Michael Leon

It’s been said many times that 2nd place is the worst of the three steps on the podium. Scientists have even written articles about it. https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/olympics-second-place-psychology . When we compete, we can’t do better than winning; so the top step is the best of the best. When we finish third, we are satisfied that we “at least” got to stand on the podium and might be feeling relieved to get a trophy or medal. But… second place is the 1st loser.

This past weekend, at Rd 2 of the RACEMoto.ca series based out of Shannonville, I left the event with four 2nd place medals. Despite the “second place, first loser phenomenon”, I’m not disappointed. Well maybe a tiny bit. But mainly, I’m energized. I rode really well, and our team did a great job. The most important part for me, is that on Sunday, we were competitive again against the local dominant Pro at Shannonville, Eli Daccache.

The weekend wasn’t without issues. I had a small tip over in the pits on Friday due to a malfunctioning steering damper. Luckily, the damage was only cosmetic. It could have been worse.

On Saturday, I qualified second in both Sprint Cup and Pro Superbike, with times of 1:47.656 and 1:47.05 on Shannonville’s Long Track layout. These results were already positive, an improvement over my best laps on the same layout last year.

In the Saturday races, I finished second in both races, approximately 8 seconds behind race winner Eli Daccache.

The team reviewed the data overnight and we made some changes for Sunday’s races. Team mechanic, Jeff, had observed that I was losing time, compared to the pace setter, in the last section of the lap, from the end of the back straight through the chicane and into Allen’s corner. Kyle (Windmill Motorsports) used the Motospec software (a Canadian developed product) to guide us to make the bike easier to turn.

During Sunday’s finals, I had already matched my Q time during morning practice on used tires.
The first race of the afternoon was Sprint Cup. Daccache led the first lap and pulled his typical jackrabbit gap of a couple seconds. I was able to chase him down and set my fastest lap, a 1:45.9. During the final laps, I was stalking him looking for a chance to pass but had a lapse in concentration and outbraked myself at the end of the straight. I used the runoff, rejoined the track and settled for second place.

In Pro Superbike, I got another poor start and found myself a few seconds behind on lap two. I put my head down, and ran consistent laps but was only able to close the gap to 1.7 seconds at the end of the tenth and final lap. Again, I went a slight bit faster, with a lap at 1:45.891, my fastest of the weekend and fastest on Long Track in over a decade.

You can read more about the weekend here : https://www.roadracingworld.com/news/motorace-series-daccache-takes-charge-of-the-regional-pros/

At the podium celebration, I was awarded the “hardest charger” of the event

I’m energized about how competitive we were this weekend. I haven’t been able to get into the 1:45s on Long Track in over 10 years! It’s only the 2nd round of the season and we were already able to challenge for the win.
I’m riding well. Our team members Jeff, Evan and Kyle (who is also racing in Am 600, congrats on some good riding this weekend!) are doing a killer job. We have a great setup with our 2024 BMW S1000RR. Our Dunlop tires are allowing us to have strong pace at the end of the race. So much to be positive about. So, maybe second place is the first loser, but there’s a lot to make us hopeful we can do even better before the seasons end.

I’ll be at Calabogie coaching and running the BMW demos next week. Hope to see you at the track!

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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