Podium Finish for Canard at Unadilla National

AMA Pro Motocross Championship’s Unadilla National saw Team Honda HRC’s Trey Canard score a third-place result in only his second race back from injury. In moto one, the Oklahoman got off the line to a decent start and quickly advanced to third place by the completion of lap one. A mishap later in the race caused him to fall back one position, at which point a heated battle ensued with fellow Honda rider Justin Bogle, as Canard fought to regain the podium spot. He was successful in his efforts, making the pass and taking the checkered flag in third. During the second moto, Canard pulled off another good start aboard his CRF450R and rode in fifth place for much of the race before relinquishing one position in the closing laps to finish sixth.

Meanwhile, Fredrik Noren’s day was marked by ups and downs, as he matched his career-best single-moto finish of fifth in the opening race but then suffered a first-turn moto-two crash that left him fighting his way through the pack. The Swede put together an impressive come-from-behind performance however, moving from 36^th to 18^th by the end of the 16-lap race. His 5-18 scores landed him 14^th overall.

NOTES

• Following the Washougal National two weeks ago, Trey Canard joined his team in Southern California for two days of testing ahead of the series’ final rounds. “We were dialing in some settings that we came up with Eli [Tomac], that Trey hadn’t had a chance to try yet,” explained Brent Presnell, Canard’s mechanic. “It went well; he liked and chose everything that we brought to the table, so that’s a good sign. Hopefully, we can continue to improve each week and end the season as strong as we did last year.”
• During the morning’s timed qualifying practice sessions, 1.384 seconds separated the top four riders, and Canard’s 2:11.859 lap from the first session was fourth-quickest. Motosport.com/GPI/Honda rider Fredrik Noren qualified ninth at 2:13.837 aboard his factory CRF450R.
• En route to his third-place finish, Canard was one of only four riders to dip into the 2:14 range during the first moto.
• GEICO Honda’s Justin Bogle made his 450 class debut at the Unadilla National, filling in aboard the injured Eli Tomac’s factory CRF450R. Despite ending the day in 18^th place with 10-36 finishes, Bogle showed flashes of brilliance, battling for a podium position throughout the day’s opening race and scoring the holeshot in the second moto.
• The Honda Red Riders will return to action on August 15 for round 11 of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship in Toole, Utah, at Miller Motorsport Park’s Utah National. “I’m looking forward to Utah, especially after getting a fifth again in the first moto here and feeling so good,” Noren said. “I want to continue getting fifth or better. I’m excited to go racing again and get some more good results.”

THE FOCUS: POSITION PLAYER

While it’s unfortunate that Team Honda HRC riders have suffered a number of injuries this season, the situation has been made more palatable by the fact that Fredrik Noren had been signed as a substitute rider for such situations. The Swede is officially a member of the Motosport.com/GPI/Honda squad, but the agreement was that he could fill in for factory riders Trey Canard or Cole Seely if the need arose. As it turns out, Noren has substituted for Team Honda HRC at most of AMA Pro Motocross rounds.

When it was determined that Canard, who had broken his arm at the Detroit Supercross, would be out longer than expected, the team called on Noren to fill in beginning at Colorado’s Thunder Valley National (the series’ third round). After posting solid results out of the factory truck, Noren was expected to return to his regular team once Canard returned at the Washougal National. Unfortunately, Seely sustained a shoulder injury at Spring Creek that would sideline him for the remainder of the 2015 season, so Noren will continue his fill in duties until the series concludes in Indiana.

The situation has meant that Noren has worked with different mechanics over the course of the season. He started with Ryan Bailey at the Motosport.com team, then worked alongside Canard’s wrench Brent Presnell before switching to Seely’s mechanic Rich Simmons. At this weekend’s Unadilla National, Noren worked with yet another technician, as Simmons was forced to leave on Friday to attend to a family matter. Fortunately, Team HRC Test/Support Mechanic Jason Thomas was ready to take over for Noren.

“It was fun being Freddie’s mechanic for the day,” Thomas said. “I enjoyed getting the tools back out for a little change of pace. I’ve gotten to know him really well working with him during the week and testing, so we have a good relationship, which made it easy to work with him since we’re comfortable together.”