The '07 Canadian Superbike series is now in the books, so I'd like to take the chance to reflect and give everyone a little insight on how things went for Brett in his rookie pro season.

After an amazing year as an amateur on the national scene, Brett was able to land a seat on the Canadian Kawasaki factory team along side Jordan Szoke. A dizzying accomplishment by any standard, but that is a whole story of its own! The key to the deal was the fact that Jeff Comello and Kawasaki were willing to give Brett a shot at the Superbike (1000cc). Although the majority of people scoffed at this, those who know Brett understood. The seed was planted the year before when Darren James of Ruthless Racing Deeley-Harley Davidson Buell also took a chance and gave Brett a ride on his team in Canadian Thunder. Canadian Thunder is a pro-am class full of established pros such as Darren himself. Brett proved his ability to adapt to different machines and this I think was a big part of the opportunities awarded Brett in '07.When the time came for Brett's debut at the winter tests in Jennings Florida there was much anticipation and the pressure that comes along with expectations. Now if you know Brett you know he is very level headed. He went about the task of a new team-new bikes-new track etc with a 'workman like' attitude not trying to 'impress' but to 'learn'. By the time we left Florida Brett had already proved Jeff Comello's intuitiveness. Over the three day test Brett impressed by not only being competitive with his times but by not crashing or being out of control.The first race in Mont-Tremblant went very well. Brett was very nervous, though he hid it well! Once again Brett was level headed and took it all in stride. Rather than being intimidated Brett was respectful of the awesome talent in Canada this year and used every opportunity to learn all he could. The biggest obstacles to overcome were learning bike set-up and his physical conditioning. Luckily the Kawasaki crew are a great bunch and Brett hit it off well with his mechanics from the get-go. As they spent more time together Brett and the mechanics (Jeremy Sherrard, Mark Douglas and Ilya Spanovich) learned what each other needed and by round six in Nova Scotia they had the set-up pretty much dialled in. That momentum carried into the last round in Shannonville where they almost had pole in Superbike. All the while Brett was training his butt off getting stronger and stronger. At the tests in Jennings Florida Brett admitted he would need to get stronger to be able to compete at that level. It's one thing to go fast for a lap, it's another to do it for 22 in a row! Round six in Nova Scotia was a turning point in that Brett started the first lap in tenth and finished fifth. He was able to do the fast laps right to the end, so his competitiveness at the last round where he was third in 600 and second in Superbike really were not a surprise to Brett or the crew. The other area he improved was qualifying, which in a deep field of talent is very important.At each round points are accumulated toward the HJC Pro Rookie of the Year award, with the rider who has the most points at the end of the season garnering the $2500 award. An additional $2500 is given if the rider wears an HJC helmet. Brett was the top rookie at each and every round, and locked up the title with one round to go. Brett wears HJC helmets so it was a great to receive the $5k!Enough can't be said about the whole Canadian Kawasaki team. Team manager Jeff Comello has been great about not putting undue pressure on Brett and letting him learn and develop this year. Crew chief Mike Crompton has also been awesome. His experience and technical expertise is second-to-none and he has really earned Brett's respect in a big way. As have all the mechanics, who are not only expert techs but all around great guys who know when it's time to work and when it's time to have fun! Having Jordan Szoke as a teammate was also good for Brett, Jordan's a great guy as well as a super talented rider, and he sure was a big help with advice etc whenever Brett needed it. They got along well and Brett was very happy for Jordan in winning back-to-back championships.Brett's also lucky to be sponsored by Parts Canada. The HJC Helmets and Alpinestars leathers, boots, gloves and back protectors are the best...Period. The same can be said about Shauna Szewczuk from Parts Canada. She takes care of Brett and is awesome...Period.As fall turns to winter and we go from the mx track to the pond for a little ice racing Brett and his family would like to thank everyone for their support and encouragement throughout the season. The Calgary round was very special as 40-50 friends and family from Saskatchewan made the trek to Race City to cheer Brett on! This meant the world to us!So we'll see everyone soon, and don't forget to take in the Motorcycle Shows in Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. There's gonna be bar banging action as Brett attempts to defend his indoor mini road racing championship!

Cheers,
McCormick Racing