Honda Up Front at Unadilla

August 16, 2010, 1:38pm

Torrance, CA: The Honda Red Riders took on round nine of the 2010 AMA Motocross Championship at Unadilla Valley Sports Center in New Berlin, NY on Saturday, August 14, and Honda Red Bull Racing’s Andrew Short and Kevin Windham continued to put in solid efforts aboard their CRF450R race machines while GEICO Powersports Honda’s Trey Canard secured his fourth-straight 250-class overall victory aboard his CRF250R.

As has been the case all Motocross season, Short was right in the thick of the action up front from the moment the starting gates dropped. The Honda Red Bull athlete was mixing it up among the top contenders in moto one before taking the checkers in fourth place. In moto two he got off to a flying start and moved into the lead on the opening lap but let go of several spots before the race’s end to finish in fifth place. His strong 4-5 results put him fourth overall for the round. Short’s teammate Windham didn’t get the best of starts in moto one and he was working his way through the pack when he crashed hard on lap five, forcing him out of the moto. The determined veteran returned in moto two ready to make amends and make amends he did. Windham charged hard, eventually getting past Short before going on to finish just shy of the moto two podium in fourth. Windham’s 39-4 result put him 12th overall for the round.

In other 450-class action, GEICO Powersports Honda’s Brett Metcalfe finished an impressive third overall after going 5-3 aboard his CRF450R. Honda privateer Kyle Regal went 8-6 to get fifth overall and Ben Townley raced his Troy Lee Designs Honda CRF450R to 7-9 moto finishes to nab sixth overall.

In 250cc competition, GEICO Powersports Honda had the top spots covered with Trey Canard clinching his fourth consecutive overall victory and teammate Justin Barcia finishing second overall. In the opening moto, the GEICO Powersports Honda teammates swept all top four spots with Canard sealing the win followed by Blake Wharton in second, Justin Barcia third and Eli Tomac grabbing fourth place. Canard got away to a flying start in moto two as he nailed the holeshot and charged away to an early lead. Solid out front for 14 laps, Canard relinquished a spot before the race’s end to finish in second place and his one-two result easily earned him the overall victory. Barcia put in a strong performance aboard his CRF250R on his home track, including leading five laps in moto one before going 3-5 for second overall. Wharton racked up 2-9 moto finishes for fifth overall and Tomac finished in sixth (4-6). Wil Hahn made his return to racing after being injured earlier in the season and finished 14-11 aboard his Troy Lee Designs Honda CRF250R for tenth overall.

"I’m really happy with today and pumped to get four overalls in a row now," said Canard. "I tensed up a bit toward the end of moto two and tried to make a late charge for the lead again at the very end but I just didn’t have it. From here I’m just going to concentrate on riding one race at a time. I’m 16 points away from the top spot so I will just keep working hard and see what comes up."

450 Overall Results
1. Ryan Dungey 1-1
2. Clement Desalle 2-2
3. Brett Metcalfe 5-3 (Honda)
4. Andrew Short 4-5 (Honda)
5. Kyle Regal 8-6 (Honda)
6. Ben Townley 7-9 (Honda)
7. Kyle Chisholm 9-8
8. Justin Brayton 11-7
9. Josh Grant 6-14
10. Tommy Hahn 10-11

450 Point Standings
1. Ryan Dungey 418
2. Andrew Short 307
3. Brett Metcalfe 293
4. Josh Grant 260
5. Ben Townley 249
6. Mike Alessi 235
7. Chad Reed 204
8. Kyle Regal 185
9. Kyle Chisholm 183
10. Ryan Sipes 181

250 Overall Results
1. Trey Canard 1-2 (Honda)
2. Justin Barcia 3-5 (Honda)
3. Dean Wilson 6-3
4. Tyla Rattray 5-4
5. Blake Wharton 2-9 (Honda)
6. Eli Tomac 4-6 (Honda)
7. Christophe Pourcel 38-1
8. Martin Davalos 10-8
9. Matt Lemoine 8-12
10. Wil Hahn 14-11 (Honda)

250 Point Standings
1. Christophe Pourcel 365
2. Trey Canard 349
3. Dean Wilson 329
4. Tyla Rattray 320
5. Justin Barcia 248
6. Blake Wharton 243
7. Eli Tomac 233
8. Broc Tickle 209
9. Jake Weimer 195
10. Martin Davalos 187

For more information, contact: American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (310) 783-3745