Tomas Casas chasing second national title
City rider has 43 point lead heading into final races of bike racing season in Bowmanville
Tomas Casas is squarely in the driver’s seat as he chases his second straight national title this weekend.
The 19-year-old Peterborough rider enters the final two stages of the Liqui Moly Pro Sport Bike series with a 43-point lead on Ripley, Ont.’s Mitch Card. The final two races are set for Saturday and Sunday at Bowmanville’s Canadian Tire Motorsports Park.
Casas has finished no lower than second in the first five races but he has not yet won a race at CTMP. Card won both races there last year but he’ll likely need to not only sweep them again this year, he’ll need a collapse by Casas. The maximum points available in a race are 52 and a win by Casas on Saturday would likely clinch the title.
“It’s pretty good to go into it leading the championship with a few points in hand,” said Casas. “There is not too much pressure and risk. I’m going to be battling for the win because, as a rider, you always want to win but there is not that pressure of me having to win to clinch the title. I’ll go into it a little bit more relaxed.”
A top five finish in each race would likely do the trick.
“I’m not going to take any huge risks if I see that I can’t really win but I’m going to be in contention for the win,” said Casas, who placed second in both races at CTMP last year.
Winning back-to-back titles would mean a lot to the native of Columbia who moved to Peterborough as a child.
“It’s to prove a point,” said Casas. “Sometimes your first championship can be due to circumstances. When you win a second championship you prove to yourself that you deserve that number one plate. It’s taking yet another step forward in my career.”
Casas would really like to find the sponsorship to step up to the top division, the Mopar Canadian Superbike (CSBK) class. He’s raced the series with his 600cc motorcycle but the top drivers are racing 1000cc machines. It’s a more expensive class than Casas is currently able to afford but he sits s respectable seventh in the series on his smaller ride.
“Hopefully with this title it will help us to gain more sponsorships to keep moving forward and step up to the Superbike class to be competitive there next year,” he said.
Casas tried securing a bigger bike to race the final two CSBK races to secure his seventh-place standing or better. He was unable to but he’ll do the best he can at CTMP, formerly known as Mosport, with his 600cc ride.
“Mosport is too big a track. It’s very, very hard to finish top 10 on a 600,” he said. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get the bike together because of timing.”
Lynden, Ont.’s Jordan Szoke is looking to clinch his record 13th CSBK crown this weekend. He’s won all five races this year and is trying for his fourth perfect season. He is the only rider in the series history to post a perfect campaign.
Casas said he also expects to run the Pro Sport Bike class again next year even if he secured a 1000cc bike.
“I haven’t had the support yet to step up to a superbike,” said Casas, “but it’s also experience. I want to maximize my experience on a 600 before I start focusing solely on a superbike.”
Tickets are $60 for a weekend Super Ticket. General camping is $50 (tent or pop-up trailer), $70 for RVs (or hard-bodied trailers). Single-day tickets are $30 for Saturday and $35 for Sunday. Visit Canadiantiremotorsportpark.com for tickets and event details.