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Brampton riders shine in CanAm Challenge series

Brampton riders wound up second and third as the Can-Am Motorcycle Challenge season recently wound up.

John Dempsey was second and Angela Hiba third as the series concluded with the final race in Virginia.

Dempsey's season ended one lap before it should have.

The Brampton rider completed 14 laps of the 15 laps of the final event before mechanical problems forced him out of the race.

"My bearing on the output shaft pooched during the race," he stated. That is the first time this season that Dempsey has been unable to complete a race on the circuit.

That final result cost him the championship points title. Dempsey had gone into the final race leading but wound up second. Dempsey finished with 190 points, just five back of Eddy Brunet of Lachine Que. On the final race Brunet moved ahead of Dempsey by earning 13 points.

Hiba earned 168 points.

Despite that Dempsey is not disappointed.

"I tried my best. I rode my hardest, gave it my all, I had an exciting year. I am proud to have second place in the Can-Am Challenge Series," he stated.

Hiba was also happy with her showing this season, which represented the continuation of a successful run for her in motorcycle racing.

"A big part of growing up in Brampton, for me, revolved around motorcycles. At a young age, my brother wanted a mini-bike and so my father dragged me along on the adventure. Actually, there wasn't much dragging involved," she stated.

She advanced from riding mini bikes to a street bike. Shortly after starting to ride on the street she began racing.

Hiba won the 125 GP championship as an amateur and as the only female, in just her fourth year of racing GP bikes. She continued on into the pro ranks.

"Over the last two years I began wondering if I'd gotten all I wanted out of racing and was thinking of retiring. Then, this year the 2004 RACE Pro 125GP title (the first female pro champion in RACE period) and a third in the North American Can-Am 125GP series answered that question. I guess that I wasn't done after all,'' she stated.

The series had eight races run over seven weekends during the season. Canadian stops were held in Shannonville, Mosport and Mont-Tremblant in Quebec with the U.S. stops at Loudon New Hampshire and Virginia.

Dempsey thanks his sponsors, Pro 6 Cycle, Dunlop Tires, Bickle Racing, Carrera Leathers, Quality Truck Collision, Bain Maching Racing and Meri-Mac Inc. He said without their support the season would not have been possible. He also thanks the series sponsors Durmach and Carrera Leathers who made the quality series possible.

Hiba said she thanks for their help Carrera Canada, Castrol Canada, Pro Racing Fuels, NGK Spark Plugs Canada, GP Engineering, EBC Brakes, Braking USA, Pro 6 Cycle, Meri-Mac Graphics, Forcefield Body Armour, Creations Auto Body, Pit Bull stands "and all of the people who dared me to keep going''.