Team Honda HRC turned in a dream performance at round six of the AMA Supercross series, with Trey Canard leading all but three of the 450SX main event’s 20 laps to post the first premier-class Supercross win at Petco Field. The Oklahoman showed excellent racecraft in San Diego, emerging from the first turn near the front despite a so-so jump from the gate, making a smooth pass to take an early lead, and then holding off repeated challenges from Ken Roczen to earn the victory. The night also saw Cole Seely top the second heat race, and with GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac winning the first heat, the Red Riders were unstoppable. Tomac and Seely were fifth and sixth, respectively, in the main event.

Canard’s triumph was his second of the young season, the first having come in round four at Oakland. With Tomac’s round-two win in Phoenix, Honda CRF450Rs have topped half of the season’s races thus far.

 

NOTES

  •  For 2015, the FOX Sports 1 show Behind the Dream expanded to eight episodes, one of which will showcase Team Honda HRC and its riders, Trey Canard and Cole Seely. The show gives viewers an inside look at the lives of the sport’s elite athletes and teams. Thursday before San Diego, Canard and Seely spent time with the show’s production crew filming the episode, which will air later this season.
  •  Ahead of Saturday’s Military Appreciation Race, Canard and Seely spent a portion of their Friday on one of the area’s local Navy bases touring the USS Peleliu, a Tarawa-class amphibious assault ship. During the tour, riders were able to see the ship’s flight deck, mess hall, berthing and anchor room before signing autographs for the sailors on board.
  •  The substantial increase in Honda Racing Corporation’s involvement with American Honda’s AMA Supercross effort this season is well known, and the results have been positive so far. Team Honda HRC was pleased to host HRC Vice President Shuhei Nakamoto for round six, and following the daytime qualifying program, Mr. Nakamoto took time out of his day to meet with members of the media at the team’s hospitality rig. “HRC’s dream is to win all of the major championships,” Nakamoto said. “In motocross, this series is the most important, so that’s why we started this activity again.”
  •  Seely and Canard were slotted in the second heat race at San Diego, and when the gate dropped, both Team Honda HRC riders were at the front of the pack. Seely took over the lead on the opening lap, while Canard settled into third. That’s where they finished, earning direct transfers to the main event.
  •  Canard’s best lap in the main event was 55.568, making him the only rider to drop into the 55-second range.
  • Entering the San Diego round, Canard was tied for third in the championship points standings, and his win gave him sole possession of the position, 18 points behind leader Ryan Dungey. Seely advanced one spot to sixth, and Tomac currently sits fourth.
  • The Team Honda HRC riders were prepared for a short week following the San Diego race, as they will participate in Thursday’s press day ahead of the Arlington, Texas, round. It will be a busy event for Seely and Canard, who will also visit DFW Honda on Friday for an autograph session.

 

THE FOCUS: HRC Worlds Collide

On Tuesday prior to the San Diego Supercross, Team HRC Rally racers Joan Barreda and Jeremias Israel paid a visit to the Team Honda HRC test track in Corona, California. Fresh off of January’s Dakar Rally in South America, the Spaniard and Chilean are spending time vacationing in Southern California. Both went to Anaheim 3, and Israel—who campaigned selected AMA Motocross rounds from 2000 to 2003—also attended the San Diego race before returning home. “I used to live here, so it’s nice to come visit friends, see some of the Supercross races and get away from the press and craziness for a little bit,” Israel said. “I’m always following the series and rooting for these guys, checking updates on Twitter and re-watching the races on YouTube.”

At the test track, Trey Canard and Eli Tomac spent time chatting with Barreda and Israel about their respective racing disciplines and the challenges that come with them. “I’ve never known much about the Dakar Rally or ever followed it, but after hearing more about what they do, I couldn’t even image doing it,” Canard said. “Riding stages of 600 miles, or holding it wide open from one mountain range to another while not knowing what’s in front of you is just crazy. The only thing you have to go off is a road book that shows the course.”

The 2015 Dakar event finished on January 17, with Barreda having topped four stages and teammate Paolo Goncalaves finishing second overall. Now, the team has its sights set on next year’s race, and they’ll have plenty of opportunities to prepare. “We both ride motocross as part of our training, but there are other series and races we can ride,” Israel said. “There’s the Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, which starts soon, but there’s also a series in South America that’s operated by the same organization that puts on the Dakar. We’ll race certain ones depending on if the course runs in the areas where the next Dakar will run or not. It’s all about preparation and planning, and these are great opportunities for testing and training.”

 

Press contact:

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

Trey Canard 41

“It was an awesome day. I had a big scare in practice when I had to jump over the handlebars. That could’ve been a lot worse, but man, I’m stoked with how things went. I didn’t get a great jump on the start, but I was able to get through on the inside. Kenny [Roczen] was riding really well behind me. I felt like I pulled out on him a little bit, and then he reeled me back in. It’s really tough because you want to charge but you don’t want to make mistakes. You try to block everything out, but you hear him and you hear the crowd, which makes you a little more anxious. I wasn’t really happy with laps 10 to 15, but I think I did a good job on the last five. It just feels good to win again, and the vibe is awesome. I’ve been on this team for a long time now, and there have been some nights where we hung our heads. I’m so happy to be a part of this now, where everyone is so excited. It shows also with how Eli and Cole are riding.”

AMA Supercross 2015
Race Round 6   San Diego

450SX Main Event

Warm
Humidity
73%
Air Temp
64°F
Track Cond
Hard-packed
Pos. Rider Num Nation Team Constructor Time/Gap
1 Canard Trey 41 USA Red Bull KTM KTM
2 Roczen Ken 94 GER Team Honda HRC Honda
3 Dungey Ryan 5 USA Red Bull KTM KTM
4 Reed Chad 22 AUS Mountain Motorsports/CBDmd/CR22 Racing KTM
5 Tomac Eli 3 USA Monster Energy Kawasaki Kawasaki
7 Baggett Blake 4 USA Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM WPS KTM
8 Short Andrew 29 USA Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM WPS KTM
9 Tickle Broc 20 USA Monster Energy Kawasaki Kawasaki
10 Anderson Jason 21 USA Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Husqvarna
11 Metcalfe Brett 24 AUS N/A Kawasaki
12 Grant Joshua 33 USA Monster Energy Kawasaki Kawasaki
13 Alessi Mike 800 USA Smartop Bullfrog Spas MotoConcepts Honda Honda
14 Nicoletti Phillip 46 USA Autotrader/ JGR/ Yoshimura/ Suzuki Factory Racing Yamaha
15 Weimer Jacob 12 USA RCH Soaring Eagle Jimmy Johns Suzuki Factory Racing Suzuki
16 Chisholm Kyle 11 USA Chisholm Racing Kawasaki
17 Wey Nicholas 27 USA Team Tedder Kawasaki
18 Albertson Jimmy 77 USA Jimmy Albertson Racing KTM
19 Rusk Killian 58 USA Slater Skin/Blue Buffalo Yamaha
20 Millsaps David 18 USA Rocky Mountain ATV/MC KTM WPS KTM
21 Partridge Kyle 199 USA Rocky Mountain ATV Honda
22 Stewart Ronnie 69 USA DirtCandy Graphics Suzuki
Location Information

PETCO Park, Park Boulevard, San Diego, CA, United States - View in Google Maps