Michael Leon

Pro 6 GP Regional Calabogie Race Report

The switch still works!

Last Saturday, July 24th, I competed at the Pro 6 GP regional event held at Calabogie. This was the first time that Pro 6 Cycle has independently hosted a one-day regional race and I’m happy and proud to say that it was a great success. There was exciting racing across all the classes and many of the top Pro National Superbike competitors were there including, Tomas Casas (Yamaha), Sam Guerin (BMW) and Ivan Babic (BMW). Sebastien Tremblay, who has been dominating the 600 class, with whom I’ve had lots of good battles with over the years, even showed up with a Kawasaki superbike to mix things up.

Photo by Heshan Fahmy

I was flying solo and handled the crew duties as well as riding. My crew chief, Kyle (Blakley) was racing too. He rode his new 600. It was fun to see him in action and cheer him on. He finished 13th in AM 600. I realized how lucky and spoiled I am at the Nationals when I have both Kyle and Jaret spinning wrenches and taking care of everything.

For each class, the day consisted of a 15 minute morning practice, a 20 minute qualifying session and then the race later that afternoon. All did not go as planned, as in racing it rarely does. In the end, it worked out OK.

The bad news: I really struggled to get up to speed and get a good feeling on the bike. I was very disappointed to qualify in fifth with a time of 2:04.506. This time was much slower than my best lap of 2:02.980 from a few weeks prior at the CSBK National. When I lined up for the race, I wasn’t feeling great. The day hadn’t worked out the way I planned with at least a front row start and lap times close to my potential. I know that they can’t all be good races. I tried to remember the best way to approach the starting light: get a good launch and see what happens.

The good news: The switch still works. Like all racers, (Maybe? Can’t speak for all of us) there is a switch inside, somewhere, that clicks when the lights go out. It doesn’t happen during every race, and it’s hard to describe, but when it does happen, it is an amazing feeling. You don’t have to think about what you are doing, or actively make decisions, it all happens automatically. Anyhow, the switch worked, and I was able to put together a very aggressive first lap, making an exciting pass around the outside through corner 5/6. It was fun.

At the end of the first lap, I was running in 4th. The leading group had gapped us and during the 2nd lap I managed a 2:02.753 which is a new personal best for me and 0.2 seconds faster than my best at the National a few weeks ago. I reeled in Babic, in 3rd place and made the pass on lap 3. I was able maintain that spot past the halfway point until Tremblay came by with 2 laps to go. He was riding really well, and I had nothing for him. I finished in 4th.

It was a bummer not to be on the podium. A great takeaway from the race is the fact that not only did I set a faster lap than at CSBK 1, and my fastest ever at Bogie, but also, my pace had improved. And… the switch still works! I had fun, I’m super excited and can’t wait for the next one, which will be a triple header CSBK race at Mosport, Aug 13-15th. Fans will be there too. Hope to see you. Drop by and say hello!

Yours truly,
Michael Leon

About Royal Distributing:
Since 1990, Royal Distributing has built a reputation as Canada’s Powersports leader. Royal carries all the gear and aftermarket parts and accessories for Motorcycle, Snowmobile, MX, ATV, Bicycle, Ebike and Marine. Royal offers great product selection at everyday low prices and ships orders coast to coast within Canada for free on orders over $39*. For all your powersport needs, you can check them out at www.royaldistributing.com, call them at 1-800-265-2970 or visit one of their four “superstores” located in Guelph, Innisfil, Whitby and Sudbury, ON.

The Royal Distributing Racing Team would like to thank Royal Distributing, Pro 6 Cycle, Dunlop USA, BMW Motorrad Canada, Windmill Motorsports, Bell Helmets, Joe Rocket Canada, Hindle Exhaust,DP Brakes, GianMajor Inc., MWR Air Filters, and Dave Smith.
For more information, please visit www.leonracing.com or contact Michael Leon via cell 514-608-6747 or michael@leonracing.com

End release.     Return to News Page.