Riding on a shoestring

Truro racer competes against long odds in bid for rookie title
By MONTY MOSHER Sports Reporter
Thu. Aug 7 – 7:35 AM

Brian Blaauwendraat of Truro rounds Turn 2 during the fourth round of the Atlantic Roadracing League Yoshimura Pro 600 class on July 26 at Atlantic Motorsport Park in Shubenacadie. Blaauwendraat won the race and will be hoping for more success this weekend at Shubenacadie when the Parts Canada Superbike Championship comes to town. (CHRISTIAN LAFORCE / Staff)

THERE’S MORE on the line than a checkered flag this weekend at Atlantic Motorsport Park for Truro rider Brian Blaauwendraat.

The 23-year-old rookie pro will be one of the top local hopes as the Parts Canada Superbike Championship rolls into the venerable 2.56 kilometre, 11-turn track near Shubenacadie. Practices and qualifying will be held Friday with Round 5 and 6 of the series scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.

Blaauwendraat only started racing in 2006 on the Atlantic regional series and made an impression from the outset. He dominated the Atlantic circuit in 2007, winning every race in super bike and 600 sport bike, but really turned heads by winning the national amateur 600 sport bike race at his home track last August.

He enters this weekend in second place in the chase for national pro series rookie of the year, sitting 28 points behind Ontario’s Alex Welsh. He’s underpowered in superbike, running a 2005 Honda CBR600RR, but is holding his own at ninth in the national 600 sportbike standings.

“It’s been going better than I thought it would,” Blaauwendraat said Wednesday at a pre-race media event in Halifax. “I thought I was going to get a really big wake-up call, but I’ve been getting faster and faster. The competition makes you go faster.”

The major problem for Blaauwendraat is he is attempting to make inroads in a world where motorcycle factory sponsorship goes hand in hand with success. He gets help from family and friends and a handful of local businesses, but has all but blown his 2008 budget just trying to get noticed and make it through the season.

So far being better known and better respected around Canadian race tracks hasn’t translated into any more money.

“Winning the race last year changed some things, but it didn’t change my budget,” he said. “I haven’t had anybody big jump on board with my race program, so I’m still running it pretty tight. Hopefully, this national I’ll be able to get some recognition and if I can run up front with the factory boys then I might be able to do that.”

Blaauwendraat won’t be intimidated this weekend as he defends home turf along with other local challengers Andrew Dunlap, Terry Steeves and Todd Scott.

“I’m definitely looking for a top-five in pro 600,” he said. “I don’t think that’s out of the question because I’m doing the lap times those guys are going to be doing.”

He’s getting desperate for financial help and hasn’t ruled out shutting down next year without sponsorship. He needs new motorcycles at a minimum to advance in the sport.

“(Bedford’s) Don Munroe was the last factory rider from out here that I know of, and it would be nice just to get some factory support. My phone hasn’t rung yet, but maybe after this weekend we’ll see the phone ring.”

Jordan Szoke of Brantford, Ont., enters the weekend in the lead in both national superbike and sportbike standings. He is chasing his third straight Canadian title in superbike and fifth overall.

The Canadian Kawasaki Motors factory rider is 38 points ahead of Quebec’s Kevin Lacombe, a Team Toyota Yamaha/Fast Company Racing rider, in super bike with three races to go. A win is worth 50 points.

Szoke, 29, also starts the weekend with 25 career race wins, one win behind B.C.’s Steve Crevier on the all-time victory list.

Crevier, 42, won last year’s AMP stop despite a stomach virus and is back this year. He has seven career race wins at AMP.

Szoke said Wednesday he’s focused on another national series title and won’t risk it all to win a race this weekend. He has two career wins at AMP.

“Our focus at Kawasaki is to have the No. 1 plate,” he said. “We’re well on our way to it and now we’ve just got to be smart and defend it again. But it’s still tight … and we can’t afford to get too far from the front. We have to finish on the podium.”

He said the narrow and winding track is fun to ride, but stressful to race.

“It’s very hard to pass someone here,” he said. “It’s tight and everybody is going pretty much the same speed, so it’s really hard to overtake. I just focus on getting a good comfortable motorcycle and getting a good start. The start is everything here, for sure.”

Lacombe is a three-time race winner at AMP after suffering a near-fatal crash at the track in 1999.

Szoke also leads Lacombe in 600 sport bike 194-166.

Along with the pro races, this weekend’s action also includes doubleheaders for amateur 600 sport bike, Canadian Thunder, Canadian Sport Twins, Suzuki SV650 National Cup and Honda CBR125 national classes.