Canard Fifth at Foxborough Supercross, Seely Seventh

Although Team Honda HRC had its sights set on the podium for AMA Supercross’ return to Foxborough after a 26-year absence, the crew was relatively pleased with both Trey Canard and Cole Seely landing in the top 10, with fifth- and seventh-place finishes, respectively.

Following an eighth-place start, Canard worked his way into fifth in the early going and would maintain that position throughout the remainder of the 20-lap main event. It was a tough return to racing for Seely, who had been sidelined for four weeks due to a chipped vertebra. The Californian took the long way to the main event, being forced to qualify through the LCQ. In the finale, he rounded the first turn nearly last and quickly began working his way through the field, ultimately taking the checkered flag in seventh.

NOTES

• Prior to Saturday’s action, Team Honda HRC’s Trey Canard joined GEICO Honda’s Justin Bogle, RJ Hampshire and Malcolm Stewart for an appearance at Bettencourt’s Honda to hang out with fans and sign autographs at the dealership’s annual supercross party.
• AMA Supercross previously ran at Foxborough on three occasions, in 1983, ’84 and ’90. Honda won all three times, with riders David Bailey topping the first two races and Jean-Michel Bayle the third.
• For the second time this season, riders and teams were on a daytime schedule due to the Foxborough Supercross airing live on the Fox network. The program started four hours earlier than normal, and the racing was completed by 7 p.m.
• Conditions were tough during the timed qualifying sessions, as rain throughout the morning left the track covered in mud. Nevertheless, Canard was fast aboard his CRF450R, securing the second-quickest time at 1:01.813, while Cole Seely was fifth with 1:02.385. As the track dried out throughout the day, times consistently dropped.
• On race day, Seely’s mechanic Rich Simmons and Bogle’s mechanic Grant Hutchinson, who are both graduates of Motorcycle Mechanics Institute, met with a group of students from the local campus to provide a glimpse into the life of a factory technician. Later that evening, Simmons would be awarded with the $1000 MMI Top Tech award for his swift work on the number 14 machine after a first-turn crash in 450SX semi 2.
• This is a short week for Seely and Canard, who travel east to participate in Thursday’s press conference in East Rutherford, New Jersey, where the series returns to action on Saturday, April 30.

THE FOCUS: At the Gate

 Most race fans know that one of the most important parts of any race is the start, and that begins with a good gate selection, which is in turn affected by a rider’s result in qualifying practice and throughout the night. “Anytime you’re in the top three or four, it’s a good thing,” Trey Canard explained. “There are so many variables to picking your gate that everything really has to add up. Winning your heat race or getting second is very big so you have more options in the main event, and obviously the further back you go in finishing position the less options you’ll have.”

Canard pointed out that there’s more to a good gate than how far inside or outside it is. “When you’re looking at a gate, the first thing we look at is the rut in front of it,” he said. “A lot of times, they can get big holes or a sharp curb that your wheel could hit and go airborne or jump around. Then we look at the rut behind the gate. Usually you want the smoothest, straightest one, with the best dirt possible for traction. When mechanics are kicking and stomping the gate, they’re trying to kick in the sides of the rut to get some fresh dirt in there for more traction.”

Media contact:

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