Seely Eighth at High Point National

With Trey Canard sidelined due to an injury sustained in a practice crash last week, Cole Seely was the sole Team Honda HRC rider for round four of the AMA Pro Motocross series at High Point Raceway in Mount Morris, Pennsylvania. The Californian put together two respectable rides, finishing eighth overall with 9-6 marks.

In the day’s first moto, Seely launched his CRF450R to a fifth-place start before taking advantage of two other riders’ mistakes in the opening laps to advance to third. He maintained that position until the halfway point, when he lost a spot. With four laps remaining, Seely fell while in third, relinquishing several positions before ultimately taking the checkered flag in ninth. Following a less-than-desirable start in moto 2, Seely put his head down and quickly worked his way into the top ten on the opening lap. He continued to move forward throughout the 30-minute-plus-two-lap race, crossing the finish line in sixth.

NOTES

• On the Monday before the High Point National, Trey Canard suffered a hard crash while practicing at his Oklahoma track, resulting in a bulging disc in his back that sidelined him for round four. Canard’s condition will be assessed on a week-by-week basis in order to determine when he will return to action.
• During the morning’s qualifying practice, Cole Seely showed notable speed, scoring the fourth-quickest time with a 2:03.291 lap, while GEICO Honda’s Justin Bogle rounded out the top 10 with 2:05.841.
• The program for the High Point National differed from the previous three rounds, with the 450MX class scheduled first in both practice and the motos.
• Compared to other tracks seen thus far on the calendar, High Point Raceway is much more technical, with a European feel to it. With deep ruts, constant elevation changes, many off-camber turns and an uphill start, it poses a unique challenge to riders. “This track is much different than what we’ve seen so far this year, and it was even different this year than what we’ve seen in past years here,” Seely said. “They add a lot of sand and sawdust when prepping it so it can be loose, but when you get down to the hard-pack base, it’s really slick. The rainstorm we got on Thursday definitely made for some really deep ruts in some areas, and it just got incredibly rough. You have to have a lot of patience and throttle control for the off-cambers as well.”
• It was an exciting day for Bogle, who notched a career-best overall result, finishing seventh with a 6-7 tally. “I’m really happy with today,” Bogle said. “I had my best race of the season with two solid moto finishes. I’m continuing to make progress and getting closer to where I know I need to be, which is up front. I’m definitely getting more comfortable. To be honest, this is one of the first weeks I’ve been able to train and ride during the week, and I think that really helped. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season and hoping to keep building each week.”
• The Honda Red Riders will return to action on June 25 for round 5 at Muddy Creek Raceway in Blountville, Tennessee.

THE FOCUS: Beating the Heat

As the AMA Pro Motocross series moved to the Eastern U.S. for the first time this season, conditions began to warm up, and although highs were only in the mid-80s, with humidity above 40 percent, it was a precursor of what to expect through much of the summer. Riders have different techniques for beating the heat, but Cole Seely believes that the main key is hydration. “I don’t really think there’s a ton you can do,” he said. “I’ve tried ice baths and all kinds of things, but it’s all about keeping hydrated, really. You have to make sure you’re drinking plenty of liquids leading up to the race, and then trying to force as much water down as possible on race day. It’s really important to replenish yourself between practices and motos, whether with water or a supplemental sports drink that has electrolytes in it. That’s all I’ve found that really works. Today wasn’t too bad though, compared to other places we race at. If it does get really hot, the only other thing I’ll really do is wear a cooling vest on the line, which helps keep your body temperature down before the race. A lot of riders have those.”

Seely admits that being from a region of the country where conditions are relatively mild probably doesn’t help. “At the same time though, I wouldn’t say it’s a huge advantage,” he added. “I grew up in California, so if I went out and stayed in Florida or anywhere like that, I just couldn’t do it. I feel like it eats away at me all week and I’m even more tired on the weekend because of it. I’d rather just come out here, deal with it for one day and then fly home.”