, meaning the 1103cc Ducati Panigale V4 S was also legal (the 998cc V4 R has been Danilo Petrucci’s motorcycle for the 2022 MotoAmerica season).
I’ve long said it seems a shame Aprilia can’t race in MotoAmerica (perhaps this will change for 2023) due to the capacity increase, but it was Aprilia’s decision to go outside the conventional rules for the class, so they only have themselves to blame.
It was great to reunite with my old Pikes Peak team and go for a scoot in the Great North, and to race such a historic venue like Mosport was the cherry on top.
Mosport is one of the coolest tracks I’ve ever ridden anywhere in the world. This is a proper old-school venue—the layout hasn’t changed since it was created in 1961, although some of the walls have thankfully been moved back and extra runoff areas have been created.
It’s still a pretty dangerous venue by modern racetrack standards and fast as hell. The back straight, which isn’t really straight at all, will see a 1000cc superbike max itself out if geared correctly. That’s 190-odd miles per hour between the walls and trees as you charge under the Canadian Tire bridge for the upcoming third-gear right-hander. It’s just one of many hair-raising parts of the track.
Our Aprilia had already had a hard life before I got on it. As a former press bike that had been cartwheeled by a rider at one of the Aprilia Racers Days events, the frame had a nice big ding in the side which meant it was either going to get scrapped or turned into a racer. Luckily for me, it was the latter.
Given the horsepower limit, there was very little we could do with our bike to make it legal for CSBK. A full titanium SC Project pipe, a race ECU, some bodywork, Ӧhlins cartridge kit, a race shock and some Dunlop slicks were all that was done to the RSV4. And we were ultra-close to not being allowed to race due to the horsepower. Our bike consistently dyno’d between 197 and 200 horsepower at the tire, so I was sweating a little each time the bike needed to go into the Dynojet truck.
Mosport is ultra-fast and has some rather sharp bumps to it that made the RSV4 quite a handful. We were not only having to learn the track against Canada’s best, but we were also chasing our tails almost all weekend with suspension setup, as the bike had previously been set up for riders that were, shall we say, smaller than me.
Qualifying down in 14th was not ideal at Mosport but after 16 years as a bike journo, I seem to have developed a knack for getting a bike off the line smoothly and got up to 10th from the start of race one.
From there, another three riders were picked off, but I was miles from sixth place as I still tried to find any form of fast line around the track. A lonely seventh was the result, not too bad all things considered.
Race two was a little better. Again, a good start had me up to ninth off the line, and I was stuck in seventh for a while that eventually became sixth when Honda’s Steven Nickerson hit the deck at turn three, named Quebec Corner.
You don’t want to crash anywhere at Mosport, but turn three is a particularly nasty place to get off. The haybales are right near the edge of the track and the concrete wall not far behind that, and Nickerson’s crash bought out the red flag. He was later diagnosed with broken ribs, a fractured T9 vertebra and a concussion.
Mental note: Don’t crash at Quebec Corner.
The Aprilia had been getting progressively better over the two days of competition but the biggest issue we faced was the back-end pumping too much under acceleration, which really hurt us onto the back straight. For race three, we threw the hardest rear spring we had at the shock (which was still too soft) and cranked up compression and rebound. It was a band-aid solution, but it seemed to do the trick, as at the start of race three, the Aprilia and I were flying.
Off the start, I got up to seventh straight away, then sixth. The top two of Alex Dumas and 2022 CBSK Champion Ben Young were gone in front, but third to seventh was all tightly packed together. The Aprilia was finally getting onto the back straight, and I could stay in the slipstream of the guys in front.
Things were really looking up.
Then they were looking down, then up, then down, and finally, black.
Coming into Quebec Corner, I set up Suzuki’s Trevor Daley in much the same fashion as I had on several guys that weekend by running the wide line out of turn two, to set up the inside for Quebec Corner.
The next thing I remember was waking up in the back of the ambulance, strapped down from head to toe after being knocked out for about three minutes.
