This weekend at Shannonville Motorsports Park in Ontario, Canada, Team Suzuki Blackfoot Picotte Racing pulled together for the last round in 2009 to ensure they left no doubt in the eyes of Canadian fans that they are truly the fastest team to hit the pavement this season.  After setting new lap records at every track in the Superbike series, these guys have earned their share of bragging rights and, despite their 2nd place finish in both championships, the team has put forth an exciting performance packed with suspense, surprise and proof of their ability.
 
To finish off the Yoshimura Pro Sport Bike Championship, McCormick blew away his competition by finishing first with a 5.993 second lead over his season-long rival Jordan Szoke.  “I got a good launch,” McCormick says, “but I got stuck on the inside of the track on the first turn with nowhere to go so I had to slow down and ended up 4th into turn 2.  But, within two laps I was able to take the lead and then it was all about checking out and getting in laps.  It was an easy race.”

In the Superbike race, McCormick was called for a jumpstart.  On his second lap, his team informed him of the jumpstart via his pit board and McCormick was able to channel his frustration into pure determination.   “In that race, I was third off the start and Kevin and I passed Jordan at the same time.  I passed Kevin the next lap and checked out.  I knew I had to win by more than 5 seconds and I didn’t want to leave anything to chance so I stepped it up and finished the race with about an 11 second lead.”  Once the penalty was accounted for, the victory was a 6.121 second finish ahead of Szoke. 

McCormick discloses, “It’s disappointing to lose the championship but we’ve accomplished a lot this season by sweeping the races at Mirabel and Shuby and then winning everything here, plus other wins throughout the season.  Even though we didn’t win the title, I think we have proved that we are the fastest on the track, so that’s what matters.” 

Team Manager Pascal Picotte says, “This weekend, we did exactly what we needed to do.  Some people thought we needed to get a guy in between Brett and Jordan and I didn’t feel it was the right thing to do.  We would have had to spread ourselves thin and that wouldn’t have been good for Brett.  We focused just on him and we worked hard to make sure that we stayed on top all weekend.  He’s only 18 years old and for him to be the fastest guy in every session, it’s very difficult.  I just kept working with him to help him understand that the pressure doesn’t really exist – you can’t control the future.  So we went out there and did our best and we accomplished two victories.  If the championship had fallen to our favour that would have just been a bonus.” 

“Pascal has really helped me figure out the mental game,” McCormick explains.  “He’s amazing with bike set-up and he taught me so much about racing.  I wouldn’t trade this year for anything.  I have a lot to take away from these experiences and that’s what really counts.  All the people involved were just awesome – they are all really great people.  And Pat [Chambers], he’s an awesome guy to work with.  We are a bunch of people with the same goal - to win races and it shined throughout the whole season.  It was a really fun atmosphere, not always serious but everyone really buttoned down to business when they had to and it was a winning combination.”

Picotte describes the 2009 as, “Fantastic.  We made progress every single weekend.  I wish there were a couple more races because there is no doubt that we could have taken home the title.  We dominated right after Calabogie and we found the sweet spot for Brett and from there on we made his life a lot easier.  We were able to communicate better and better and now I understand more about what he is looking for.” 

Picotte goes on to say, “Our team was flawless, we couldn’t have asked for better guys.  The race face was on but we were very relaxed and we had a good time.  The chemistry was phenomenal.  We have been really lucky to work with Suzuki, they have been great.  As well, Pat Chambers has been really wonderful for us to work with.  The economy was down and the budget was tight but Pat didn’t give up on us.  Thanks to Blackfoot Racing and Suzuki we were able to perform miracles this year.”

Pat Chambers, Team Owner from Blackfoot Racing finishes by saying, “Unfortunately our success this weekend didn’t result in the championship, but we know Brett did everything he could and we had a great year.  We were very impressed with how much Brett improved constantly throughout the season.  Every time he got on the motorcycle we saw his growth and he took his skill and ability to a level that was unmatched.  Pascal certainly helped accelerate his development and the relationship was fruitful and very successful.  We have an amazing team here with Suzuki, Blackfoot and Picotte Racing.  These guys know how to make the team work – they are an energetic group who have fun while they work hard.  They really know what they are doing.” 

And the outlook for 2010?  “It’s our full intention to continue moving forward with Suzuki and Brett McCormick in some capacity,” states Chambers, “We’d like to come back and take care of our unfinished business.”