GEICO Powersports Honda rider Trey Canard won his second AMA Supercross Lites race of the season Saturday by blowing away the field at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. Canard wasted little time getting to the front of the pack in the 15-lap main event and managed to extend his lead each lap, winning with plenty of room to spare before an enthusiastic, near-capacity crowd.
Teammates Kevin Windham and Blake Wharton also had strong showings in the sixth race of the Monster Energy season, with Windham posting a third-place finish in the Supercross main and Wharton taking fourth behind Canard in Supercross Lites.
Trey Canard Speaks…
"Smooth and smart," Canard said. "That’s how I wanted to ride and it came together well for me. It’s weird because I was thinking a lot out there and that’s usually not a good thing. You don’t want to be too analytical; it’s better to just do everything on instinct. But tonight I was real aware of everything and it worked."
Canard, who also won two weeks ago in San Francisco, entered the race second in the points behind Jake Weimer and will certainly gain a substantial amount of ground as Weimer struggled in the race. Official points will be released Sunday.
"I saw Jake go down at one point and it really made me focus on what I was doing even more because I knew I had a great chance to make up some ground," Canard said. "He’s got a pretty good lead in the standings but we knocked it down a bit tonight.
"I made some changes before the season and it feels like things are starting to click now. The GEICO Powersports Honda has been great all year and my riding is getting better and better."
Windham looked racy from the gate in the 20-lap Supercross main and managed to pass a few riders in the middle part of the race to climb into third place. The finish equaled his effort at the first race of the year, which also was held in Anaheim.
Kevin Windhan Speaks…
"I’m pumped up," said Windham, a 16-year veteran on the circuit. "We had a tough finish last weekend so we really wanted to step up big here for GEICO Powersports and Honda. We were right there all night. There was a bit of a freight train going with the lead pack and it was some exciting racing. That was a respectable race for us and it sets the team up nice as we head east."
Wharton rode alone for most of the night, caught in a large gap between the front three riders and the chase group.
Blake Wharton Speaks…
"I was stuck in ‘No Man’s Land’ it seemed like," Wharton said. "I couldn’t quite get to the battle up front even though those guys weren’t that far away. We were all just running super close as far as lap times go. I just needed a better start.
"I’ve got nine weeks off now until the next West series race so I’ll get a bunch of practice in and start preparing for the outdoor stuff."
2010 AMA Supercross Class Results: Anaheim 3
1. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki
2. Josh Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Yamaha
3. Kevin Windham, Centerville, Miss., Honda
4. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki
5. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Honda
6. Justin Brayton, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha
7. Kyle Chisholm, Valrico, Fla., Yamaha
8. Michael Byrne, Atlanta, Ga., Yamaha
9. Dan Reardon, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha
10. Nick Wey, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki
2010 AMA Supercross Class Season Standings
1. Ryan Dungey, Belle Plaine, Minn., Suzuki, 123
2. Josh Hill, Yoncalla, Ore., Yamaha, 123
3. Ryan Villopoto, Poulsbo, Wash., Kawasaki, 120
4. Davi Millsaps, Murrieta, Calif., Honda, 98
5. Ivan Tedesco, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha, 87
6. Justin Brayton, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha, 87
7. Kevin Windham, Centerville, Miss., Honda, 86
8. Andrew Short, Smithville, Texas, Honda, 69
9. Nick Wey, Murrieta, Calif., Kawasaki, 61
10. Tommy Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Suzuki, 56
2010 Western Regional AMA Supercross Lites Class Results: Anaheim 3
1. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda
2. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Yamaha
3. Wil Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda
4. Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Honda
5. P.J. Larsen, Murrieta, Calif., KTM
6. Phil Nicoletti, Bethel, N.Y., KTM
7. Travis Baker, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha
8. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki
9. Antonio Balbi, Riverside, Calif., Kawasaki
10. Jeff Alessi, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha
2010 Western Regional AMA Supercross Lites Class Season Standings
1. Jake Weimer, Rupert, Idaho, Kawasaki, 135
2. Trey Canard, Shawnee, Okla., Honda, 121
3. Wil Hahn, Decatur, Texas, Honda, 114
4. Broc Tickle, Holly, Mich., Yamaha, 100
5. Blake Wharton, Pilot Point, Texas, Honda, 89
6. Cole Seely, Newbury Park, Calif., Honda, 76
7. Max Anstie, Hemet, Calif., Yamaha, 63
8. Josh Hansen, Elbert Colo., Kawasaki, 60
9. Phil Nicoletti, Bethel, N.Y., KTM, 56
10. Jeff Alessi, Murrieta, Calif., Yamaha, 56
CBS Sports will broadcast the AMA Supercross class Sunday, February 14 at Noon EST. SPEED will broadcast the AMA Supercross Lites class on Sunday, February 14 at 6:00 p.m. EST.