Turns out I totally messed up my move on Daley, lost the front of the Aprilia under brakes from fourth gear and slammed through the first lot of haybales and finally into the tire wall. It was a fast one, my head taking a proper Mike Tyson hit which meant I rag-dolled until a stop.
Although my head was sore and memory was foggy for about two weeks after the crash, one thing that was remarkable was I wasn’t even stiff from my neck to my toes. Completely fine.
My Alpinestars gear was completely trashed but it did its job perfectly. We pulled the data from the airbag, and I’d suffered two 27g impacts consecutively, with hardly a scratch on me for proof. I am now a complete convert (if I wasn’t already) of airbags in racing. Why these are not mandatory in CSBK and MotoAmerica, I’ve got no idea.
In all, it was a shit end to what was a hugely fun weekend of racing. The Aprilia RSV4 1100 Factory proved it was a competitive machine with minimal changes against the BMWs, Kawasakis and Suzukis, and I was happy with the continually improving pace as the weekend wore on.
I would like to say thanks to Aprilia’s Shane Pacillo for the invite to compete, and CSBK CEO, Colin Fraser for the hospitality. Also, thanks very much to 2022 CSBK Champion Ben Young, who went out of his way to make me feel welcome and to share as many tips as possible to go fast at Mosport.
Same time next year, Shane?CN
We grabbed 10 minutes with the man who’s been in charge of the CBSK Championship for nearly 30 years, Colin Fraser.
I was just getting done with school and was working at a motorcycle magazine, and I could still fly student standby and when superbike first became a thing, there was a renewed national interest in the series.
So, the magazine wanted to send somebody to go to those races and I was the guy they sent. I got involved there, and then I started working for the organizers. I was studying film-making in school and got more involved in the television end of things. At that time the manufacturers wanted a homogenized series for television. And the organizing was parallel. That happened around 1995-ish. So, my company has run the series since then.
Yeah, I am. It’s tricky because until recently, we were non-affiliated with CMA (Canadian Motorcycle Association). That meant we weren’t with the FIM. So, we aren’t part in parcel of how those rules are being developed. And we have a rule outlook that’s from sort of a predominant theory of the ‘90s when there was a lot of protests about camshafts and valve angles and crazy expensive stuff.
At the time, it was quite popular. Like CCS with NASB and Formula USA and some of these not-quite-AMA national series back when there were a lot more privateers, a lot more guys running on not much of a budget, scraping it together national race.
It was the dyno and basically the simplest “does it fit in the box” type. What’s the weight, what’s the dyno? And we were the last people still running that format. So, when the FIM talks about a control ECU, that’s not going to work for us. It’s not appropriate financially. The situation basically is we’re trying to find a way to mimic the rules everywhere else with the simplest possible devices.
I wouldn’t say that because it comes down to what we measure. In terms of completely OE stock, it’s the bike you’re riding (Aprilia RSV4 1100 Factory) that we’ve had the highest consistent base line numbers.
The BMWs, years ago, had very high dyno numbers. Now they’re not dyno-ing that way. They’re not crazy low, they’re just not as high as they were. A lot of our series bikes are going through around 192. Those are built bikes, but not hugely built. Basically, we push the number up when the manufacturers deliver the higher number for the base bike.
And I anticipate it will be the benchmark bike. I don’t know that yet, but that’s where I think we are. The trick is to write the rules so that other bikes have a chance for the price. Because typically, if it’s an RSV4 in superbike, or flip it around, a Ninja 400 in Lightweight, something has to be the easy way to do it if you just want to buy the right bike. There’s almost always going to be a bike, arguably, that’s the right bike.
So, what you want to do is say ‘okay, these guys can have cams.’
Give them a certain variety. But hopefully not re-balance the crank on a $20,000 Suzuki SV engine. Because one person will build that, and it will completely tilt the series.
Right now, in Lightweight, we have a lot of Ninja 400s. That’s fine. I think it’s pretty similar in MotoAmerica. You don’t want to discourage people from purchasing the bike that’s the easiest way to just do it with the least amount of grief.
