July 16, 2008
BUDDS CREEK, Mary. – The GEICO Powersports Honda team rolled into Budds Creek, Maryland, for round seven of the AMA National MX Championships with high expectations following the three consecutive second-place finishes by three different team riders in the previous three rounds – Jake Weimer (Mt. Morris), Josh Grant (Colorado) and Trey Canard (Red Bud).
Canard rode the wave of his success from Red Bud and nearly grabbed the opening-moto holeshot, although officially it went to Ryan Dungey, only inches ahead of Canard. Canard immediately snatched the lead, though, and led the beginning of the race. However, on lap two, he lost two spots, then fell to fourth a lap after that before finding his pace and working his way back through two of the three riders who passed him and landing second at the finish.
"The first moto was pretty good for me. I got a really good start – almost got the holeshot – and that was great, but I didn't quite know what to do in the lead," Canard said. "I kind of rode tense and didn't go about it like I normally would, so I made some mistakes, got passed a few times, and by the time I got back around [Ryan] Dungey for second, [Ryan] Villopoto was gone. I think I had a pretty decent pace, and I was pretty happy about that, but he's fast there, so I don't feel too bad about it. I just want to try to keep improving and bring down that gap."
The second moto, Canard did manage to officially grab the holeshot, and he ran second early on after losing the lead to Ryan Villopoto on lap three, but then crashed out of second after an encounter with a lapper and was forced to drop out of the moto.
"That was awesome that I got the holeshot, and I felt like I was riding pretty strong, so I was pretty happy about that," Canard said. "I led two laps, which was pretty cool, and Villopoto got around me and was doing his thing, and then I came around after the finish line and had to change lines because there was a lapper, and I got squirrelly and actually hit another lapper, and he was on top of me and his bike was on top of mine, so it took us 30 or 40 seconds to get untangled. By then, my bike was so flooded out, it just wouldn't start, and then we got it bump-started, but the shifter was bent into the cases, so when I went to put my goggles back on, it popped into first gear and died again, so I kicked for another lap and a half and then just called it a day."
The biggest positive of the weekend, though, is that Canard's starts are back.
"I'm pretty happy and confident about my starts, and I'm really excited to get that monkey off my back and finally get a holeshot," Canard said.
Canard's 2-30 scores were still strong enough for eighth overall.
Mt. Morris runner-up Weimer recovered some of his previous form at Budds Creek, where he started near the top five in the first moto and eventually worked his way into fourth by the finish.
"Moto one was pretty good, and I started pretty good in like fifth, and I felt like I was off the pace a little bit, so I just hung onto that lead group as long as I could, and at about halfway, I got around [Nico] Izzi [for fourth]," Weimer said. "I tried to go as hard as I could, and it got my heart rate pretty high in the beginning trying to hang onto Dungey, so I was feeling it a little bit at the end, and [Brett] Metcalfe was all over me, so I was happy that I was able to hold him off and I didn't finish too far behind the leaders."
However, in moto two, Weimer met the unfortunate combination of an ailing shoulder and a mistake in a rough section of the track which cost him a fall and a lot of time, resulting in a ninth-place finish.
"I'm not going to say my shoulder is the only reason it happened, but I didn't get quite as good of a start, and it was rutty, and I was in like 11th, and I hit some braking bumps going into a corner and I wasn't ready for it and kind of lost the bars and highsided over a rut," Weimer said. "I had to pick myself up and get the bike started. I never really felt like I was as prepared as I would like to be, so it was tough, but I felt like I made some improvements in the first moto, so at least that's good."
His 4-19 score was good for ninth overall, although he lost a spot in points on the weekend and now sits fourth.
Grant's first moto got off to a poor start when he waved at the AMA to let them know that his bike wasn't started and they continued with the race start anyway. The result was that Grant left the line a few seconds behind the rest of the field and was literally dead last heading into the first turn.
