Motorcycle Beginner - Year 2: Up Close With Canadian Superbike Racing
Whenever I tell people I work for Motorcycle.com, the usual reaction I get is a look of surprise followed by a “wow, that’s really cool!” What they don’t realize is most of my work is done at my desk and not in the saddle of the latest and greatest offerings from Honda, BMW, Ducati, et al.
I usually follow that up by saying “my job’s probably not as cool as you think it is … but it’s still pretty damn cool.” Indeed, most of my work involves following up news leads, tracking down photography, rendering dyno charts and deciphering press announcements to figure out exactly what makes the 2012 Vespa LX different from the 2011 version (a task made further complicated by the fact I can’t read Italian.)
Another one of those “pretty damn cool” moments came up recently, as Motorcycle.com was invited to the final weekend of the Canadian Superbike Championship at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, or Mosport International Raceway, as it was formerly known.
One of my many duties here at Motorcycle.com is keeping up with professional races and editing Bruce Allen’s MotoGP reports (someone has to make sure he’s not sneaking in Italian swear words.) I’ve watched plenty of motorcycle races before, on television, but this was my first opportunity to watch the action live and up close.
It also gave me a chance to mix and mingle with other motorcycle racing fans and enthusiasts. Sure, I’ve been able to do that at motorcycle shows, but those take place indoors and over the winter. At CTMP, the sun was shining and the engines were roaring and everywhere you went, you were surrounded by people who love motorcycles.
Even better, I had someone to root for as our very own EiC Kevin Duke was invited to compete against other moto-journalists in the Media Challenge division of the Honda CBR250R National Race Series.
Kevin will share his experience in an upcoming article so I’ll try to avoid giving away any spoilers. Instead, I will present some of the sights from the Canadian Superbike Championship season finale at CTMP. Be sure to look at the rest of the photos in our gallery.
I had a blast watching the races at CTMP and hope to return next season. In the meantime, check out the rest of the photos in the gallery and come back to read about how Kevin Duke did in his Honda CBR250R racing debut.
Related Reading
Motorcycle Beginner - Year 2: Motorcycle Ownership
Motorcycle Beginner - Year 2: The First Accident
Motorcycle Beginner - Year 2: Buying Your Next Bike
Motorcycle Beginner: I Want to Ride
Motorcycle Beginner: Buying Riding Gear
Motorcycle Beginner: Rider Training
Motorcycle Beginner Diary: What I Love About Being a Motorcyclist
Motorcycle Beginner: 2011 Honda CBR250R Newbie Review
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