Seely Cards a Fourth at St. Louis

With teammate Trey Canard out with an injury, Cole Seely carried the torch for Team Honda HRC on Saturday night at the St. Louis Supercross, and although he turned in a notable come-from-behind performance to finish fourth, he was slightly dissatisfied at night’s end. The Californian had been fast all day and was hoping to extend his podium streak, but a poor start in the main event complicated things, putting him ninth on the opening lap. Seely methodically maneuvered his way through the competition before settling for fourth.

Fellow Red Rider Eli Tomac followed up last week’s victory with a hard-fought runner-up finish aboard his factory GEICO Honda CRF450R, moving him to second in the championship points standings.

NOTES

• During the day’s timed qualifying practice sessions, Cole Seely’s 48.048-second lap, which was logged in the second session, was good for fourth-quickest, less than one second off the pace of GEICO Honda rider Eli Tomac, who was second with 47.692.
• Seely was slotted in the second heat race at St. Louis, and when the gate dropped, he was near the front of the pack. While running second and in pursuit of the leader, he laid down the fastest lap of the race with a 47.427. He settled for second, earning a direct transfer to the main event. In the same race, Tomac encountered some misfortune on the opening lap and was forced to qualify for the main via the second semi.
• During the 20-lap main event, Tomac laid down an impressive 47.101 lap, the quickest of anyone on the track.
• For the second time this season, the track showcased a split-lane feature that allowed riders to choose between going to the right or left through a specific rhythm section. Although Seely utilized it to his advantage a few times on his charge to the front, he isn’t fond of the idea. “The split lane never really works out the way it’s supposed to. This is probably one of the better ones, and I was actually able to use it a few times to get around some guys, but it’s still a little awkward for racing. There always seems to be one lane that everyone favors, so it doesn’t do much.”
• Seely wore a replica of Tyler Hoeft’s jersey during the opening ceremonies. Hoeft was a young racer and friend of Seely’s who recently passed away.
• Before taking a well-deserved weekend off, Team Honda HRC has some work to attend to. The plan is for Seely and Tomac to spend Monday and Tuesday at Southern California track Zaca Station for one of the team’s first outdoor tests.
• The Honda Red Riders will return to action on April 11 for round 14 at Reliant Stadium in Houston.

THE FOCUS: Spring Break

Through St. Louis, the AMA Supercross series had raced every week of 2014, which works out to 13 consecutive weekends, but now the racers and teams will get Easter weekend off. The pause is welcome for many, including premier-class rookie Cole Seely, who has never before had to take part in the entire 17-round schedule.

“It’s definitely tough, both mentally and physically, to go the entire series, including 13 weeks straight before getting a break in the schedule,” Seely said. “It’s hard to wake up every weekend and want to get out there and race to win when you’re training during the week, so I had to back everything down a little bit during the week. I let myself rest when I’m getting tired and try not to overdo it. Doing that has really pumped me up and made me want to ride my hardest because I now have so much energy. That was the biggest learning experience for me this year.”

Seely is looking forward to spending some time at home, but he’s also going to miss racing. “The break is going to be nice, but to be honest I don’t mind the schedule,” he said. “I love racing Supercross, so the more the merrier for me. If they replaced all 12 of the outdoors races with Supercross rounds, I’d be pumped. I don’t have any special plans, so I’ll probably just go to the beach, hang out and let my body rest.”

The break is nice not only for the riders, but also for the mechanics and staff who travel with the series. “I’m really looking forward to my off weekend,” said Rich Simmons, Seely’s mechanic. “It’s tough on everyone going 13 weeks straight, so having a weekend off will be great for everyone to recharge before heading into the final rounds of the season. We have some outdoor testing at the beginning of the week, so there are going to be some long days coming up, but it’ll make the weekend off that much better. My girlfriend and I are going camping in Big Sur, so that’ll be great.”

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