After a two-year hiatus from racing on the East Coast, Ben Young returned with a vengeance, securing the double-win and pole position at Atlantic Motorsports Park. Just like Young’s last visit to Shubie in 2019, the track brought the heat and the drama, making for a fantastic weekend’s racing.

The excitement kicked off on Friday with the Superpole session, where Young and title rival Alex Dumas tied for pole position. Young crossed the line with seconds to spare to complete a clean flying lap and ended up putting in a 1:07.521 – matching Dumas to the thousands of a second. Confusion ensued as this was unprecedented in the Canadian Superbike Championship. Ultimately, Young and Dumas would both earn the full four championship points for pole position, and grid positions for the race would come down to a coin toss. Young won the coin toss and set his sights on the top of the box for the weekend’s races.

With a heat warning in effect, the lights went out to start race one of the premier superbike class. Young had a great start off the line going into turn one in second position. The Van Dolder’s BMW M1000RR was solid throughout the typically rough track, and Young put on a great show for fans putting pressure on first position, even swapping paint at one point. The pair were wheel to wheel for the first half of the race, and eventually, the pressure was too much for Dumas. Entering turn five, Dumas crashed out, and Young took first position. Young won the race, earning his 8th national Superbike victory and significantly increasing his championship lead.

Sunday came without relief from the heat, but fans would be rewarded with great racing. The start of the race was slightly delayed due to some spitting rain. This would continue on and off for the race, though more as a “mental rain,” as it evaporated on the tarmac as quickly as it fell. Young got off the line and slotted into 3rd position on the first lap behind Dumas and Trevor Daley. Young navigated his BMW by Daley and made the chase for the lead by the second lap but had to make up what was now a two-second gap to first position. Young put in consistent pace and made a pass on Dumas to take first position. Despite the spitting rain and hot temperatures, Dumas kept pushing, and Young let him past, falling into second and allowing his rival to set the pace of the race. With two laps to go, Young got a great drive onto the back straight and retook first position. Feeling comfortable, he put in a couple of flying laps and went on to take his second win in as many days at Shubie.

Having accomplished full points at Atlantic Motorsports Park, Young now holds a strong 31-point advantage in the Canadian Superbike Championship going into the final round at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in a few weeks, where he hopes to secure his second Championship title.

Of the weekend, Young had this to say: “It was great to be back East at by far the most technical track we visit. We had two very different races with all sorts of situations thrown our way. It was great to walk away with another double win this year and extend the points on the championship lead.”

The next and final round is a triple-header held August 12-14th at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (Mosport), Bowmanville, ON – a track which always brings out great racing.

Young’s partners for his 2022 CSBK Championship season include; BMW Motorrad Canada, Van Dolder’s Home Team, Scot-Build Developments Inc, Parts Canada, HJC Helmets, Alpinestars, Hindle Exhaust, Barrie Trim and Mouldings, Clearlite, Primitive Patterns, DP Brakes, Alpha Racing and Vass Performance Cycle.

To keep up-to-date on Ben Young throughout the year, visit www.BenYoungRacing.com, www.facebook.com/BenYoungRacing or on Twitter and Instagram: @benyoung_86.

Ben Young had a stellar weekend at Grand Bend Motorplex for the opening round of the Canadian Superbike Championship. Young won both races aboard his Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW, setting him up well in the points standing for the 2022 season.

Friday’s qualifying session saw Young put in a solid lap time of 1:03.021 – beating his own previously held lap record at the track. Ultimately, the time would see him placed second on the grid for the weekends races, though with a consistent pace and a strong hunger to win.

Excitement was high for the first race of the weekend on Saturday. Young got a great start off the line aboard his BMW S1000RR, taking the hole shot into the first corner. The first half of the 20-lap race saw the top 4 racers close, though none could make an attempt for the lead. Young reaped the rewards of his consistency and strong pace, building a solid lead as the race progressed and he ended up crossing the line with a 5 second lead.

With full intention of a repeat result, Young headed into race two with calm confidence. His Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW felt great and the sun was shining. Young wouldn’t get the start he was hoping for, but slotted into second and chased the lead for the first 5 laps. On the sixth lap, Young made the pass into first at turn one and never looked back. Again, he built a strong lead quickly, and took a comfortable 1st place with a 6.5 second lead.

This successful weekend not only gives Young a strong 18-point lead in the Canadian Superbike Championship, but Sunday’s win also gives BMW their 50th win in the Superbike class. Young is also now tied for 10th all-time Superbike wins in the Canadian Championship.

