Daytona celebrates 40 years of Supercross

The Daytona Supercross by Honda took place at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, FL, over the weekend, and the Honda Red Riders showed up ready to vie for the top spots aboard their Honda CRF250R and CRF450R machines. This year's Daytona SX included a celebration of 40 years of Supercross racing that was conducted on the infield of the iconic motorsport venue, and it also marked Honda's 20th year supporting the Daytona Supercross by Honda event. American Honda Racing's Trey Canard had a rough night at the ninth round in the series, finishing 13th. Meanwhile, both Chad Reed and Justin Barcia finished runner-up in their respective classes.

After finishing third in his heat race, Canard got away to a mid-pack start in the main. Nearing the end of the opening lap, he tangled with another rider, with both riders going down. Rejoining the race at the back of the field, Canard worked his way through the pack and by lap 12 was holding down ninth position. Midway through that lap, a rider crashed right in front of him and he was again on the ground. Relinquishing several spots in the fall, Canard got up and soldiered on to take the checkers in 13th place.

"Man, what a tough night," said Canard. "Every rider knows that nights like tonight are going to happen sometime in their career but knowing that doesn't make it any less frustrating when it actually happens to you. I had one of those nights where I was always in the wrong place at the wrong time. But that's just racing, I guess. I can't really complain because I've been among the top finishers each week up until now. I'll put this race behind me and focus on staying positive and preparing for next weekend's Indianapolis round."

TwoTwo Motorsports' Chad Reed put in a solid performance on his CRF450R to secure yet another Supercross podium. After finishing his heat race in fourth, Reed got away to a solid start in the main, and he rounded the opening lap in sixth place. Picking off riders one by one, Reed moved into second on lap 10, and he protected that spot until the race's end. GEICO Honda's Kevin Windham got a good start in the main and was a spot behind Reed in seventh at the completion of the opening lap. From there, Windham gained a few spots and relinquished a few before finishing seventh.

In the Supercross Lites East competition, GEICO Honda's Justin Barcia finished second to record his third podium of the three-race-old Lites East season and also take over the series' points lead. Despite nursing a wrist with two broken bones, Barcia put in a commanding performance on his Honda CRF250R in his heat race to take the win. He then got off to a good start in the main and moved into the number two spot on the opening lap. Keeping the competition at bay, Barcia put in a gritty effort to hold down second for all 15 laps to take second. Teammate Blake Wharton put in a solid race on his GEICO Honda CRF250R, getting a good start in the main and finishing fourth. Honda racer Les Smith finished the night in 10th place.

Supercross Lites East Results
1. Blake Baggett
2. Justin Barcia (Honda)
3. Ryan Sipes
4. Blake Wharton (Honda)
5. PJ Larsen
6. Jason Anderson
7. Malcolm Stewart
8. Dean Wilson
9. Matt Lemoine
10. Les Smith (Honda)

Supercross Lites East Points (after 3 of 9 rounds)
1. Justin Barcia 69
2. Blake Baggett 65
3. Dean Wilson 60
4. Ryan Sipes 54
5. Blake Wharton 51
6. Jason Anderson 41
7. Matt Lemoine 35
8. Malcolm Stewart 34
9. PJ Larsen 33
10. Lance Vincent 33

Supercross Results
1. Ryan Villopoto
2. Chad Reed (Honda)
3. Ryan Dungey
4. Andrew Short
5. Davi Millsaps
6. Justin Brayton
7. Kevin Windham (Honda)
8. Ken Roczen
9. James Stewart
10. Mike Alessi
13. Trey Canard (Honda)

Supercross Championship Points (after 9 of 17 rounds)
1. Ryan Villopoto 196
2. James Stewart 173
3. Chad Reed 172
4. Ryan Dungey 165
5. Trey Canard 154
6. Andrew Short 128
7. Brett Metcalfe 107
8. Justin Brayton 105
9. Davi Millsaps 104
10. Kevin Windham 89

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

About Honda
American Honda Motor Co., Inc. is the sole distributor of Honda motorcycles, scooters, ATVs, MUVs and personal watercraft in the U.S. American Honda's Motorcycle Division conducts the sales, marketing and operational activities for these products through authorized Honda dealers. For more information on Honda products, go to
powersports.honda.com.

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