Trey Canard Garners Inaugural RC Hard Charger Award

Four Riders Grab BTOSports.com Holeshot Award Checks

LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif. (May 27, 2008) – After a showcase of resiliency, Geico Powersports Honda’s Trey Canard earned the inaugural Ricky Carmichael Hard Charger Award at the opening round of the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship Presented by FMF. The AMA Motocross Lites rider passed the most competitors of any rider on the day at the 13th Annual Giant RV Motocross National Presented by Yamaha at Glen Helen Raceway.

Trey Canard photo: Carl Stone

In his first race as a full-time professional motocross competitor, Canard experienced both ends of the spectrum. After a rough start in the first moto, he found himself outside the top 30, but battled back to pass over 15 riders and come away with a respectable 14th-place finish. In moto two, he improved out of the gates and provided an outstanding fifth-place battle for the fans with Boost Mobile Yamaha of Troy’s Jason Lawrence, eventually coming home sixth to finish  an impressive eighth place overall.

In its first race as the title sponsor, BTOSports.com had the privilege of watching four different riders nab the $500 BTOSports.com Holeshot Award. Jason Lawrence grabbed the first holeshot of the weekend, carrying it to a moto win while Rockstar/Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey rounded out the award winners in the AMA Motocross Lites class. Rockstar/Makita Suzuki’s Mike Alessi grabbed the holeshot in moto one of the AMA Motocross class and appeared to make a clean sweep for the weekend until a stellar move from Monster Energy Kawasaki’s James Stewart allowed him to steal the position.

The opportunity for five new riders to garner these honors comes next weekend as the series moves north to Sacramento for the Honda Hangtown Motocross Classic.

All winners of these honors receive their awards at the AMA riders meeting the following Sunday.

Interview opportunities are available to the media by contacting AMA Toyota Motocross Championship media coordinator Brandon Short via email at Media@MXNationals.com or by phone at 951-203-2605.

For more information on the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship, presented by FMF, log on to www.amamotocross.com for live timing and scoring at @theWireLIVE!. Racer X Illustrated will host a new and improved webcast on www.motocross.com, with live racing action hosted by Jason Weigandt. The Racer X Motocross Show on Motocross.com has also been added on Saturday night of each race weekend, featuring practice footage and interviews taken earlier in the day.

Credential requests for each round of the 2008 AMA Toyota Motocross Championship Presented by FMF must be submitted via email to Media@MXNationals.com three weeks prior to the race. Media members interested in interviews with the riders of the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship Presented by FMF should contact Brandon at 951-203-2605 or email Media@MXNationals.com.