GEICO Powersports Honda Team Back on the Podium in Phoenix
January 18, 2010, 9:25am
PHOENIX -- The second race of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross season yielded a second straight podium finish for the GEICO Powersports Honda race team. This time it was AMA West 250 Lites rider Blake Wharton taking third place in Saturday's main event, boosting his rankings in the early points to third place overall.
"I felt really good," said Wharton, who led 12 of the 15 laps in the main event before falling to third place late in the race. "This was my first time leading laps in the West and the more laps you lead the better you get at it. I just fell off a little bit in the last few laps, just the smallest amount, but it was enough to let a few guys past me.
"I guess I lost a little focus so that's something I'll work on for the next race. I'm positive the next time I'm in the lead I'll do better."
Teammates Kevin Windham and Trey Canard also recorded respectable finishes on their GEICO Powersports Hondas, with Windham taking sixth in Supercross and Canard seventh in the AMA West 250 Lites class.
Canard's effort was exceptionally heroic as he suffered a severe foot injury in the time trial when another rider drove over his left foot as he planted it in a turn. After X-rays at the onsite medical center determined nothing was broken, Canard made it back to the Last Chance Qualifier where he made the field for the main event with a superb ride.
"I needed to be perfect (in the LCQ) or my championship hopes would have been hurt pretty bad," said Canard, who is now fourth in the series points standings. "It's way too early in the year to be worrying about that but it's reality. We ended up in the points tonight so we'll take it. I know it could have been a much worse night. I'm glad nothing was broken in my foot. I'll take all the necessary steps to heal up so I can be ready for Anaheim next weekend."
Windham battled traffic for most of the early part of the race and dropped as low as 11th at one point but the veteran rider picked his way back through the crowd during the second half of the race and closed the evening in sixth place. Overall, he's now fourth in the standings after two of 17 races.
"We salvaged a decent ride but I was just way too slow in the first 10 laps," he said. "The was so much chaos out there early on, guys hitting each other and landing on each other, it put up some road blocks for sure. But I was too timid. I should have gotten to the front sooner.
"I rode the second half great. The second half is always harder but things just worked for me tonight. I just needed a better start and I would have had a much better finish."
The tour returns to Angels Stadium in Anaheim, Calif., next weekend.
Contact: Geiger Media at 281-354-5769 or rob@go2geiger.com.
Please visit www.geicogarage.com for more information.
"I felt really good," said Wharton, who led 12 of the 15 laps in the main event before falling to third place late in the race. "This was my first time leading laps in the West and the more laps you lead the better you get at it. I just fell off a little bit in the last few laps, just the smallest amount, but it was enough to let a few guys past me.
"I guess I lost a little focus so that's something I'll work on for the next race. I'm positive the next time I'm in the lead I'll do better."
Teammates Kevin Windham and Trey Canard also recorded respectable finishes on their GEICO Powersports Hondas, with Windham taking sixth in Supercross and Canard seventh in the AMA West 250 Lites class.
Canard's effort was exceptionally heroic as he suffered a severe foot injury in the time trial when another rider drove over his left foot as he planted it in a turn. After X-rays at the onsite medical center determined nothing was broken, Canard made it back to the Last Chance Qualifier where he made the field for the main event with a superb ride.
"I needed to be perfect (in the LCQ) or my championship hopes would have been hurt pretty bad," said Canard, who is now fourth in the series points standings. "It's way too early in the year to be worrying about that but it's reality. We ended up in the points tonight so we'll take it. I know it could have been a much worse night. I'm glad nothing was broken in my foot. I'll take all the necessary steps to heal up so I can be ready for Anaheim next weekend."
Windham battled traffic for most of the early part of the race and dropped as low as 11th at one point but the veteran rider picked his way back through the crowd during the second half of the race and closed the evening in sixth place. Overall, he's now fourth in the standings after two of 17 races.
"We salvaged a decent ride but I was just way too slow in the first 10 laps," he said. "The was so much chaos out there early on, guys hitting each other and landing on each other, it put up some road blocks for sure. But I was too timid. I should have gotten to the front sooner.
"I rode the second half great. The second half is always harder but things just worked for me tonight. I just needed a better start and I would have had a much better finish."
The tour returns to Angels Stadium in Anaheim, Calif., next weekend.
Contact: Geiger Media at 281-354-5769 or rob@go2geiger.com.
Please visit www.geicogarage.com for more information.
