Michael Leon

Sometimes the most difficult part of a race weekend is sitting down to write the race report. This was almost the case this time, but the actual worst part of last weekend was sitting and watching race one, under a tree, in corner eight at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park after crashing out of the tail end of the lead pack during race one of the triple header. Not the weekend that we wanted.

The second round of the CSBK season started out for our team in the best way possible. P1 in the first practice! We had spent the days leading up to the event riding with Pro 6 Cycle during their track days. Kyle was able to tune the S1000RR’s electronics and try out a rear linkage, made by Foresaken Motorsports, lent to us by BMW rider Marc Labossiere. By the time Friday morning rolled around, we had the bike dialed. At the end of the session, we threw on a new rear and BAM, a lap time of 1:21.560. Good enough for P1! For perspective, my personal best ever at “Mosport” to that point was a 1:21.455 set during one of the races there in 2018. The pole time in 2019 was a 1:21.598 set by Ben Young. Long story short, we were already at race pace on Friday morning.

I just want to take a moment to congratulate and thank my teammates, Kyle and Jaret, for their amazing work. This season we have changed things up a bit and Kyle has taken over responsibility for the S1000RR data system and tuning the kit ECU’s electronics. He has exceeded my expectations and taken to it like a duck to water. Jaret never shies away from hard work and busts his ass at every event. Between the two of them, they gave me the best motorcycle that I have ever ridden at CTMP. Thanks guys, job well done. Read more…

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.

Read more…

Calabogie Race Report:

Pace.

The rider’s ability to string together multiple laps at, or near, his fastest laptime. This past weekend, at the CSBK 2021 double header season opener race, we had the speed to fight for the podium, but ended up missing the pace to stay with the lead group and make a podium finish happen.

It felt great to finally line up and race after ten months off. We were able to put all the cancelled events behind us and kicked off the 2021 season on July 11th with a two-race event at Calabogie Motorsports Park. The track is one of the finest racing facilities in Canada and home of Pro 6 Cycle who co-promoted the event with CSBK. I crossed the line on the Royal Distributing BMW Motorrad Canada S1000RR Superbike in 8th and 7th place at the end of the two races. The results do not tell the whole story. Read more…

It is with great pride that the Royal Distributing Superbike Team announces plans to compete in the 2021 Canadian Superbike Championship and the new regional Pro 6 GP Championship with veteran rider Michael Leon.

Kyle Blakely of Windmill Motorsports and Machine will return as crew chief, with Jaret Whiteside continuing his role as trackside crew.

BMW Motorrad Canada has stepped up support and will be providing additional kit parts to the team to increase the already potent performance of the S1000RR. The team will field the same 2020 BMW S1000RR Superbike that they used to set the fastest laps during both CSBK Pro Superbike races at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park last August. Read more…

Looking for something to keep occupied during the long winter lock down. Check out this episode of the Track Announcer’s Notebook to listen to Michael, Jordan Szoke and Sandy Nove being interviewed by Pat Gonsalves.

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Watch the last race of the 2020 season as it appeared on TSN.

Michael leads the first laps and was running in 2nd place when the race ends in tears in the rain for the Royal Distributing Superbike Team.  Well……there is always next year.

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From our racing family to yours, we wish you a Very Merry Christmas and a Wonderful New Year! Here’s to Health and Happiness in 2021!
#merrychristmas #happynewyear #royaldistributing #eatsleepride #bmwmotorradca #pro6cycle #ridedunlop #windmillmotorsportsandmachine #bellpowersports #bellpowersportscanada #joerocketcanada #hindleexhaust #davesmith #leonracing #csbk #s1000rr #superbike #k67 #csbk

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Tune in to TSN today to watch me get the holeshot, lead the first few laps and fight for the podium in CSBK Pro Superbike from Mosport.
It airs on:
TSN 3 & 5 Nov 10th at 12:00PM
TSN 4 Nov10th at 2:30PM
TSN 3 Nov 11th at 1:00 PM
TSN 2 Novv 12th at 2:00 PM
#royaldistributing #bmwmotorradca #pro6cycle #windmillmotorsportsandmachine #ridedunlop #joerocketcanada #bellpowersports #hindleexhaust #eatsleepride #racing #superbike #s1000rr

I apologize for the delay in sending this newsletter. The plan was to wait until the video of the race was released on youtube so that a link could be included. Since then, CSBK has finalized a deal with TSN to brodcast the race in the coming months and the video will only be posted on youtube after the broadcast. You can read more about the TSN deal here: https://csbk.ca/index.php/news/news/3244-ibew-confirmed-as-tsn-title-sponsor-for-csbk-2020.

Read more…

To make a long story short:

The global pandemic has forced the country into isolation and has caused the cancellation of professional sports around the world. CSBK was not exempt and the first 4 planned CSBK events of the 2020 schedule could not take place. CSBK and Pro 6 Cycle Trackdays found a way to hold a single day, double header event, without spectators, at Calabogie Motorsports Park on July 25th, in order to help salvage the Canadian National Superbike racing season. Some racers came out to race, others did not. Royal Distributing stepped up to the plate with continued support for Michael Leon and his BMW Superbike Team to be able to compete on the new 2020 K67 S1000RR BMW. The team rose to the occasion! Michael qualified 2nd, and finished 3rd in the first race, thus becoming the first Canadian racer to score a podium on the new S1000RR model. Unfortunately, an electrical error code forced the team out of 4th place in the second race. More racing in 2020 at Canadian Tire Motosport Park may be on the horizon for CSBK. Officials are working hard to make it happen. Read more…