Canard Eighth in Detroit

Round 11 of the AMA Supercross series in Detroit is a race that Team Honda HRC would like to put behind them, as multiple misfortunes left riders Trey Canard and Cole Seely fighting for position. After posting solid times in qualifying and scoring his third heat-race win of the season, Canard was dogged with another poor start in the main, leaving him 14^th at the end of the opening lap. The Oklahoman was putting together a solid ride, as he advanced through the pack to a fight for seventh, when another rider pushed him wide on lap 12. Canard ran into a Tuff Block and off the track, then rejoined the race in 12^th and spent the final laps recovering as many positions as possible, ultimately taking the checkered flag in eighth.

Teammate Seely had propelled his CRF450R off the line to a good start and quickly moved into fourth, but disaster quickly struck when Seely missed his rear brake with his right foot while exiting the whoop section, and he was launched over a berm and off the track. He remounted in last place, but an impressive come-from-behind performance saw him cross the line in 11^th.

NOTES

• Prior to Saturday’s action, Team Honda HRC’s Trey Canard and Cole Seely joined GEICO Honda’s Justin Bogle, RJ Hampshire and Malcolm Stewart for an appearance at Genthe Honda Powersports in Southgate, Michigan, to hang out with fans and sign autographs.
• For the fourth time this season, Team Honda HRC was pleased to host Honda Racing Corporation Representative Director Keisuke Inomoto.
• During the daytime qualifying sessions, Canard notched the fourth-quickest lap time at 46.786 seconds, followed by Bogle in seventh with a 46.989-second lap. Seely was ninth at 47.409.
• The evening started out on a positive note, with all three Honda riders transferring directly to the main event through their heat races. Canard was slotted in heat 1, and when the gate dropped he was able to sneak inside to a second-place start. He made quick work of the rider in front of him, taking the lead and riding to the win. In heat 2, Bogle and Seely took advantage of decent starts and other riders’ mistakes to take the checkers in third and fourth, respectively.
• On race day, Team Honda HRC hosted a special family whose son Andrew—a young brain-tumor survivor—has participated in multiple Ride for Kids events in the Detroit area. The family received tickets to the Detroit Supercross, a tour of the team’s technical and hospitality semis and a unique opportunity to walk the racetrack, and they got to meet Canard. “Andrew had a rare form of cancer where most children don’t survive the first year and even fewer the second year,” said Michelle, his mother. “He’s 10 now. He survived because research is constantly evolving and organizations like Ride for Kids and the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation are dedicated to making sure that happens. It’s wonderful that someone like Trey and a company like Honda are helping raise awareness. We’re so grateful we got the opportunity to experience supercross and appreciate everything Honda has done.”
• It was an impressive night for the GEICO Honda 250 effort, as Malcolm Stewart rode flawlessly despite feeling under the weather, scoring his first victory of the season and taking over the points lead in the 250SX East championship. He will don the red number plate when the class returns to action in Indianapolis on April 9.
• Through Detroit, the AMA Supercross series has raced 11 consecutive weekends, but now the racers and teams will get Easter weekend off. The pause is welcome for many, including Canard’s mechanic Brent Presnell. “I’m really looking forward to spending time with my family on the off weekend,” he said. “We have an Easter egg hunt on Saturday, as well as a T-ball game. Since I’m technically a coach, it’s going to be nice to actually get to go to a game—for the first time, other than just practice. We’re probably going to head to Disneyland too. I’ve got to make up for the fact that I’m gone 29 weekends out of the year.”
• The Honda Red Riders will return to action on April 2 for round 12 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

THE FOCUS: Preparing for the Outdoors

Before taking a well-deserved weekend off, Team Honda HRC has some work to attend to. Following this event, Trey Canard, Cole Seely and Justin Bogle were scheduled to spend Monday and Tuesday at Canard’s private track in Edmond, Oklahoma, to begin preparing for the AMA Pro Motocross series.

“This will be our first outdoor test of the season, which is typical for this time of year,” explained team manager Dan Betley. “Trey has a couple different tracks that we’re going to do some testing on. Our focus for the week is chassis and suspension. We want to get a good base for the riders and get them comfortable. We’ll be starting with what we raced on last year and then building off of that. After this week, we’ll get back to supercross, but from here on out we’ll start to have some regular outdoor tests to get ready for the season.”

Plagued with injury during his rookie 450 outdoor season last year, Seely is looking forward to putting in the work for the 2016 series. “I only raced a handful of motocross races last year, so I’m excited to get out there and test with the KYB guys especially,” he explained. “I didn’t get much time with them last year because I was transitioning over to their equipment when I got hurt, so I didn’t get much testing in. I’m excited to get out there and put some days in to figure out some outdoor settings. I feel like I’ve never really had a great outdoor setup that I feel confident in because I don’t think I’ve ever focused enough on the testing, so I’m excited to get back to it.”