Most people who have been racing for a while understand that tuning is never the delight you think it’s going to be, right? There’s a lot more to it, and even people who are good at it have problems and challenges. The joke in the old days when there were a lot more brand-new bikes because riders were sponsored, was unless you absolutely need to ride a brand-new bike, the last thing in the world you ever want is a brand-new model because it’s just so much more costly.
Well, you’re talking to an organizer! When I worked at the AMA, there was one team that really liked the expression, “rules by fools.” I used to remind them I’m the fool. If you’re one who takes that personally, it’s the fool. Right?
I believe broadly that people adhere to the rules. I also know it’s never as easy as the people who have never built stuff think it is. That doesn’t mean there aren’t a lot of suspicious things, and we have to follow all of those suspicions. Sometimes, we use a radar gun, see who’s doing what. But the flip side is, we don’t have that many fast tracks. Two weekends ago in Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, Suzuki’s Trevor Daley’s bike was detuned to 159 hp. In Shubenacadie, the most we’ve ever seen is eight percent full throttle. It’s almost nothing.
These are some of the things that comes up in terms of possible restrictions, especially with electronics. Some of the homologated parts, particularly from BMW, who have been the most aggressive in terms of providing equipment, have been very good in providing reasonably-priced choices to tune the bike. And of course, we can plug the Dynojet in and read all of that. So, on a Thursday, we can help you tune your bike, and then on a Saturday we would see if you’re reading the rules.
It’s on the rise. In terms of our series, the easiest way I could describe BMW is in a little over a decade, what Suzuki was doing, racing everywhere, BMW has taken over. They became our new GSX-R. BMW were the ones helping the dealers. They were the ones pushing new bikes onto the track, which, for a long time, wasn’t happening.
I think, in the early days, BMW were doing dealer programs for 10-15 bikes. They put a lot of bikes on the grid. And the most important thing that a lot of people don’t think of is what’s really important about direct manufacturer support, like the glory days when there were so many satellite teams, is those bikes that were built by people who know what they’re doing and really well-maintained trickle down.
And so a guy who could never buy all that nice suspension and everything, suddenly he has a bike that’s pretty new and is built by somebody who knows what they’re doing. That really helps the series. Like the ninth-, 10th- and 11th-place guys. And when Brett (McCormick) was in Europe in WorldSBK, half the grid were Ducatis. From a series point of view, if it’s really competitive, that there’s a lot of any one model isn’t really an issue because those guys support each other.
My main concern is having the industry support the teams effectively. And not even just the teams, but the series as well because they indirectly and directly benefit from having a healthy superbike championship. So, I feel like it should be at least a part of the manufacturer’s deal to at least give back to the sport.
You have to make it easy for them. You have to make it simple and be able to answer the questions. It doesn’t happen in a vacuum. They switch staff and have different philosophies and sometimes you learn that the thing that you were doing that you thought was great for brand X is now, that’s not what they’re after anymore. And of course, you watch all the other championships to try and understand what’s working.
Obviously, the American national championship is a fantastic championship. The Japanese series has always been great. I think the benchmark is by far British Superbike. So, you try and understand. British Superbike has really strange rules and no prize money. But really, that’s not important if the teams can work.
It’s a very unique model. Of course, it’s probably a 10-hour drive at best to all the tracks in the UK. So, you try and see we’re the reverse, right? It’s a long drive to anywhere in Canada. But everybody who runs this series now, they’re looking at what’s a good idea? What are they doing? How are they doing it? From how you activate the pits, where you park, all of those things. We’re all trying to get smarter, faster by looking at what everybody else does.
Yeah, I think we’ve had other events that have been strong, but Mosport has for a long time been a consistently strong event. I would say, for 30 years it’s been a solid, big crowd. In terms of motorsports in Canada, we have an IndyCar race in downtown Toronto and a Formula One race in downtown Montreal. We’re not that sort of crowd, but as a crowd within context of general motorsports, we’re quite strong. It’s fun to race in front of a bunch of people.CN
Jordan Szoke has taken an incredible 14 Canadian Superbike Championship titles and there’s no better a man to comment on the progress of the series.
