GEICO Powersports Honda San Diego Report

San Diego, Calif. – For the last race of the initial western swing of the AMA Supercross Championship, the series headed into San Diego, California’s, Qualcomm Stadium for round seven of the 450cc series, and round six of the Lites West on Valentine’s Day.

In the Lites class, team rider Trey Canard put his GEICO Powersports Honda up front to win his Heat race before getting a start just behind his teammate Dan Reardon in the main event. He ran fourth while Reardon was third.

“I was really happy coming off of the Heat race to make a good step in the right direction by winning that, and in the main, I got a decent start – about fourth – and stayed behind [teammate Dan] Reardon a little bit too long and lost sight of [Ryans] Dungey and Morais, but after I got around Reardon, I made a big mistake, which allowed [Jake] Weimer to catch up to me, and he got around me,” Canard said. “I was behind him and made a couple more mistakes, got into some lappers, and just stayed in fourth. I’m happy and I made good steps in the right direction, and to see some light at the end of the tunnel is great because it’s been tough for me lately. I’d just like to keep heading in the right direction, and hopefully you’ll see me on the top step soon.”

Not too long after Canard got by Reardon, Reardon went down and was slow to get up. By the time he got going, he was nearly a lap down, and he finished 18th despite the spill.

With San Diego in the rearview mirror, the Lites West riders on the GEICO Powersports team are going to be doing some outdoor testing while the Lites East gets back up and running next weekend in Atlanta.

“The plan is to get a good outdoor setting and to get really comfortable with the outdoor bike over this break, and about two weeks before the last supercrosses, we’ll start working on that again and try to come out at the last three swinging,” Canard said.

In the 450cc class, GEICO Powersports Honda’s Kevin Windham started sixth before moving up to fifth on the fourth lap. He was pressuring Mike Alessi for fourth for a few laps before he got stuck in Alessi’s pace.

“I was a little disappointed with myself,” Windham said. “I got a little complacent, I believe, and in my position, I should’ve been more aggressive. Alessi, I think, is a bit of a professional roadblock and you’ve got to get aggressive with that guy. A lot of people beat him up, but you have to, because he always gets a good start, and he’s always a little off the pace, so I really should’ve gotten there early. Then I came under pressure from behind, and once you fall off your good pace that it took for me to get there, the next thing I knew I slowed down and never got it back. I was bummed. It’s a disappointing evening for me.”

Still, Windham soldiered on for a seventh-place finish as the series prepares to head east to rutted, softer tracks that could favor his riding style.

From here, the GEICO Powersports Honda team heads to Atlanta, Georgia, for round eight of the AMA Supercross Series, and round two of the Lites Eastern Regional Supercross Championship, on February 21 inside the Georgia Dome, team Lites riders Brett Metcalfe and Blake Wharton will pick up where they left off in Houston a few weeks ago.

Team Sponsors: GEICO Powersports, Honda, Planet Fitness, Unbound Energy, AM/PM, Factory Connection, Fox, Shoei, Gaerne, DVS, Amsoil Lubricants, Cycra Plastics, Dunlop Tires, EK Chains, Filtron Air Filters, Hinson Clutches, Leatt Brace, One Industries, Pro Circuit, Renthal, Shock Doctor, Showa, TAG Sprockets, Vortex Ignitions, VP Fuels, and Works Connection.

San Diego Lites Main:
1.         Ryan Dungey  Suz
2.         Ryan Morais    Kaw
3.         Jake Weimer    Kaw
4.         Trey Canard  GEICO Powersports Honda
5.         Ryan Sipes      KTM
6.         Justin Brayton KTM
7.         Chris Blose      Hon
8.         Jake Moss        Hon
9.         Jeff Alessi       Hon
10.       Cole Seely       Suz
18.       Dan Reardon GEICO Powersports Honda

San Diego 450cc Main:
1.         James Stewart Yam
2.         Chad Reed      Suz
3.         Andrew Short Hon
4.         Ryan Villopoto           Kaw
5.         Davi Millsaps  Hon
6.         Mike Alessi     Suz
7.         Kevin Windham        GEICO Powersports Honda
8.         Michael Byrne Suz
9.         Nick Wey        Yam
10.       Ivan Tedesco   Hon