mAgNETi mArELLi AmATEur SupErBikE / iNSidE mOTOrCyCLES-BAzAzz AmATEur SpOrT BikE NATiONAL ChAmpiONShip prEViEW
Dawe was seventh in Superbike and eighth in Sport Bike on the national tour riding a Yamaha YZF-R6. His best per- formance came in the Shannonville opener, when he qualified on the front row for both Amateur National races, finished second in Superbike and placed fourth in Sport Bike after leading the most laps. For 2013 Dawe has reportedly added a
BMW S1000RR to his stable with tuning help from Z1 Cycletech, which has worked successfully with top Pro Alex Welsh. So there is good reason to expect that Dawe could be a contender for both class titles this season. Orangeville, Ont.’s Steve Hoffarth is
back in the Amateur Superbike ranks after a promising debut season in 2012 aboard his BMW S1000RR. The former vintage regular and Inside Motorcycles magazine columnist finished 10th in national points last year, but that result doesn’t tell the true story of his competitiveness. Hoffarth showed improved pace as the season went on but suffered three non-finishes in the middle of the year. Significantly, he managed to qualify on the front row for the season finale at Canadian Tire Motor- sport Park. There is good reason to expect Hoffarth to be in the mix at the front of the Amateur Superbike class this summer. Other racers to make an impression at
the Shannonville regional opener were Tony Lanni and Steve Hamer. Lanni, from Brampton, Ont., placed third in both Ama- teur Superbike and Sport Bike. He finished second in the RACE Super Series Sport Bike standings last year aboard a Kawasaki ZX-6R, just ahead of Dawe, and took third in the Superbike class. Should he embark on a national campaign, Lanni could easily feature near the front. Hamer finished second in Amateur Sport
Bike and fifth in Amateur Superbike in May’s RACE opener. Brothers Marco and Pedro Sousa are ex-
pected to return to the Amateur national wars this season and both figured in the re- sults at the RACE opener. Marco took fourth in both Superbike and Sport Bike,
Bill Card’s son Mitch made a strong national debut in 2012, while Steve Hoffarth (below) should be a top five threat at every Amateur Superbike race on the tour.
while Pedro had a fifth in Sport Bike and sixth in Superbike. Both have made occa- sional forays in the national series, with Marco scoring a pair of top 10 Amateur Sport Bike finishes last year at CTMP. Late last season Wellesley, Ont.’s Mitch
Card joined the national tour in partnership with his dad Bill, himself a former Amateur Sport Bike star. Mitch managed a pair of fifth place finishes at Le Circuit Mont-Trem- blant and CTMP in the Sport Bike class, and gave good account of himself at the opening round of the SOAR regional series at Grand Bend Raceway at the end of May, snatching a pair of Amateur class wins. Should the younger Card make a serious run at Amateur national glory he will defi- nitely be worth watching. Since its inception in 2003 the Amateur
Sport Bike class has produced a steady stream of Pros to the top ranks, most no-
table among them being 2011 Superbike number one plate winner Brett McCormick and current Honda factory rider, and 2008 Amateur Sport Bike champ Jodi Christie. The Amateur Superbike class was
launched in 2011 and looks set to provide the same kind of excellent training ground for up-and-coming road racers. Perhaps demonstrating the appeal of
these classes, Magneti Marelli has come on board as title sponsor of the Amateur Su- perbike class, while Bazzaz and Inside Mo- torcycles are joint backers of the Amateur Sport Bike division. The racing in the Amateur ranks is al-
ways close and competitive, with a hungry field of young men and women looking to make their mark and move up to the Pro di- visions. Pay attention to the names at the front, you’ll probably be hearing a lot more from them as the seasons progress.
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