Our series a little bit follows suit to the American series. Meaning, when they’re doing good, we’re doing good. Also, because the manufacturers are the same manufacturers, if they’re allowed to spend some money on racing, then we’re allowed to spend some money on racing. And if they’re not racing, well, then, we’re kind of not allowed to race.
But in the ’90s, and then into the 2000s, it started to make money here. I was in the U.S. on the Corona team, finishing top five in superbike races. I actually got lured back to Canada to make more money. And it was really good up until 2009.
Then I think it was 2009 or 2008, Kawasaki pulled the plug on AMA Superbike. I was in negotiations with them to be the second rider alongside Roger Hayden. When the recession hit, it fell right out. We went from having World Superbike techs here running the Pirelli-spec tire program, and having 10 transport trucks in the paddock, making great money and having a lot of fun, to nothing.
And then it started to climb up again. And we ended up with Mopar as the title sponsor of the series. I ended up getting them as a title sponsor as well. And that was kind of off-setting my losses, because now I went from riding to managing, building the bikes, doing the whole thing.
I’m super lucky I have that ability to wrench. A lot of riders don’t. That’s what saved me being able to ride. Then as soon as Covid hit, we lost Mopar. So, we’re kind of back down again. We’re seeing the fans come back, which makes the sponsors happy and interested. We still need the manufacturers to spend a little more money and take a little more interest. Sportbike sales in Canada have really plummeted due to really high insurance.
Exactly. That really hurt the sportbike sales. We had a huge boom in dual-sport sales in Canada. All those guys in their 50s buying new adventure bikes. So I think if the manufacturers can get a little more involved and be a little more sustainable… It’ll never be what it was, and it’ll never be the U.S., but you have got to remember, we can’t ride here in the winter because there’s snow. So, we’re lucky to have what we have. But in the U.S., they’re struggling to get the manufacturers involved, too.
It’s frustrating to watch, honestly. We can see people trying. It is working, but only at a snail’s pace, in comparison to what it should be, at least.
The problem is that we don’t have that step like, “Oh, I can move up to superbike. I can get support. My dealer’s going to be involved. The manufacturer is going to support. Then maybe if I’m really good, I can go to the U.S.” There’s no progression. So, the riders get discouraged. I say it all the time. Everybody thinks I’m making all this money. They see this and I try to tell them, listen man, keep riding because you love it and maybe it’ll come around. But unfortunately, there is no money.
So, I think a lot of the good riders we had coming up got discouraged and left. Brett McCormick would be a good example. He wanted to make money. He wasn’t going to ride for free, and there just was nothing for him. But we’ve always produced really good racers. If you look in the world, we had Miguel Duhamel, Steve Crevier, Pascal Picotte, myself in the U.S. I think all the ice riding and flat tracking and all that up here helps us.
Yeah, I build all the ice bikes. We plow all the ice tracks with this thing [side by side]. You’d love it!
I keep bugging Josh Hayes to come up here. He’s like, “No way, man. It’s too cold.” I’m like, “Get your butt up here!” It literally is some of the most fun you can have. I build these really cool road courses.
Yeah. We have a 24-hour way up in the Arctic. And then Quebec has always been a huge ice-riding area. It’s super fun.
Yeah, I think they don’t realize how cool this track [Mosport] is. Hayes came up here and raced in ’98. And back in the day, Tom Kipp was a factory rider who raced here.
He came up here and they would recruit because they had the budget. But I’m surprised more Americans don’t come to this race because it’s a cool track. The fans are great. The tracks aren’t very safe, but that seems to be a North American thing, too.
Hopefully we’ll see it turn around. It’s tough for a Canadian, too. Brett McCormick has seen this. Americans get hired because it’s a big market. For me, I had lots of offers at to go to World Superbike back in the day. But I had to bring money to the table. The Europeans bring stuff to the table. So, it’s an easier transition for them. Whereas a Canadian, they’re not bringing any sales to the table even if they have good skill.CN
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