Torrance, CA: Honda Red Riders came out strong Saturday night at round one of the 2013 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship series, taking home five of the top ten positions in the 450 Supercross class. Fans filled the stands of Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA, to see Team Honda Muscle Milk's Trey Canard and Justin Barcia occupy the top spots all night aboard their all-new CRF450Rs. GEICO Honda's Eli Tomac started the season exactly where he left off in 2012, on top of the podium.
The Race
The much-anticipated return of Canard was nothing short of amazing as he posted a second place finish in his qualifying heat race. In the main event—his first main in nearly a year—Canard launched into the first turn to grab a second place start. Throughout the entire 20-lap main event, Canard stuck right with the leader looking for a place to attack. With four laps remaining he made his move to take over the lead, which he held until the final lap when he was passed and finished second—a remarkable performance for a young man who a year ago suffered a broken back that nearly ended his career.
"Tonight went better then I could have ever dreamed. I really had no set number or expectations coming into this race except to give it 100 percent effort and I am beyond grateful to even be lining up on the gate," said Canard. "I hope to be able to continue this throughout the year and hopefully get a win but mostly I just want to be there every weekend."
Rookie Justin Barcia proved that he has the speed to run up front as well, taking an early lead in his heat race and winning under pressure. In the main event, Barcia tucked into third place behind teammate Canard where he stayed the majority of the race. Unfortunately, a few laps before the checkered he went down and finished seventh. "Overall my first race went pretty well. I won my heat race which was cool and got a good start in the main. I was in third behind Trey most of the race until I accidently hit neutral causing me to crash but I was able to get up and finish in seventh."
After nearly two decades of racing, 34-year-old Kevin Windham lined up on the gate for his 18th professional season aboard his GEICO Honda CRF450R. With more than 200 starts under his belt he showed that he can still run with the best of them, finishing the night in tenth. GEICO Honda's Eli Tomac started the season exactly where he left off in 2012, grabbing the lead on the first lap on his CRF250R and setting a blistering pace that was unmatched by the rest of the field. He continued to gap the pack until taking the checkered flag and the win. "Starts are so key for racing. If you don't get a good start it can really put you out of rhythm for the whole race, which seems to be what happened in my heat. Luckily, I got a good start in the main and was able to set a comfortable pace that allowed me to keep a good gap on the Roczen," said Tomac.
GEICO Honda's newest addition Zach Osborne had a successful day, finishing third overall in qualifying and second in his heat. In the main event, Osborne got tangled in a crash on the first lap forcing him to work his way through the field to finish seventh.
TwoTwo Motorsports' Chad Reed rode solid the entire main event posting a fourth place finish, followed by Chaparral Motorsports' Andrew Short in sixth.
The Focus: REvival 41
Muscle Milk presented the world premiere of REvival 41 on Thursday January 3rd at the UltraLuxe Cinemas in Anaheim, CA.
REvival 41 is a moving documentary about Canard's comeback and attempt to reconcile the tragedy and pain of the past with an unshakeable belief in the future. The film follows Canard throughout his yearlong recovery process, including countless doctors appointments, surgeries, physical therapy and an emotional visit to Angel Stadium. After his back-breaking crash at Dodger Stadium, doctors told Canard it would be a year before he would race again; amazingly it took him less than six months to get back on a bike and less than a year to line up on the gate again at Anaheim 1. Many Supercross riders hit the red carpet to support Canard, including teammate Justin Barcia, GEICO Honda riders Wil Hahn, Justin Bogle and Zach Bell. The film was directed and produced by Jason Bergh, Muscle Milk's Shane McCassy and Sal Masekela, who also served as host for the evening.
In the film, Canard says, "I believe that I was put on this earth to ride a motorcycle."
Check out the full-length documentary at www.Revival41.com. To embed the link into your site, please use http://youtu.be/fSaSewBnC_U
450 Supercross Class Overall Results
1. Davi Millsaps
2. Trey Canard (Honda)
3. Ryan Dungey
4. Chad Reed (Honda)
5. Jake Weimer
6. Andrew Short (Honda)
7. Justin Barcia (Honda)
8. James Stewart
9. Justin Brayton
10. Kevin Windham (Honda)
450 Supercross Class Championship Points (after 1 of 17 rounds)
1. Davi Millsaps 25
2. Trey Canard 22
3. Ryan Dungey 20
4. Chad Reed 18
5. Jake Weimer 16
6. Andrew Short 15
7. Justin Barcia 14
8. James Stewart 13
9. Justin Brayton 12
10. Kevin Windham 11
250 Supercross West Class Overall Results
1. Eli Tomac (Honda)
2. Ken Roczen
3. Cole Seely (Honda)
4. Jason Anderson
5. Malcolm Stewart
6. Ryan Sipes
7. Zach Osborne
8. Tyla Rattray
9. Max Anstie
10. Michael Leib
250 Supercross West Class Championship Points (after 1 of 9 rounds)
1. Eli Tomac 25
2. Ken Roczen 22
3. Cole Seely 20
4. Jason Anderson 18
5. Malcolm Stewart 16
6. Ryan Sipes 16
7. Zach Osborne 14
8. Tyla Rattray 13
9. Max Anstie 12
10. Michael Leib 11
About Honda
American Honda Motor Co., Inc. was established in 1959 and is the sole distributor of Honda motorcycles, scooters, ATVs and side-by-sides in the U.S. The American Honda Motorcycle Division is responsible for the sales, marketing, and operational activities for these products through authorized Honda dealers. For more information on Honda products, go to www.powersports.honda.com.
About Muscle Milk
Muscle Milk® Ready-to-Drink is a protein-enhanced functional beverage that promotes workout recovery, lean muscle growth, and sustained energy. Muscle Milk takes the guesswork out of high performance nutrition, delivering a precise blend of premium proteins, complex carbohydrates, functional fats, vitamins & minerals. CytoSport™, the maker of Muscle Milk®, is among the largest sport nutrition protein beverage companies in the U.S. and offers a complete line of protein-enhanced powders, shakes and bars. Muscle Milk® was named Ready-to-Drink Beverage of the Year by bodybuilding.com, Best Functional Beverage and Beverage of the Year by BevNet and Company of the Year by Beverage Forum presented by Beverage Marketing Corporation and Beverage World.
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