"It was kind of a crazy weekend altogether," Grant said. "The first moto, I had trouble starting my bike after the parade lap, and I waved my hand for them to wait, but the AMA just blew it off and didn't do anything. I just sat there trying to kick my bike, and it wouldn't start. Finally, the 30-second board went up, went sideways, and then dropped, and my bike still hadn't started. Three kicks later, it started, and those guys were already gone around the first turn going up the hill. I got a little upset and went crazy. I passed like 24 guys in two laps. It was good coming from behind and salvaging some points."
Grant grabbed an honorable ninth in the moto despite the dead-last start. In moto two, he grabbed a second-place start just behind teammate Canard before re-injuring his sensitive right ankle during the second moto and dropping out of the race.
"I went out in the second moto, and the same thing – the bike wouldn't start on the line – but this time, the AMA actually waited, surprisingly, and Trey and I were one and two off the gate," Grant said. "But then I twisted my ankle in a corner and pretty much couldn't even stand up on the bike. It hurt so bad that I couldn't really ride so I had to pull off. I think it's the same thing I did to my ankle at Seattle on the 450. I just twisted it pretty hard and sprained it. I think I'll be all right for Unadilla, though."
And finally, team rider Dan Reardon had a good weekend going at Budds Creek until he went down in the final practice of the weekend on Sunday and injured his shoulder.
"The practice on Saturday was all right, but it took a bit for me to learn the track," Reardon said. "A couple of sections looked similar, and it took a couple of practices to get my braking points sorted out. But the track was good, and I enjoyed it. Come Sunday practice, I was feeling good, and first practice, I felt good. Second practice, I was just cruising and about 10 meters from the finish line, I tried to get around a slower rider and I slammed myself into the ground and kind of landed on my head and shoulder pretty good. It definitely shook me up a little bit. I was going to give it all I could for that first moto, and the guys from Asterisk did what they could as well, but I just couldn't hang on. It was too much to bear."
Reardon dropped out for the weekend, but hopes to be back for Unadilla this weekend.
"I want to be out there again this weekend if I can," Reardon said. "I'll do what I can. I'm still in the process of figuring out what exactly happened in there [his shoulder], but I'm just waiting on the results of the tests. It's looking like a typical shoulder separation kind of deal, but we don't know yet for sure. We'll wait and find out. If I can't damage it any worse, and if it's just a pain thing, then I'll probably be back this weekend."
The GEICO Powersports Honda team is now headed for Unadilla Raceway in New York this weekend for round eight of the 12-round AMA National Motocross Championship.
Team Sponsors: GEICO Powersports, Honda, Planet Fitness, No Fear Energy, AMSOIL, Factory Connection, Torco Racing Fuels, No Fear, Shoei, Gaerne, Spy, DVS, Cycra, Dunlop, EK, Ferodo, Hinson, Ogio, One Industries, Pro Circuit, Renthal, Showa, TAG, Twin Air, and Works Connection.
Budds Creek Lites Overall:
1. Ryan Villopoto 1-1 Kaw
2. Ryan Dungey 3-2 Suz
3. Brett Metcalfe 5-4 Kaw
4. Martin Davalos 10-3 KTM
5. Kyle Cunningham 7-5 Hon
6. Ryan Sipes 6-7 KTM
7. Nico Izzi 8-6 Suz
8. Trey Canard 2-30 GEICO Powersports Honda
9. Jake Weimer 4-19 GEICO Powersports Honda
10. Justin Brayton 15-8 KTM
16. Josh Grant 9-35 GEICO Powersports Honda
AMA Lites National MX Championship (After 7 of 12 rounds):
1. Ryan Villopoto (341/6 wins)
2. Ryan Dungey (238)
3. Brett Metcalfe (198)
4. Jake Weimer (187)
5. Nico Izzi (154)
6. Austin Stroupe (152/1 win)
7. Trey Canard (149)
8. Ryan Sipes (130)
9. Jason Lawrence (120)
10. Dan Reardon (116)
17. Josh Grant (86)
