Michael Leon

Early in my Pro career, I received some advice that has stuck with me ever since. It came from my racing mentor, Eddy Brunet—an incredible influence in my life, and someone we sadly lost in 2024. May he rest in peace.

After a breakout race where I finished 4th in Pro 600 against a stacked field full of factory bikes and Canada’s best pros, Eddy pulled me aside. He was unusually serious. He said, “Make sure you take the time to enjoy these moments. Racing is full of highs and lows, and you never know when the next low is coming.” I’ve never forgotten that conversation.

After his past weekend at Round 3 of the 2025 RACE Moto Series, I’ve been keeping Eddy’s words close. It was a storybook weekend for the Royal Distributing Superbike Team, and I’ve been doing my best to truly savour it.

Qualifying & Race Results
In the scorching heat and humidity, I qualified on pole position in both the Sprint Cup and Pro Superbike classes aboard the BMW S1000RR.

• Saturday: Won both the Sprint Cup and Pro Superbike races.
• Sunday: Backed it up with two more wins in both classes.

Four races. Four wins. One unforgettable weekend.

Going Solo in the Pits
The weekend was extra challenging as I was without two of our key crew members, Jeff and Evan, who were enjoying some track time of their own at Calabogie with Pro 6 Cycle. That left me on my own for tire changes and much of the prep. Fortunately, Kyle was on hand racing in the Am 600 class and jumped in to help with pit board duties—huge thanks to him.

Running solo reminded me just how valuable our crew is. Their work behind the scenes makes weekends like this possible.

Sunday Sprint Cup: Drama and Determination

Sunday’s Sprint Cup race was arguably my best ride of the weekend—but it didn’t start smoothly. I missed the pre-grid, and just as I was about to head out, I realized I hadn’t set tire pressures. Kyle rushed over, and luckily, we caught it in time—the pressures were way off. Had we missed it, it could have ended in disaster.

I got to the grid late, causing a 30-second delay (my apologies to the other riders—definitely not my finest moment). But once the lights went out, I got the holeshot and pushed hard. On Lap 2, I set the fastest lap of the weekend: 53.778—just shy of the 53.611 lap record for the Sprint Cup class on the Nelson layout set by Eli Daccache in 2022. So close… maybe next time!
Mid-race, I saw my lead growing steadily on the pit board. Then suddenly, the board read “+0.” Unknown to me, I’d been given a 5-second penalty, and Kyle was showing me the adjusted gap. Thinking Eli was reeling me in, I dug deep and stretched the lead again. At the line, I crossed with a 10-second gap, and even after the penalty, I took the win by 5 seconds.

Full event reports can be found here in the motorcycle media:
• Inside Motorcycles Race Report https://www.insidemotorcycles.com/racemoto-2025-round-three-race-report/
• Roadracing World Event Recap https://www.roadracingworld.com/news/racemoto-regional-series-recap-from-shannonville-motorsport-park/

Final Thoughts

The superbike setup changes we made at the last round really paid off. The Dunlop tires performed flawlessly—even with a few heat cycles—and gave me the confidence to push hard all weekend. Sometimes, everything just clicks.

After the races, I headed straight to Calabogie to coach with Pro 6 Cycle and manage BMW’s track demo rides during the July 7–8 track days. Now finally back home, I’m resting up after five full days on the bike.

Looking ahead, I’ll be returning to Calabogie July 19–22 for more coaching and demo rides. Then it’s on to Round 4 of the RACE Moto series in early August.

Until then, I’ll be doing my best to follow Eddy’s advice—to savour the moment and appreciate this high. In racing, you never know what’s coming next.

Hope to see you at the track soon.

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 $45*. 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 five “superstores” located in Guelph, Innisfil, Whitby, Sudbury and Kanata, ON.

The Royal Distributing Racing Team would like to thank Royal Distributing, Pro 6 Cycle, BMW Motorrad Canada, Dunlop USA, Windmill Motorsports, Bell Helmets, Joe Rocket Canada, Forma Boots, Hindle Exhaust, MWR Air Filters, and Dave Smith.

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