The Bridgestone Canadian superbike championship finale at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, ON, witnessed a dramatic shift in fortunes due to unpredictable weather. The feature GP Bikes Pro Superbike race was postponed to Sunday after just four laps, while the OPP Racing Pro Supersport class saw Tomas Casas inch closer to his third career title with a hard-fought victory.
The day began with David MacKay taking the holeshot, followed by Alex Michel and Ben Young. Andrew Van Winkle, who had a poor start, quickly climbed through the field. However, the race was red-flagged on lap four due to impending hail and lightning, forcing a postponement. The remaining laps will resume on Sunday with a new grid based on the lap four running order.
Casas Capitalizes on Cyr’s Misfortune
In the OPP Racing Pro Supersport class, Tomas Casas of the FAST Riding School Suzuki team secured a crucial victory after Mavrick Cyr crashed out of the lead. The race started on a damp but drying circuit, with CSBK officials allowing both wet and dry Bridgestone tire compounds due to the unpredictable weather.
Mavrick Cyr initially stretched a gap over Matt Simpson, who had gambled on a rain front tire. However, Casas, who started eighth, made a remarkable comeback, passing Simpson and Sebastien Tremblay to take second place. He then closed in on Cyr, who was leading comfortably. Just as Casas was about to challenge for the lead, light rain on lap seven caused Cyr to crash, handing the victory to Casas.
“I’m glad Mavrick’s okay and nobody was hurt, that rain was getting sketchy,” Casas said. “Those points are huge, but nothing’s done yet. We’ll still have a big race tomorrow.”
Championship Implications
With this victory, Casas extended his points lead to 18 over Tremblay, who finished second. Casas now needs only to finish tenth or higher in the final race to secure the Supersport championship, having already clinched the potential tiebreaker with a sixth victory in seven races this season.
The crash was a heartbreaking result for Cyr, who led every lap of the race and was potentially set for a second career victory. Tremblay, now with an 18-point deficit, faces an uphill battle to overcome Casas in the final race. Brad Macrae, who finished third, secured his first podium aboard the Colron Excavating Yamaha YZF-R9, a notable achievement after a string of injuries in recent years.
Other Notable Performances
In the EBC Brakes Amateur Supersport championship, Baillie Ives won race one comfortably, capitalizing on a crash by former points leader Alexis Beaudoin. Ives now leads the championship by 20 points entering the final day of racing.
J.P. Tache continued his unbeaten streak in the Importations Thibault Twins Cup class, winning a close battle with veteran Gary McKinnon to make it seven consecutive victories in 2026. Jared Walker dominated the Scorpion EXO ZX-4R Cup class, winning in dominant fashion for a seventh win in a row to keep his perfect season intact.
The remainder of the races, including the postponed Superbike race, will take place on Sunday. The outcome of these races will determine the final standings in the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship.
