The opening round of the Bridgestone Canadian Superbike Championship at Shannonville Motorsport Park ended with unmistakable control from two riders. Ben Young cleaned up the Pro Superbike category while Tomas Casas repeated his winning form in Pro Supersport, each claiming decisive victories on Sunday to complete a perfect weekend. Those results not only buoyed the riders personally but also pushed Honda into a strong position in the early running of the CSBK season.
The second day brought mechanical recoveries, tight battles and a few dramatic moments in the support races. A late engine fitment got Connor Campbell back on the grid and several young contenders showed their potential across the amateur categories. While wet morning conditions limited setup work for many teams, the Sunday races still produced clean gaps and clear pecking orders, leaving teams to digest results and plan for the next venue on the calendar.
How the Pro Superbike race played out
Sunday’s headline event began with grid drama but quickly turned into a showcase for race craft and strategy. Ben Young made a hugely effective start and executed an early pass to take control, while veteran Jordan Szoke pushed hard to keep pace and ultimately finished second for the day. The restart of Connor Campbell with a fresh engine after Saturday’s mechanical issues was notable, but it was the Van Dolder’s Home Team Honda contingent—highlighted by Andrew Van Winkle and David MacKay—that consolidated results, with Van Winkle earning his first career Pro Superbike podium and MacKay running strongly into fourth. Those finishes combined to give Honda a sizable early lead in the Constructors Championship.
Conditions and technical notes
The morning’s damp surface curtailed setup mileage and left several riders making bold choices on race tyres and geometry. Teams referenced the new Bridgestone compounds—often discussed as the V03 development—while riders dealt with elements like brake fade and changing grip through traffic. With limited practice time, many competitors described the race as one of adaptation more than outright pace, and the ones who adjusted fastest tracked clear advantage on race day.
Supersport: Casas’ authority and the contenders
In the Pro Supersport class, Tomas Casas turned an eye-catching launch into a comfortable lead that grew throughout the distance. The FAST Riding School Suzuki rider managed the race tempo expertly and crossed the line with several seconds in hand, a performance that had him reconsidering his original partial-season plan and hinting at extra entries if sponsorship allows. Behind him, Matthew Simpson delivered a composed ride to secure second after a decisive move down the back straight, while pole-sitter Sebastien Tremblay recovered to take third despite setup compromises in the cooler morning conditions.
Battles deeper in the field
Further down the Supersport order, rookie displays and last-lap passes provided entertainment. Cole Alexander again showed explosive starts, converting grid position into race gains but suffering a late fade that cost a higher finish. Meanwhile, a gripping duel between Mackenzie Weil and Marco Sousa was settled only on the final corner of the final lap, illustrating how even when leaders are clear, the midfield remained fiercely contested and provided valuable learning for the younger riders.
Support classes, incidents and emerging names
The amateur categories produced their own storylines. Alexis Beaudoin dominated both the AIM Insurance Amateur Superbike and the EBC Brakes Amateur Supersport races with powerful starts and consistent pace, while JS Lefebvre and Baillie Ives completed podiums in the respective classes. There were a few retirements and offs—Jeff Barnard and Yannick Rouleau among those affected—but a key incident in the ZX-4R Cup saw Bronti Verbeek stall and be collected by Jacob Black; both riders did not return to the restart but thankfully avoided serious injury. In the Twins Cup, J.P. Tache again stamped authority on the class, and Jared Walker edged a tight ZX-4R finish to take the class win.
Lightweight competition remained centered around the Kawasaki contingent, where Lachlan Alexander extended his early form into another class victory, with consistent podium challengers rounding out the results. Those performances underline the depth of talent progressing through the CSBK ladder.
With the weekend concluded, teams will regroup around a clear diagnosis: Ben Young and Tomas Casas are immediate benchmark riders, Honda enjoys an early constructors advantage, and several young pilots have stamped themselves as names to watch. The series now pauses for two weeks before heading east to Atlantic Motorsport Park for round two on June 5-7 as part of the 2026 campaign. For official information visit www.csbk.ca or email [email protected].
