Munich (DE), 11th November 2016. Jordan Szoke (CA) dominates the
Canadian Superbike Championship (CSBK) with his BMW S 1000 RR. In
2016, he recorded a perfect season, just as he had done the year
before: he claimed every pole position and won all seven races on his
way to a successful title defence.
The 37-year-old, who was inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall
of Fame just a few weeks ago, has been leaving his mark on the CSBK
for some years. Regardless of the conditions, and no matter how
turbulent the races are or how strong the competition is: Szoke always
crosses the line first with the BMW S 1000 RR from his Mopar Express
Lane BMW Superbike Team. In 2016, the record champion celebrated his
11th title win in the series and also recorded a perfect season for
the third time after 2010 and 2015. Szoke has also claimed 49 CSBK
wins, another record that is unlikely to be bettered by the
competition any time soon.
Courtesy of his brilliant streak of wins this season, Szoke is also
the current leader of the 2016 BMW Motorrad Race Trophy. In an
interview, the Canadian speaks about the key to success, the support
of BMW Motorrad and the global BMW Motorrad Motorsport family.
Congratulations, Jordan. You won your second title in a row in
the Canadian Superbike Championship – and like last year, you did it
with the perfect season of winning all seven races. What is the
secret of your success?
Jordan Szoke: “Consistency, preparation, a great crew and machinery
have been the key to our success the last few years. This is the third
time I have had a perfect season. This is crazy – to do it once is
already awesome.”
You race the BMW S 1000 RR since several years. What do you
like about the bike?
Szoke: “The bike is very easy to ride and works really well under our
rules in the Canadian Superbike Championship. It is also a cost
effective bike that has been really reliable.”
How important is the support of BMW Motorrad for you?
Szoke: “Very important. The guys at BMW Motorrad Canada are great,
they have a lot of passion for racing and are former racers
themselves. Their support for us professional riders and the amateurs
in the Canadian Superbike Championship is fantastic. They are also
very creative in promoting motorsport with many activities and it is
great for the riders to be involved. Also the engineers from BMW
Motorrad Motorsport in Munich are really, really supportive. They
helped us a lot with the software via email and telephone support,
which was very important for us.”
Do you feel like being part of the global BMW Motorrad
Motorsport family?
Szoke: “Of course. I have been racing for a long time and I have
travelled around the world with racing so I know quite a few of the
other BMW racers from over the years. It is always great to meet and
chat. We all race the same bike, so we have a lot in common to talk
about. For me personally it is always a really enjoyable time when we
come to the end of season event in Germany, as my wife is German and
my son has a German name – so it is brilliant for us and something we
are really looking forward to.”
You are currently leading the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy. How
important is that special competition for BMW riders worldwide for you?
Szoke: “I think it is great – for several reasons. The
acknowledgement by BMW for the achievement of us privateers is cool.
It is great to be a part of. The focus is so much on the racing series
in Europe and America, so to be highly ranked in the Race Trophy is
gratifying. It brings awareness to our series and shows how good the
racing is here in Canada as well. I am very proud of that. Then there
is the financial aspect. Obviously we all try to scrape up the finance
to go racing, which is not an easy thing to do. So the extra support
through the prize money and the bonuses is awesome. We all work hard
to try and get the prize money. The Race Trophy is fun and very
exciting for us.”