Although the overall result wasn’t what had been hoped for, Team Honda HRC was pleased with Trey Canard’s Monster Energy Cup performance and the potential for better things to come during the upcoming 2016 season. It seemed like déjà vu when the gate dropped for the evening’s first main event, with Canard launching his CRF450R off the line and taking the early lead. It was short-lived however, as he went down in a slick spot and fell, remounting near the back of the pack. Once back underway, Canard immediately began making passes and continued doing so through the remaining nine laps, ultimately taking the checkered flag in tenth. Canard got off the line to another good start in main event two and fought hard for a second-place finish. While battling for second in the third main, the Oklahoman suffered another crash, this time underneath the team managers’ tower. Once again, he put together an impressive come-from-behind performance but had to settle for 14th.
NOTES
- On Friday, Canard was featured in the pre-race press conference along with riders representing each manufacturer.
- Although he’s still out of action while recovering from injury, Team Honda HRC rider Cole Seely was in attendance at the Monster Energy Cup. He took the opportunity to interview with Fox Sports for the 2016 Supercross preview show, which will air in December. He also caught up with Jim Holley and Andy Bowyer on Race Day Live before signing autographs for his fans.
- This year’s Monster Energy Cup featured several unique elements, including the infamous Joker Lane, an over-under bridge, and an elevated start with a metal gate. “I think the track was really good, even better than last year,” Canard said. “I like the Joker Lane because it’s different than what we’re used to and everyone has a different approach to it. We don’t normally start on metal, so this past week we got some [gates] and practiced out at the test track, which I think helped. I’ve really been working on my starts so I’m happy that I did better at those tonight.”
- Quarters were cramped for Team Honda HRC at Sam Boyd Stadium, with all the crew working out of only one semi. The team’s hospitality truck is in the process of being repainted in preparation for the 2016 season, so the technical truck was the only one on site.
- After practice concluded, Team Honda HRC provided a group of 20 Honda Service Training pupils with a tour of the team’s semi. The visitors were given a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of factory Honda and what it takes to provide support at each race.
- Canard’s lap times throughout the main events showed that he was faster than indicated by his overall result, as he posted the quickest time in the final two races. In the second main event, Canard laid down an impressive 1:07.024 en route to second place, and although he posted his worst result in the third main, that same race saw him set the fastest time of any rider, at 1:06.615.
THE FOCUS: Seely Recovery Update
Team Honda HRC’s Cole Seely is still recovering from an operation on his right shoulder, which was injured during a dislocation that occurred in a July 18 practice crash at Spring Creek MX. The Californian was pleased to recently resume riding his mountain bike, and he has been working hard to stay in shape throughout his down time. The hope is to have Seely begin riding and preparing for the 2016 season on November 1.
“I’m about 10 or 12 weeks into the recovery process from my shoulder surgery so I’m hoping to be able to start riding pretty soon,” Seely explained. “I’ve been riding my road bike and recently my mountain bike, but I can’t wait to get my CRF on the track. Being at Monster Cup and not being able to line up on the gate is tough. I really miss racing and am ready to start focusing on 2016. I can’t wait to line up on the gate at Anaheim 1.”
After a successful 2015 Supercross season that saw him earn his first premier-class Supercross win, score numerous podium appearances and earn Rookie of the Year honors, Seely is looking forward to 2016. “Everyone who lines up on the gate is thinking about the championship, so that’s the ultimate goal for 2016, but I also want to work on being more consistent than last year,” he said. “I had never raced the entire series before last year, so it took me a while to make that adjustment. There were quite a few ups and downs, but now I know what to expect going into each race and am hoping to be on the podium every weekend.
Trey Canard 41
“It was a tough day but I’m really happy with how I was riding. It’s always good to know you have the speed, especially coming back from injury. My starts were much better than they’ve been too, so that was also a big positive. The first race wasn’t bad really; I got a good start and was leading but my front end just slipped away from me and I wasn’t expecting it. I had a really bad gate position in the second moto but still got a decent start and was in fourth by the second lap. I was happy to get second. I had a pretty good start in the last race too and was trying to make a pass on Jason Anderson, and I’m not sure if he broke traction or what, but his back end came over on the finish-line jump and his rear tire hit my front wheel. I thought I was going to land on the tower—it was really scary. Somehow I ended up sliding almost underneath instead, but luckily I was okay. I got up and still felt really good the rest of the race; setting the fastest lap is cool and makes me excited for January.”
Keisuke Inomoto
Representative Director: Team Honda/ HRC Motocross
“We’re very pleased with the way Trey rode tonight even though he could not get the win. We could see improvement in the areas that we have been working on and his pace was very good all day with the top qualifying time and the fastest lap time of the race. We just need to refine a few more things and he should be ready to get better results at Anaheim 1.”
Jason Haines
Crew Chief
“Overall, today was positive. Trey showed a lot of speed and was really happy with his bike, so even though the results weren’t great, we have a good idea where we are heading into 2016. We’re all relieved Trey is okay after that crash in the third main event. It was scary and could’ve been bad. We’re going to keep fine-tuning over the next couple of months, but I think we’re in a good place.”
Brent Presnell
Mechanic (Fredrik Noren)
“It doesn’t show it on paper but in all honesty Trey kind of dominated the day. He was fastest qualifier, set the fastest lap in two of three races and had the fastest lap of the day, so that’s awesome. He got out front in the first race and just slid out, which totally shifted the momentum. We made a lot of improvements on the bike. He’s happy and riding super fast so if we’re going to have a few weird moments, it’s better to have them here than at Anaheim 1.”