Thrilling Victory for Canard in San Diego

Team Honda HRC turned in a dream performance at round six of the AMA Supercross series, with Trey Canard leading all but three of the 450SX main event’s 20 laps to post the first premier-class Supercross win at Petco Field. The Oklahoman showed excellent racecraft in San Diego, emerging from the first turn near the front despite a so-so jump from the gate, making a smooth pass to take an early lead, and then holding off repeated challenges from Ken Roczen to earn the victory. The night also saw Cole Seely top the second heat race, and with GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac winning the first heat, the Red Riders were unstoppable. Tomac and Seely were fifth and sixth, respectively, in the main event.

Canard’s triumph was his second of the young season, the first having come in round four at Oakland. With Tomac’s round-two win in Phoenix, Honda CRF450Rs have topped half of the season’s races thus far.

NOTES

•  For 2015, the FOX Sports 1 show Behind the Dream expanded to eight episodes, one of which will showcase Team Honda HRC and its riders, Trey Canard and Cole Seely. The show gives viewers an inside look at the lives of the sport’s elite athletes and teams. Thursday before San Diego, Canard and Seely spent time with the show’s production crew filming the episode, which will air later this season.
•  Ahead of Saturday’s Military Appreciation Race, Canard and Seely spent a portion of their Friday on one of the area’s local Navy bases touring the USS Peleliu, a Tarawa-class amphibious assault ship. During the tour, riders were able to see the ship’s flight deck, mess hall, berthing and anchor room before signing autographs for the sailors on board.
•  The substantial increase in Honda Racing Corporation’s involvement with American Honda’s AMA Supercross effort this season is well known, and the results have been positive so far. Team Honda HRC was pleased to host HRC Vice President Shuhei Nakamoto for round six, and following the daytime qualifying program, Mr. Nakamoto took time out of his day to meet with members of the media at the team’s hospitality rig. “HRC’s dream is to win all of the major championships,” Nakamoto said. “In motocross, this series is the most important, so that’s why we started this activity again.”
•  Seely and Canard were slotted in the second heat race at San Diego, and when the gate dropped, both Team Honda HRC riders were at the front of the pack. Seely took over the lead on the opening lap, while Canard settled into third. That’s where they finished, earning direct transfers to the main event.
•  Canard’s best lap in the main event was 55.568, making him the only rider to drop into the 55-second range.
• Entering the San Diego round, Canard was tied for third in the championship points standings, and his win gave him sole possession of the position, 18 points behind leader Ryan Dungey. Seely advanced one spot to sixth, and Tomac currently sits fourth.
• The Team Honda HRC riders were prepared for a short week following the San Diego race, as they will participate in Thursday’s press day ahead of the Arlington, Texas, round. It will be a busy event for Seely and Canard, who will also visit DFW Honda on Friday for an autograph session.

THE FOCUS: HRC Worlds Collide

On Tuesday prior to the San Diego Supercross, Team HRC Rally racers Joan Barreda and Jeremias Israel paid a visit to the Team Honda HRC test track in Corona, California. Fresh off of January’s Dakar Rally in South America, the Spaniard and Chilean are spending time vacationing in Southern California. Both went to Anaheim 3, and Israel—who campaigned selected AMA Motocross rounds from 2000 to 2003—also attended the San Diego race before returning home. “I used to live here, so it’s nice to come visit friends, see some of the Supercross races and get away from the press and craziness for a little bit,” Israel said. “I’m always following the series and rooting for these guys, checking updates on Twitter and re-watching the races on YouTube.”

At the test track, Trey Canard and Eli Tomac spent time chatting with Barreda and Israel about their respective racing disciplines and the challenges that come with them. “I’ve never known much about the Dakar Rally or ever followed it, but after hearing more about what they do, I couldn’t even image doing it,” Canard said. “Riding stages of 600 miles, or holding it wide open from one mountain range to another while not knowing what’s in front of you is just crazy. The only thing you have to go off is a road book that shows the course.”

The 2015 Dakar event finished on January 17, with Barreda having topped four stages and teammate Paolo Goncalaves finishing second overall. Now, the team has its sights set on next year’s race, and they’ll have plenty of opportunities to prepare. “We both ride motocross as part of our training, but there are other series and races we can ride,” Israel said. “There’s the Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, which starts soon, but there’s also a series in South America that’s operated by the same organization that puts on the Dakar. We’ll race certain ones depending on if the course runs in the areas where the next Dakar will run or not. It’s all about preparation and planning, and these are great opportunities for testing and training.”

Press contact:

Mandie Fonteyn // Dispatch Communications // mandie@dispatchco.com // +1 (951) 537-0454