Motomike Canada Round 1 Report: Renaud podiums twice!
Grand Bend, Ontario was the scene for the first round of the 2022 CSBK season., with two races on the schedule for both Harvey Renaud (#28 Pro-AM Lightweight) and Mike Maguire (#613 Amateur Lightweight).
Renaud set our team's fastest pace, qualifying 4th fastest among the Pros in the newly formed Pro-AM Lightweight division aboard his Kawasaki Ninja 400. Knowing there was more time to be found on a track we haven't been to before, Renaud was optimistic for the races saying: "I know I can get a good launch at the start, and from there it'll be a matter of trying to hold on to the top three guys and learn from them.". The plan was set, and Renaud executed it perfectly, getting a great start and going much quicker in race 1 than any other session. The final results saw him take 3rd spot on the podium, behind the lightning quick bikes of Jared Walker, and Istvan Hidvegi.
The plan was the same for race 2 on Sunday, with Renaud getting the hole-shot on Walker, and ultimately letting the faster rider ahead to try and match pace with him. Renaud kept the #28 machine in second place for much of the race, with a late-race move by veteran pro rider Pat Barnes relegating the Motomike Canada rider to third position at the line.
"two podiums at a track we've never seen, I couldn't be happier. The bike ran great, the fresh Dunlop tires were confidence-inspiring and we were dropping lap times all throughout the weekend. The competitino in this class is great, and the local guys are insanely fast here, but next round is in my backyard so we will see if we can shake up the finishing order a bit when we get there".
Maguire, meanwhile, was slightly less enthusiastic on his first weekend back since an accident at the start of last season put him out of commission. Qualifying 13th out of 15 riders was uncharacteristic of the rider who has seen himself on or near the front row of the grids for the past 2 seasons.
Race 1 saw Maguire get a decent start, and he shot up to 8th position, which he held for most of the race. A late-race pass on a lapped rider put him off line, and he ran wide, allowing two bikes to get by him and dropping the #613 machine to 10th place. The timing loop also didn't pick up an early lap, so the score sheet showed him 13th at the finish a lap down (but was 10th on track, same lap as leaders)
Race 2 was much of the same, with a decent start putting Maguire up in 7th for much of the race. He was passed by Rob Lepp around the half-way mark, and although able to mount a challenge for a few laps, the year-old Dunlops finally had enough and started sliding, giving up time to Lepp on each remianing lap. A solid 8th position finish was welcome, but not what Maguire was looking for on his return. "Regaining the pace at the new venue was a challenge, and a suspension issue was discovered, but improvements were made throughout the weekend and I'm looking forward to sorting the suspension issues for Calabogie next month!"
Round 2 of the CSBK Canadian National series is set for July 8-10 at Calabogie Motorsports Park.
Special thanks to Mortgage Wellness for their support
