Canard Scores Season-Best Finish in Indianapolis

Round 13 of the AMA Supercross series, in Indianapolis, saw Team Honda HRC’s Trey Canard secure his best result of the season, as he finished the night in fourth. Following a decent start, the Oklahoman made quick work of the riders in front of him, advancing to fifth by the completion of the opening lap. Taking advantage of another rider’s mistake, Canard moved into fourth on lap 12, which is where he would finish.

NOTES

• The evening before the race, Westfield Powersports hosted Team Honda HRC’s Trey Canard, along with GEICO Honda riders Justin Bogle, RJ Hampshire and Malcolm Stewart, for a Supercross party in downtown Indianapolis. Fans had the opportunity to get autographs and hang out with their favorite racers before all the action.
• For the second weekend in a row, Team Honda HRC’s Cole Seely did not take part in the event as he continues to nurse a chipped vertebra that was sustained in a March 31 practice crash. “I’ve been starting to feel better lately,” Seely said. “I’m still stiff and a little sore but I’ve been moving around better. I even did a little spin on my trainer, so we’re making progress. I can’t wait to get back on the bike and be at the races.”
• During the daytime qualifying sessions, Canard notched the fifth-quickest lap time at 46.488 seconds, while Bogle was ninth with a 47.685-second lap.
• Many regarded the Indianapolis track as one of the most challenging so far this season. “The track was tough all day today,” Canard said. “The dirt was soft and was breaking down even in the first practice. It was just extremely sketchy with people all over the place. The ruts were so deep that during the main event, you could see the timing-and-scoring cables on the finish-line jump.”
• The evening started on a positive note for the Honda Red Riders, with both Canard and Bogle transferring directly into the main event via 2-3 finishes in 450SX heat 2.
• For the fifth time this season, Team Honda HRC was pleased to host a special family through Ride for Kids. Daniel—a young boy with a brain tumor—and his family received tickets to the Indianapolis Supercross, a tour of the team’s technical and hospitality semis and got to meet Canard and join the team for dinner. Daniel has participated in multiple ride events in the Indianapolis area. “Our family are actually big fans of supercross,” said Daniel’s mother Karen. “We come to this race every year, so when we got the call from Ride for Kids about this special opportunity to spend the day with Honda and meet Trey Canard, who’s Danielle’s favorite rider, we were so excited. I can’t explain how grateful we are.”
• The same weekend that Canard and Bogle were competing in Indianapolis, fellow HRC racers Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa were racing their Repsol Honda MotoGP bikes 1,000 miles southeast in Austin, Texas, where Marquez earned his fourth consecutive victory at Circuit of the Americas. Abroad, Repsol Honda Team rider Toni Bou won the Spanish round of the Trials World Championship, and Honda Gariboldi rider Tim Gajser topped the Argentine round of the MXGP series.
• On Saturday, April 16, Team Honda HRC will be in St. Louis for round 14 for the AMA Supercross series.

THE FOCUS: Honda Showdown

Prior to Saturday’s gate drop, Team Honda HRC’s Trey Canard and GEICO Honda’s RJ Hampshire took part in a go-kart showdown with Honda Performance Development (HPD) backed IndyCar drivers Alexander Rossi and Conor Daly, at K1 Speed in Fishers, Indiana. The grand prix-style event included a practice session, timed qualifying and main-event race, with time in between each for fans to get autographs with their favorite Honda-backed athlete. The next day, both automobile racers joined Team Honda HRC to get an inside look at a supercross event.

“Friday’s event was a great experience and it was awesome to meet Conor and Alexander,” Canard said. “I definitely think they went easy on us and let us win, but either way it was a lot of fun to get out there and race with them. Even though IndyCar and supercross are totally different worlds, there are actually a lot of similarities between them, so it was cool to get their take on things. Having them join us at the race was great too and hopefully someday I can make it to an IndyCar race.”

The car drivers enjoyed the event as well. “It was very cool to be on track with Trey and RJ and have the Honda family together for the afternoon to mix two different disciplines of motorsports in one place,” Rossi said. “It was a lot of fun and great for fans to be able to come out and experience it with us.”

“I’ve been a fan for a long time,” Daly added, “so to get to experience the behind-the-scenes of race day was awesome. It’s amazing to see all that goes into it and the amount of preparation the team and riders put into each weekend. I watched film with Trey after the last practice, so I got to see what he’s evaluating. We got to go down and walk the track, which I’ve never had the opportunity to do, and it was unreal to see it from that perspective. The amount of talent it takes to ride that is crazy.”