Unbound Energy's Trey Canard Seals The '09 SX Lites Season
CARLSBAD, Calif. – Unbound Energy supercross racer Trey Canard (Geico Powersports/Honda), the 2008 ESX champion, raced to a season-ending 3rd place podium highlight at Las Vegas’ Sam Boyd Stadium this past weekend, capping off a tough title defense season on a high note and gaining some valuable momentum for the start of the outdoor national MX season in two weeks.
In addition, Canard’s Unbound Energy-backed Geico Powersports/Honda teammates, Blake Wharton and Daniel Blair, also made the all star East/West main event and placed just outside the top ten in 11th and 12th, respectively.
Canard made a statement early on when, in the opening Lites heat race, he pulled a great start and put his Honda CRF250R up into 2nd place – in hot pursuit of heat leader Ryan Dungey and ahead of multi-time ‘09 WSX event winner Jake Weimer. Canard would stay between the two racers – who combined to sweep the entire WSX season – finishing just under two seconds (1.831) back of Dungey and two seconds ahead of Weimer.
In the second heat race Wharton would transfer to the main in 4th place – recording his sixth top-five heat race finish of the season. Blair would make a couple mistakes and finish two spots back of a transfer spot in the heat, but more than made up for it in the LCQ with an exciting holeshot-to-checkers win in that contest.
In the Lites final Canard got out to a 2nd place start, trailing teammate Wharton who nailed the final SX Lites holeshot of the season. Canard would get past his rookie teammate on lap two and began clicking off sub 1:03-second laps in leading well past the three-quarter point of the contest. On lap 13 Canard bobbled for a split second in the whoops, which allowed Christophe Pourcel and Dungey to get past. Regaining his composure, Canard was able to hold off the remainder of the highly competitive field and score a 3rd place finish.
“I lost a little traction (in the whoops) and that was it,” said Canard, who was up by 2.4 seconds over Pourcel and four seconds over Dungey with three laps remaining. “Hat’s off to Christophe – he did great. I’m so bummed I didn’t win. We’ll just keep working at it and see everybody back for the start of the Nationals.”
Wharton was putting in some good laps after his holeshot and was setting himself up for a top five East/West Lites finish when he got together with Weimer on lap five and fell back to 12th place. Blair was back in the pack at the start and worked his way up to 12th, one spot behind Wharton when the checkers flew.
Check out what’s happening with the Geico Powersports/Honda Team – fueled by Unbound Energy – at www.unboundenergy.com Next up for Canard, Wharton, Blair and Dan Reardon is the opening round of the Lucas Oil AMA Outdoor National MX Series at Glen Helen (May 23).
Make your own rules…live outside the lines. Unbound Energy is available in 16 oz. cans at BP, am/pm retail and CVS locations, with more locations being added every day!