Challenging Night for Team Honda HRC at Daytona Supercross

The 2019 edition of the Daytona Supercross, held at the iconic Daytona International Speedway, is a race that Team Honda HRC would like to put behind them, as both Ken Roczen and Cole Seely were involved in the same second-turn crash, leaving them both fighting for position.

When the gate dropped on the night’s main event, Roczen and Seely both got decent jumps down the start straight. As the field careened into the second turn, another rider got sideways, ultimately hitting Roczen and starting a chain reaction that would lead to both Roczen and Seely going down. Both riders remounted their CRF450R race machines at the back of the pack and went into salvage mode to regain as many positions as possible. The German was able to maneuver his way through the field more successfully, working his way into 10^thby lap six. He continued his charge forward, making his way into eighth by the checkered flag. Seely also fought for positions but struggled to maintain his pace toward the end of the 20-minute-plus-one-lap race, settling for 13^th.

NOTES

• On Friday, Team Honda HRC riders Ken Roczen and Cole Seely, as well as GIECO Honda’s Chase Sexton, participated in press day, where they interviewed with media before taking to the track for a 15-minute practice session. Later that evening, the Red Riders made an appearance at DeLand’s RC Hill Honda PowerSports of to sign autographs and take pictures with fans.
• The Daytona track showcases the longest lap times on the AMA Supercross circuit. During the two timed qualifying sessions, Roczen was second-fastest, notching a 1:08.638’ lap, while Seely was 11^thwith a 1:10.758’ time, both secured in the second session.
• Race day was busy in Team Honda HRC pits, as the squad provided special access to a number of groups. A rig tour was given to a group of Road 2 Recovery auction winners, then later promotional winners for Daytona International Speedway got to tour the trucks and even meet and take pictures with Seely and Roczen. In addition, a group from Honda Ecuador also got to tour the pits and trucks and meet the riders.
• With the Daytona Supercross complete, Seely will be moving into his Claremont, Florida, apartment, where he’ll stay for much of the remaining Supercross season and the summer AMA Motocross series. “I’ve actually had an apartment here in Florida since November,” Seely explained. “It’s been pretty empty since then except for a pre-season test we did and then this past week for Daytona testing, but I’m heading back there now pretty much full-time until the end of the season. I’ll be between Florida and California depending on where the races are, but I’ll be riding at the Moto Sandbox, which is just an awesome place because of the tracks available, and I’ll be riding with guys like Kenny, Chase [Sexton], Adam [Cianciarulo] and Alex [Martin]. It gets boring riding by yourself in California, so to have such high-level guys to ride with and push you during the week is going to be great.”
• In the 250SX East Region class, GEICO Honda’s Chase Sexton put on a solid performance aboard his CRF250R to score second on the night, his best result of the 2019 season. Sexton started the day on a positive note, scoring the fastest qualifying time in practice before finishing fourth in his heat race, despite a second-turn crash. In the main event, the No. 23 machine got off the line to a fourth-place start and worked his way into second by lap four. Sexton rode consistently through the remainder of the race, taking the checkered flag in second. Sexton is currently tied for second in the 250SX East Championship standings, with 102 points.
• On Saturday, March 16, Team Honda HRC will be in Indianapolis for round 11 of the AMA Supercross series.

Press contact:

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