Photo: Rob O'Brien / cdnsuperbike.com

Shubenacadie, NS – August 10, 2009

Team Suzuki Blackfoot Picotte Racing aimed to win Round 6 in Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia and that is exactly what they accomplished. The team’s talent and experience resulted in a smooth execution of excellence as they proved to be the fastest team on the track each and every time their bikes hit the pavement all weekend long.

In the Yoshimura Pro Sport Bike event, Brett McCormick got a 3rd place start. “I was rubbing elbows with Jordan right off the bat but I managed to get around him and Kevin on the first lap,” he says. “Once I got ahead, I did everything I could to keep focused and manage my lead.” Things couldn’t have been better as McCormick was able to gain a 7.347 second lead and was given the Tirox Big Winner Award for the greatest margin of victory.

During Saturday’s Superbike qualifier, McCormick had secured pole position and was presented with the Inside Motorcycles Pole Position Award. Off the start at Sunday’s race, Jordan Szoke pulled ahead of McCormick, but once again, McCormick was able to secure his lead before the end of the first lap.

“Brett really stepped up his game,” explains Team Manager Pascal Picotte. “He was very focused and determined to keep our chance alive for the championship. In Superbike, he made an aggressive move right at the start and managed his lead for the remainder of the race. I was very impressed. We had set up aggressive gearing so that in the corners he would be very close to the rev limiter in order to help him get up front. I asked him to save the bike and keep off the rev limiter once he had taken the lead and that is exactly what he did, which was just another example of Brett’s ability as a rider. Everything turned out perfect. It was a great team effort – our race faces were on all weekend and it was just smiles and laughter under the tent. We were out on the track 12 times and 12 times we were the fastest.”

“It’s all about spending more time with the team and with Pascal as well as getting more seat time on the Suzuki bikes,” McCormick discloses. “Each weekend we step it up a notch and each weekend we make it more difficult for the other guys to keep up with us.”

“I am very happy and very proud,” says Picotte. “We came into this race strong because of the additional time we had to prepare ourselves at the Regional last weekend. This weekend, all of my guys put an excellent effort together. Mike Fitzgerald from Ohlins gave us very good support throughout the weekend and the mechanics were fantastic. Plus, it was a nice bonus to receive the Brembo Tuners Award for having the highest measurement on the dyno. Our guys did a great job.”

After the team’s bittersweet experience at Mosport a few weeks ago, Pat Chambers Team Owner from Blackfoot Racing was delighted with the weekend results at Shubenacadie: “The race was excellent, great to hear that we took a clean sweep. It is obvious that this kid is determined to win and the team’s determination shines at every race. No one here is interested in giving up, regardless of the hiccups we’ve experienced along the way. As a team, we know what we have to do and we are going continue aiming for the championship. So far, this is truly the most exciting Superbike series we’ve ever had in Canada.”

To prepare for the final round of the 2009 season, Picotte reveals, “We simply have to work hard to make sure that everything is perfect. We cannot have any failures. We will look at the bikes piece by piece and make sure we have the best equipment to provide Brett with the greatest advantage possible.”

McCormick divulges his own strategy for the upcoming race that will make or break his championship: “All I can do is get ready to win,” he says. “I have a couple weeks to train physically and prepare myself mentally for this very important race. I am only a few points behind Jordan now, so it will be interesting to see the outcome. But for now I want to secure the Round 7 win and hopefully someone else can be competitive enough with Jordan so that we will have enough of a points lead to take the championship.”

Be sure to check out Shubenacadie on TSN and TSN HD. Round will be aired on Tuesday September 15 1:00pm - 2:00pm and again on Saturday September 19 from 4:00am - 5:00am. Round 7 will be held at the Shannonville Motorsport Park in Shannonville, Ontario from September 3-6th.