Another Podium Finish for Canard at Arlington Supercross

Round 7 of the AMA Supercross series in Arlington, Texas, was filled with mixed emotions for Team Honda HRC as it saw Trey Canard follow up his second win of the season last week with a solid podium finish, while Cole Seely experienced multiple challenges to finish 10^th.

Following a heat-race win, Canard recovered from an eighth-place start in the main event by advancing to third near the midway point. He earned valuable points and continued his progress toward the championship. It was a trying night for Seely, who was forced to take a less-than-desirable route to the main event, via the LCQ. A fall early in the main left him at the back of the pack, but he was able to regain composure and move into 10^th by the checkered flag. GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac finished the night in seventh place.

NOTES

• With only 3.5 hours separating Shawnee, Oklahoma, and Arlington, Texas, this is considered the home race for the rider-mechanic duo of Trey Canard and Brent Presnell. Flocks of fans waited in line for over an hour for their chance to meet Canard during the day’s autograph signing. “I love coming to Dallas because this is the closest race to my hometown and the fans are always so awesome,” Canard said. “Every time I step outside the semi I can hear people yelling my name and wishing me good luck, so that’s a special feeling.”
• There was a different element at the Arlington Supercross that came in the form of new dirt. Normally riders expect a rock-hard clay base inside AT&T Stadium, but this year they were surprised to find softer soil that is now 60% sand and 40% clay. “I thought the track was much better than in previous years,” said Canard. “The dirt was so much better than what we’re used to here. It was pretty tacky all day, so I was surprised how shiny and slick it got as the night progressed. It also got pretty rutted and rough in a couple spots.”
• Each weekend, Road 2 Recovery—a non-profit organization founded to help professional AMA Supercross riders with financial assistance if they sustain career-ending injuries—holds a fan-experience eBay auction that includes tickets to the race, pit tours and a signed rider jersey. At Arlington, Team Honda HRC helped support the cause by providing the foundation with a Cole Seely jersey and giving the auction winner and his family an inside look at the team’s tech and hospitality trucks. The package went for an impressive $2,500.
• During the day’s timed qualifying practice, Canard’s 50.231-second lap was good for third-quickest, less than one second off the pace of fellow Honda rider Eli Tomac, who was second with 49.481. Meanwhile, Seely secured fifth with 50.776.
• Canard took advantage of a good start in heat two, moving into the front spot early and leading every lap, earning him a direct transfer to the main event. Canard’s best lap in the main event was 55.568, making him one of only five riders to drop into the 55-second range.
• Seely was dogged by misfortune for much of the night. After taking sixth in his heat race, he suffered a crash while passing for the lead in semi 1 and had to transfer through the LCQ. That left him with a poor gate pick for the main event. Another mishap landed the rookie in 10^th by the end of the 20-lap race.
• With Canard’s wins in Oakland and San Diego, along with Tomac’s victory in Phoenix, the Red Riders have the most victories of any manufacturer this season. Additionally, Honda is the only brand to have at least one rider on the podium at every round, and the CRF450R has the most podium finishes of any bike, at eight. Honda also leads the manufacturer points standings, with 157 points.
• On February 21, Team Honda HRC will campaign the first of two back-to-back stops at Atlanta’s Georgia Dome.

THE FOCUS: Dynamic Duo

The rider-mechanic relationship is a special link. It may take a while for the connection to form, but after it does, it can be a true bond—the mechanic knowing exactly how the rider wants his bike to be set up, and the rider trusting his wrench to achieve that. For some riders and mechanics though, the relationship is based on more than just racing, and that’s the case with Trey Canard and Brent Presnell.

With this being Canard and Presnell’s 11^th year together, the duo has been through many highs and lows. “My relationship with Brent is really special,” Canard says. “He came to me in such a critical time in life when my dad had passed away and I didn’t have anyone to work on my bikes, so Brent came and lived with me. There’s more than racing between us; he’s like my family to me, and the relationship is very deep.”

“Honestly, sometimes I feel like we’re just the old married couple,” Presnell laughs. “We don’t have to talk; we just know what to do and what the other is thinking. I’ve been around him long enough to know his good days and his bad days based off his demeanor. There are certain times when he just needs his space to cool down for a little while, and I can normally get a good read on that so I can warn other people. We’re both from Oklahoma and come from similar backgrounds, so we have a lot in common away from the track.”

Look for a bio on the Cole Seely-Rich Simmons rider-mechanic pairing in an upcoming Team Honda HRC Race Brief.

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