Noren, Canard Secure 7-8 Finishes at Washougal National

Although the results weren’t what they had hoped for at the Washougal National, Team Honda HRC was happy to welcome back Trey Canard, who had been absent from competition since late March as he recuperated from a crash-induced injury incurred at the Detroit Supercross. Poor starts in both motos combined with rain-affected conditions and multiple crashes left Canard with 8-9 finishes for eighth overall.

Unfortunately, Canard’s teammate Cole Seely was forced to sit out the race with a shoulder injury sustained the previous weekend at Spring Creek, so Fredrik Noren continued his fill-in duties aboard a factory CRF450R, now adorned in his normal team’s Motosport.com/GPI/Honda livery. For the third consecutive race weekend, the Swede put together two solid rides to finish seventh overall, this time with 9-7 moto scores.

NOTES

• It was a busy week for the Honda HRC crew, as they arrived in the Pacific Northwest early on Thursday for press-day duties. After interviews with members of the local media, Trey Canard was given the benefit of two 20-minute practice sessions ahead of Saturday’s race. “It’s always a great opportunity when you get to ride the track before race day, but I think it was especially good this week since it was my first race back,” Canard said. “Even though the track was completely different from Thursday to Saturday, it was nice to get out there and have more time on the bike.”
• On the eve of the race, Canard and a few members of the Team Honda HRC crew attended the 2016 launch party for his personal sponsor, Fly Racing, which was held on the rooftop lounge of Departure, a restaurant in downtown Portland.
• For round 9, Team Honda HRC was pleased to host Honda Racing Corporation’s Representative Director Keisuke Inomoto. Mr. Inomoto had attended several Supercross rounds, but this was his first time this year at an AMA Pro Motocross race.
• During the morning’s timed qualifying practice, Canard didn’t miss a beat, proving that he has the speed to quickly insert himself with the frontrunners. His 2:12.85 time, which was secured during the first session, was enough to land him second overall. Fredrik Noren struggled throughout both sessions, finishing 19^th at 2:17.04.
• Though he’s still recuperating from injury, GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac attended the Washougal National to support his fellow Red Riders. “Things are going as good as they can be. It’s bittersweet being here because I so badly want to be racing, but it is what it is. Physical therapy is going well and I have pretty good range of motion,” the Colorado native explained as he lifted his arms above his head. “I’m here to support my GEICO Honda crew and Zach [Osborne], since he has been living and training at my house.”
• Team Honda HRC will have their third and final break of the season before taking on the final stretch of the series, starting with the Unadilla National in New Berlin, New York, on August 8 for round 10.

THE FOCUS: Tomita Makes AMA Debut

Toshiki Tomita—a member of the Japanese Team HRC squad—is taking advantage of a break in the All Japan national MX series to compete in three rounds of the AMA Pro Motocross 250 series aboard his factory CRF250F. Tomita has been a member of Team HRC since last year, having signed following a 2013 season that saw him score his career-first win in the IA2 class and subsequently wrap up the championship. In 2014, Tomita picked up six victories and finished on the podium 15 times to ultimately take second in the series. Currently, Tomita is leading the championship points chase with four races remaining, having secured five overall victories thus far. During his AMA debut at the Washougal National, Tomita put together a respectable 17-12 moto tally for 14^th overall.

“Even though this was his first AMA National, Toshiki Tomita rode smart and steady to finish 14^th overall,” said HRC Representative Director Keisuke Inomoto. “In Japan, Tomita usually gets much better starts but he qualified 25^th today, so his gate pick was not so great. I expect him to get a better gate pick and much better starts to finish in the top 10 at Unadilla and Utah. He will then head back to Japan to finish out the series there.”