Three are in the hunt for Pro Superbike title

Alec Dumas is enrolled in flight school and plans to become an airline pilot.

But this weekend he will be flying around the pavement in the 5.05-kilometre Calabogie road circuit in his quest to capture his first Canadian Superbike

Championship. Presently, the 19-year-old Quebec City rider leads the points race in CSBK Pro Superbike, the top national motorcycle road racing circuit in Canada.

Dumas is in his rookie year with the CSBK.

Riding his Liqui Moly-MPG Moto-FAST Riding School-Suzuki-sponsored ZX-10R Ninja, he has been able to outgun Ben Young and Jordan Szoke in an abbreviated season and has a slim 10-point lead over Young (BMW) from Collingwood and 20 points over Szoke (Kawasaki) from Lynden.

Young is the series’ 2019 champion, and Szoke is the current champ with 14 series titles to his credit.

In the five rounds already held in 2021, Dumas and Szoke have each won two, and Young one. This year’s battle for the No. 1 plate is the tightest in the 35year history of the series.

“Ben and Jordan ride very well,” said Dumas about his competition. “And we have raced on good tracks. It has been pretty cool.”

Dumas is no stranger to riding at this level, even though he is a rookie in the CSBK. A noted ice-racer, his road racing success has all been stateside. He won MotoAmerica’s Junior Cup championship in 2018 and the Twins Cup championship in 2019. He moved to the Superstock series in 2020 and picked up some podiums before the pandemic curtailed his U.S. racing. His entry and success in the CSBK this year has made for a fascinating plot line and the outcome will all come down to this weekend’s racing.

A large part of Young’s riding resumé comes from racing outside of Canada, as well. Born in Scotland in 1993, he was on a bike at age four, spending his time competing in Scotland, England, and the Isle of Man before moving to Canada in 2007. He has won numerous titles in Canada and in AMA racing in the U.S. The 2019 CSBK Pro Superbike champ said he has his ducks in a row for Calabogie.

“For me, coming into this weekend, I will treat it like any other weekend,” said the BMW Motorrad Canada team rider. “It’s not mine to lose so I am going to do my own thing. I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, so things will end up the way they’re supposed to in the end. I will get my training in on the rower and bicycle, which checks my boxes off mentally. We are all very excited to get the weekend going and return to winning ways.”

Dumas also said he is ready. “I’m used to this racing. It’s not much different than riding in the U.S. We’ve done some testing and changed a couple of things on the bike and we’re ready. I’ve been enjoying myself and am looking forward to this weekend.”

Practice and qualifying for this final event of 2021 will take place Friday with two 12-lap races of Pro Superbike racing Saturday at 1 and 3:20 p.m.

Tickets for the two days are $40 each and available only online through csbk.com.

No camping will be allowed for those attending the event.

Calabogie Motorsports Park is about an hour west of Ottawa in Renfrew County.

Tim Miller is the author of several books on auto racing and can be reached at timmillerthecarguy@gmail.com