Of the weekend, Young says “It was great to open the 2022 season. Riding our backup bike was far from ideal, but we made the best of it and it did us well. We are looking forward to getting the M1000RR ready to roll for round two in just under a months time.”

The next CSBK round will be held July 8th-10th at Calabogie Motorsports Park, where Young will look to continue his campaign for the 2022 title.

Young’s partners for his 2022 CSBK Championship season include; BMW Motorrad Canada, Van Dolders Home Team, Scot-Build Developments Inc, Parts Canada, HJC Helmets, Alpinestars, Hindle Exhaust, Barrie Trim and Mouldings, Clearlite, Primitive Patterns, Alpha Racing and Vass Performance Cycle.

To keep up-to-date on Ben Young throughout the year visit; www.BenYoungRacing.com, www.facebook.com/BenYoungRacing or on Twitter and Instagram: @benyoung_86.

The 2021 Canadian Superbike Championship wrapped up September 17-18 at Calabogie Motorsports Park with Ben Young claiming 2nd place overall.

Coming into the final two races at Calabogie, expectations were high, and Young knew it wouldn’t be an easy battle – Dumas had won the opening two races at the same venue. Within the second practice, Young had improved his times from the first round, showing his hunger for the weekend.

A shortened race weekend meant Young was on track Friday and Saturday only, leaving very little time to work on the set up of the Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW S1000RR. Despite this, Young took 2nd place on the grid, only 0.171 seconds off pole position. This closeness would give an idea of just how competitive the racing would be, and it didn’t disappoint.

Young charged hard off of the line of race one. He maintained a close second position for the entirety of the race. Due to the high speed at such a technical track, Young couldn’t make any attempts to take first stick, and he crossed the line with a solid 2nd place and a blistering fastest lap of 2:00:836, a time which hasn’t been seen in years at Calabogie.

In race two, Young took the holeshot heading into the first corner, but unfortunately, the race was red-flagged on the second lap. The restarted race was shortened to an 8-lap dash in which Young had less success getting off the line. Despite heading into turn 1 in 4th place, Young made it into second position in short order though a second behind Dumas in first. Young again took the fastest lap in his chase of first, but ultimately couldn’t take the lead finishing 2nd again.

“It wasn’t quite the season finish we hoped for, but we knew it wouldn’t be easy. Considering that we took a year out in 2020 due to COVID, having a new bike and dealing with some gremlins, we are delighted with 2nd place in the championship. The team and I worked really hard right to the end, and it just makes us hungrier for next year. ”

Young’s partners for his 2021 CSBK Championship season include; BMW Motorrad Canada, Van Dolder’s Home Team, Scot-Build Developments Inc, Parts Canada, HJC Helmets, Alpinestars, Motul, Hindle Exhaust, Barrie Trim and Mouldings, Alpha Racing and Vass Performance Cycle.

To keep up-to-date on Ben Young visit; www.BenYoungRacing.com, www.facebook.com/BenYoungRacing or find him on Twitter and Instagram: @benyoung_86

Cover photo: CSBK

Ben Young continues to charge in his campaign for the 2021 Canadian Superbike title. He was crowned “King of Mosport” after walking away with Pole Position, 1st place race one, 3rd place race two and a 2nd place in race three, along with a race lap record during the first-ever triple-header at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park.

After topping the timesheets in the first qualifying session, Young moved into Superpole with the top 10, where they have the opportunity to run a Dunlop spec qualifying tire which can improve times dramatically.  The weather had other ideas, however. Young headed out on a soft slick at the start of the session and easily took pole position. He came into the pit, switched over to the spec tire but didn’t get out on track as heavy rain began to fall on the back section of the track and the session was stopped immediately. After much deliberation, the ultimate decision was to proceed to grid-based on positions from Superpole – Young took his second Pole Position of the 2021 CSBK season.

Due to unfortunate circumstances on Saturday, all three races were switched to 14 laps, and would all be held on Sunday. They would prove to be close racing the likes of which we’ve not seen at this level for years.

Race one began with Young slotting into 2nd place behind Dumas for the first few laps. He was constantly on Dumas tail and by lap 6, Young managed to make a pass stick and led the race on his Van Dolder’s Home Team BMW. With the top 5 close on his tail. Young continued to push, closing the door on his opponents and held on to take the win.

With a great start off the line in race two, Ben rocketed his BMW S1000RR into first position. Young jostled positions with Szoke and Dumas for the entirety of the race. Multiple times, they crossed the line three-abreast, so close was the competition. Ultimately, Young took 3rd place, with just 3/10ths of a second covering the top 3. This would only prove to make Young hungrier for the final race of tripleheader weekend.

