Round 10 of the 2011 AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, took place at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, over the weekend and the Honda Red Riders were there dueling on their CRF250R and CRF450R machines. American Honda Racing's Trey Canard finished a solid sixth, while Cole Seely made his Supercross class debut with the team and earned a respectable top-10 finish. Chad Reed and Justin Barcia put in strong performances with both racers recording their fourth-straight podium finishes in four races in their respective classes.
After recording the fastest lap time in qualifying and finishing second in his heat race, Canard was among the lead pack rounding the opening turn in the main. However, while challenging up front on the opening lap, he stalled exiting a turn, allowing the majority of the bunched-up field to get by. Getting going in 18th position, Canard's determination to get back up front showed as he worked his way through the pack to finish sixth.
"I'm stoked about setting the fastest time in qualifying this weekend," said Canard. "I definitely feel like I made some good progress this week. Along with qualifying fastest I also managed a good start in the main, which is something I have concentrated on over the last few weeks. It's a real bummer that I messed up near the end of the opening lap because I had really good speed and feel I could have been a real contender for a top spot this weekend. From here I will focus on next weekend's Jacksonville race. I'm excited because I like the dirt at Jacksonville so it should be a good race."
Seely did a fine job aboard injured team rider Josh Grant's American Honda Racing CRF450R, finishing inside the top 10 in his Supercross debut. Seely held his own against seasoned Supercross competition as he finished seventh in his heat race and ninth in the main.
"My goal for this race was to finish inside the top 10 and I achieved that tonight," said Seely. "I'm really happy with ninth and I learned a lot out there racing against some really experienced racers. I'm grateful to have the opportunity to ride Josh's CRF450R for a few rounds and I'm hoping to do even better next weekend in Jacksonville. I really want to thank American Honda and Troy Lee for giving me this opportunity."
TwoTwo Motorsports' Chad Reed performed well on his CRF450R, securing his fourth-straight podium finish. After finishing his heat race in third, Reed got a good start in the main and moved into second on the opening lap. Holding down second for more than half the race, Reed relinquished a spot before the race's end to finish third overall. GEICO Honda's Kevin Windham put in a solid performance after getting a mid-pack start in the main and rounding the first lap in ninth place. Working his way through the pack, Windham made up several spots to finish seventh.
In the Supercross Lites East competition, GEICO Honda's Justin Barcia raced his CRF250R to his fourth-straight podium finish in four races, finishing the Indy event in second. Despite nursing a wrist with two broken bones, Barcia got a good start in the main and rounded the opening lap in third spot. He moved into second midway through the race, where he ultimately finished the race. Teammate Blake Wharton qualified for the main via the Last Chance Qualifier, and after a mid-pack start in the main he raced hard to finish seventh. Fellow Honda racer Alex Martin finished in ninth, while Les Smith rounded out in tenth.
Supercross Lites East Results
1. Ryan Sipes
2. Justin Barcia (Honda)
3. Blake Baggett
4. Malcolm Stewart
5. Matt Lemoine
6. Dean Wilson
7. Blake Wharton (Honda)
8. PJ Larsen
9. Alex Martin (Honda)
10. Les Smith (Honda)
Supercross Lites East Points (after 4 of 9 rounds)
1. Justin Barcia 91
2. Blake Baggett 85
3. Ryan Sipes 79
4. Dean Wilson 75
5. Blake Wharton 65
6. Malcolm Stewart 62
7. Matt Lemoine 51
8. PJ Larsen 46
9. Jason Anderson 44
10. Alex Martin 40
Supercross Results
1. Ryan Villopoto
2. James Stewart
3. Chad Reed (Honda)
4. Ryan Dungey
5. Justin Brayton
6. Trey Canard (Honda)
7. Kevin Windham (Honda)
8. Nick Wey
9. Cole Seely (Honda)
10. Mike Alessi
Supercross Championship Points (after 10 of 17 rounds)
1. Ryan Villopoto 221
2. James Stewart 195
3. Chad Reed 192
4. Ryan Dungey 183
5. Trey Canard 169
6. Andrew Short 129
7. Justin Brayton 121
8. Davi Millsaps 114
9. Brett Metcalfe 107
10. Kevin Windham 103
For more information, contact: American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (310) 783-3745.
About Honda
American Honda Motor Co., Inc. is the sole distributor of Honda motorcycles, scooters, ATVs, MUVs and personal watercraft in the U.S. American Honda's Motorcycle Division conducts the sales, marketing and operational activities for these products through authorized Honda dealers. For more information on Honda products, go to powersports.honda.com.
