Seely Eighth, Craig Ninth at Spring Creek National

Following a one-week hiatus, Team Honda HRC returned to action for round eight of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship at Millville, Minnesota’s Spring Creek Raceway with Cole Seely recording eighth overall via 8-6 finishes and Christian Craig ninth with 7-7 results.

When the gate dropped in moto one, Seely and Craig launched their CRF450Rs to top-10 starts. By the second lap, the two had worked their way into fourth and fifth, respectively. Throughout the remainder of the race, Craig and Seely struggled to maintain their momentum on the challenging track, falling back to seventh and eighth by the checkered flag. In moto two, Seely got another decent start but went down on the first lap, relegating him to 16^th. He swiftly began maneuvering through the field, moving into fifth by lap 10. With three laps remaining, Seely fell one spot into sixth, which is where he finished. Meanwhile, Craig started the race in 12^th and had moved into sixth by the halfway point before relinquishing one position in the closing laps to finish seventh.

NOTES

• Prior to the Spring Creek National, Team Honda HRC’s mechanics and technicians spent two days in Claremont, Florida, testing at The Nest, a private test track, with Cole Seely and Christian Craig. “Our goal going to Florida was to make Cole more confident with his bike coming to the races,” explained Seely’s mechanic, Rich Simmons. “We also wanted to try different settings so he would know what direction he’d want to go if he does have an issue. He doesn’t know the new bike well enough outdoors and because of his injury he didn’t get enough time to develop it preseason, so he’s been struggling to figure out what direction to go in terms of fixing the front or rear for what he’s experiencing. I think it helped and he has a better feel for it now.”
• On Friday, Seely and Honda brand ambassador Andrew Short were joined by GEICO Honda’s Christian Craig, Jeremy Martin, Chase Sexton and RJ Hampshire for an autograph session at Cycle City of Rochester. A large turnout of fans were on hand to meet their favorite rider, which hands-down was Minnesota native Martin.

• During the morning qualifying practice, Craig led the charge aboard his CRF450R, securing the second-quickest time with a 2’28.561” lap, while Seely was ninth at 2’32.405”.
• For the third consecutive race, Seely’s consistent result garnered him an additional position in the championship standings, moving him into sixth with 192 points.
• Although it was not the result that he had hoped for in front of his hometown crowd, Martin overcame multiple mishaps to secure a respectable fourth overall via 4-5 marks. Teammate RJ Hampshire also put together two solid rides to finish sixth with 5-7, while Chase Sexton was 11^th with 12-11 finishes.
• It will be a short week for the Team Honda HRC crew as they head to Washougal MX Park in Washougal, Washington, for designated press day on Thursday, when Seely and Craig will talk with local media and ride the track during two 20-minute sessions.

THE FOCUS: Helping the Helpers

Earlier this season, Team Honda HRC collaborated with Road 2 Recovery to put together a once-in-a-lifetime eBay auction experience to benefit the Alpinestars Mobile Medical Center. The package included the team’s Above and Beyond Impact Award from the 2017 Supercross season, tickets to a race of the winner’s choice, and a full behind-the-scenes look into race day. After 10 days online, the package sold to Brian Anderson for $2,750. On Saturday at Spring Creek, Team Honda HRC was pleased to host Brian, his son Lane, daughter-in-law Jenna Wolfe, and two friends. The group received a tour of Honda’s technical and hospitality trucks before having lunch with the team and meeting Cole Seely and Christian Craig. Before the day’s motos got underway, the group had the opportunity to tour the Alpinestars Mobile Medical unit, which is when American Honda presented the doctors with a check from Road 2 Recovery.

“We saw the auction through Road to Recovery go up and knew we had to bid on the package, as we love the sport of motocross racing and also knew the money we spent would be donated to help out injured riders,” Jenna said. “It was a win-win for us. We got to help those riders in need get the doctors’ services right on the track, and then we got to attend the races and meet some awesome people and riders. We also received quite a few amazing souvenirs! It was awesome to see what all goes into the setup and take-down and everyone involved before and after each race. Lane, my fiancé, grew up racing [beginning at age 4], so he has had the love for the sport since then and got me into it about five years ago. I’ve now fallen in love with the sport too. We don’t miss watching any race on TV, and at some point hope to make it to every National. The whole team was so nice and we really had the most amazing experience.”

Media contact:

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