Young got a bad launch of the line for the third and last race of the day, dropping as low as 5th place. He quickly picked off riders and was battling for first again in no time. Young led the race, with Szoke close on his tail, renewing their long rivalry. They switched positions, and with one lap to go on the last corner, Young attempted one last pass on Szoke but had to sit up at the last moment to avoid a collision. The riders crossed the line three-wide, with Young taking the second position – completing his trifecta of positions for the weekend.

Of the weekend, Young said the following: “Three races in one day was a lot, but we were more than ready for it. We had a great race set up for the crucial last laps of the 20 and 18 lap races, and with our race being shortened to 14 laps, I felt like it helped a lot of the other riders who hadn’t had it figured out. Some great battles throughout all 3 races, and all clean and fair racing.”
Ben now tails first place in the standings by only 10 points. The championship will be decided at the final round held at Calabogie Motorsports Park, dates to be confirmed.

Young’s partners for his 2021 CSBK Championship season include; BMW Motorrad Canada, Van Dolder’s Home Team, Scot-Build Developments Inc, Parts Canada, HJC Helmets, Alpinestars, Motul, Hindle Exhaust, Barrie Trim and Mouldings, Alpha Racing and Vass Performance Cycle.

To keep up-to-date on Ben Young throughout the year visit; www.BenYoungRacing.com, www.facebook.com/BenYoungRacing or find him on Twitter and Instagram: @benyoung_86

The Andy Van Dolder Scholarship was created in honour of our late founder, father and friend, Andy Van Dolder. Andy possessed an unrivalled passion for home improvement and was known around the region for his gregarious spirit.

Each year, the scholarship is awarded to a student in Georgian College’s Carpentry and Renovation Techniques Program who demonstrates academic merit (+75% average) as well as a commitment to the program and profession— something Andy did for over 56 years.

The inaugural scholarship was awarded in January 2020 and has since been awarded to a deserving student every semester. Take a look at the list of past winners below and see what they had to say about receiving the Andy Van Dolder scholarship.

Winter 2019

Recipient: Leah Simon

“I can now focus solely on studying and my school work instead of having to find a second job to help pay for all my bills with school and at home. This is a major help to me and my family.”

Fall 2020

Recipient: Maygan Sensenberger

“Receiving this financial assistance has helped me in many ways, including allowing me to focus more on my studies by improving my study/work-life balance. I am independent and do not receive OSAP and have worked hard to save money to pay for school myself.”

Winter 2021

Recipient: Chris Ewald

“By awarding me with the Andy VanDolder Scholarship, I was able to focus all my energy into the course, which allowed me to make my future aspirations come true.”

Winter 2022

Recipient: Joshua Blackburn

“Thanks to this program, I will be starting a new career building custom homes in the Muskoka region. This scholarship will certainly ease the stress
of my financial situation, especially in the few weeks before I receive any income.”

The entire Home Team family would like to congratulate all of the Andy Van Dolder Scholarship recipients. We wish you all the best in your future careers, and we know that Andy would be proud of the passion you display for your chosen field.

On January 30th, 2020, the first-ever Andy Van Dolder Scholarship was awarded. The scholarship’s first deserving recipient was Leah Simon, who described receiving the award as a big help towards finishing her education.

“I can now focus solely on studying, and my school work instead of having to find a second job to help pay for all my bills with school and at home. This is a major help to me and my family.”

The Andy Van Dolder Scholarship was created in honour of our late founder, father and friend, Andy Van Dolder. Andy possessed an unrivalled passion for home improvement and was known around the region for his gregarious spirit. His scholarship is presented to a student in Georgian College’s Carpentry and Renovation Techniques Program who demonstrates academic merit (+75% average) as well as a commitment to the program and profession— something Andy did for over 56 years. The scholarship is valued at $1,000 and is awarded to a student from the Grey Bruce Simcoe region twice a year.

The entire Home Team family would like to congratulate, Leah Simon on being the first recipient of the Andy Van Dolder Scholarship. We wish her all the best as she finishes her studies and begins her career, and we know that Andy would be proud of the passion she displays for her chosen field.

Information about the Andy Van Dolder Scholarship will be available online in Fall 2020 on Georgian College’s website. If you’d like to learn more about the scholarship in the meantime, we ask that you contact Tim Van Dolder at our Collingwood location so that he can redirect you to the appropriate Georgian College contact.

Congratulations once again, Leah!