Team Honda HRC Concludes AMA Supercross Season in Las Vegas

The 2017 AMA Supercross series came to a close for Team Honda HRC at Las Vegas’s Sam Boyd Stadium, with Christian Craig racing to a respectable 11^th-place finish while filling in aboard a factory CRF450R. In the final main event of the year, Craig put together a similar performance to his previous appearance with the team (Salt Lake City), getting a poor start but methodically advancing through the pack. By the completion of the 20-minute-plus-one-lap race, he had advanced from nearly last to 11^th.

NOTES

• American Honda and Team Honda HRC extend their congratulations to Ryan Dungey and the entire Red Bull KTM team for securing the 2017 AMA Supercross title.
• Although he didn’t compete in the series finale, Cole Seely was present at Friday’s pre-race press conference to address the media regarding his injury and answer questions about his season. Later that evening, Seely was joined by Andrew Short and the GEICO Honda squad at Carter Powersports to sign autographs for fans.
• With lap times over one minute, the Las Vegas track was one of the longest of the season. During the daytime program, Craig logged the 13^th-quickest qualifying time at 1:07.735.

• The Las Vegas Supercross marked the third time this season that Team Honda HRC’s technical and hospitality trucks were only a portion of Honda’s footprint in the pits. Under a third truck, fans got the opportunity to take part in a popular learn-to-ride program for kids.

• Slotted in the second heat race for the night program, Craig flinched off the start and was pushed wide in the first turn, coming around in 10^th. He worked his way into eighth, which is where he would finish, forcing him to qualify through the semi. In semi 1, Craig launched his Dunlop-equipped Honda CRF450R to a fourth-place start but made the pass into third in the opening rhythm section. He maintained that position to the checkered flag, advancing to the main event.
• Despite a consistent start to the year, Seely was disappointed with the overall outcome of his season after finishing seventh in the championship standings with 212 points. “It’s tough to sum this whole season up,” Seely explained. “It’s definitely a disappointment and doesn’t reflect how hard I trained, how hard the team worked, or how good the new bike is, so that’s a bummer. It’s a year that I’m going to have to put behind me and take what I’ve learned and apply it to next year.”
• With the AMA Supercross season completed, Team Honda HRC will enjoy a welcome weekend off before kicking off the AMA Pro Motocross championship on Saturday, May 20, in Sacramento.

THE FOCUS: Hangtown Countdown

Although Team Honda HRC had hoped for more from the 2017 AMA Supercross series, riders Cole Seely and Christian Craig, along with the entire crew, are eager to turn the page and start a new series fresh.

“I’m really looking forward to the outdoors,” Seely said. “After the way the supercross season ended, it will be nice to start fresh with a new series. I’m hoping to be at 100% so I can really battle and try to build off my finishes from last year. I haven’t been able to do a ton of testing yet because of my injury but I know we have a good base setting thanks to Andrew [Short] helping us. It’ll be cool to see how everything unfolds.”

Craig, who was recruited from GEICO Honda to fill in with the factory squad throughout the summer series, is also looking forward to the new season and is excited for the opportunity. “Now with supercross over, it’s time to fully shift our focus to outdoors,” he said. “I’m excited to have a whole series with the factory Honda team. I’ve been doing quite a bit of testing and so far it’s been going great. We’re definitely going in the right direction. The bike is feeling good, my body is feeling good, so I just need to bring my A-game to the races each weekend.”

Press contact:

Mandie Fonteyn // Jonnum Media // mandie@jonnummedia.com // +1(951) 537-0454