Just ONE WEEK to go!! 2011 AMA Supercross

With the final round of the 2011 AMA Supercross Championship upon us in just a few days, the excitement has reached its boiling point.  Last week’s trip to Salt Lake City proved to be quite a show, and set the stage for an exciting final.

James Stewart seemed to be an early favorite through early qualifying, flying through laps and setting a pace few seemed to be able to match. However, when it came to main event time, he did what we’ve seen him do all too much this season; he lost his head.  Stewart was leading the main through Lap 8 when he washed out his front end.  His mistake allowed three riders to pass, and Stewart lost it again, this time going over his handlebars.  This mistake was the deciding factor in the main, as Stewart was slow to recover during the remaining laps.

Stewart aside, Ryan Villopoto was able to run a clean race, taking home his sixth win on the season and allowing himself some breathing room in the points race entering the final round. This victory gave Villopoto the point lead by nine heading into Vegas.

“This season it’s been crazy," said Villopoto. "You just have to stay up on two wheels and minimize the mistakes. We’ve all made big mistakes this year. I think everybody is going so fast and tracks are so tough, so mistakes are going to happen.”

In addition to Stewart’s disappointment over his performance, TwoTwo Motorsports’ Chad Reed wasn’t a happy camper either. Like the other top-four riders in the series, Reed desperately needed a win to gain better footing for the season finale, but fell just short and placed second.

 “I’m just disappointed in that ride,” said Reed. “I was just riding a little too tight across the whoops. It was good one lap and then the next I was just average.”

Despite Reed’s poor portrayal of his own performance, the Aussie did post one of his most memorable rides of the season. Rather than being relegated and accepting his runner-up status, Reed bitterly fought toward the end of the 20-lap contest, keeping Villopoto honest the whole way through. In the end, however, it wasn’t enough and he dropped back in relation to RV by three points.

Third in the series and 12 points behind Villopoto in the championship, Dungey also lost points to RV in Salt Lake City. Despite another round of consistent riding that ended with a finish on the box, Dungey was forced to accept the reduced likelihood of defending his 2010 SX title. 

"I felt good, but I just wasn't matching the lap times and was losing a lot of ground," said Dungey. "Overall, we did the best we could and we just have to put this away and learn from it and look forward to Vegas next weekend and try to go for a win."

There you have it folks, this Supercross season has been quite a ride for all competitors, and forced some big mistakes along with big wins.  Stay tuned this Saturday for Vegas’ final round and the crowning of the 2011 AMA Supercross Champion!!

Honda's trademark? Innovation.

Aside from staying on top of technology and safety, Honda is always looking to the future.  Currently in development and even some in test markets are two of Honda's newest innovations: electric motorcycles, and motorcycle seat belts.  Read on to see why Honda is the forerunner on two-wheeled technology.


Honda Starts Lease Sales of the EV-neo Electric Scooter

The EV-neo is an electric scooter developed for businesses such as transport of heavy goods or delivery services and which delivers a clean and quiet ride without compromising powerfulness. The vehicle qualifies as a first-class motor-driven cycle in Japan, for engine displacements of 50cc or less.

Honda plans to deliver about 100 monitoring vehicles between December 2010 and March 2011 to cooperating businesses in the monitoring program^*1 for collecting riding data and other useful information and to start lease sales of the EV-neo to general businesses and individual business owners in April 2011. The wide range of data collected from actual business use together with the data obtained from test operations^*2 of 10 prototype vehicles, conducted since October 2010, is expected to be used in future development of electric scooters and motorcycles.

On top of the excellent environmental performance offering a clean and quiet ride worthy of an electric scooter with zero CO₂ emissions while riding, the EV-neo leverages a motor that, even with cargo loaded, generates high torque even in the low-speed range to achieve a powerful starting and hill-climbing performance. An in-house manufactured motor and a lithium-ion battery that apply Insight technology have been adopted, and an exclusively developed quick charger enabling full recharge in 30 minutes in a 25°C environment allows charging to be conducted at convenient intervals during the working day. The EV-neo has been developed as a complete electric scooter that can be used in a wide variety of business situations. A body design, which features a wide and flat loading space that enables easy loading, and a flat floor that makes it easy to get on and off the vehicle, ensures ease of use in delivery services and other business situations. The EV-neo PRO, which is based on the EV-neo and will be put on sale simultaneously, adds a large rear carrier that is convenient for delivery of newspapers and other items, and a standard-equipment bracket that can further enhance load capacity by attaching a basket in front.

By offering products with outstanding environmental performance to more customers, Honda is committed to advancing its contribution to reducing CO₂emissions on a global scale.


Honda Developing Motorcycle Seat Belt

Yep, you read it right. Honda is working on a system of seatbelts for motorcycles.
Seems crazy, but it looks like a serious project from the patents Honda has filed for the system. Designed for bikes like the Goldwing, where the rider won't be hanging off or moving around much in the seat, the belt arrangement is designed to make sure an airbag can work more and to reduce the chances of injuries, particularly in the sort of accident where the bike comes to a sudden halt.
However, the firm has recognised that in a lot of accidents it's better to be away from the bike rather than attached to it, so it's new seatbelt system also has elements of ejector seat in the mix. When the computer senses that the bike is irretrievably tipping over it releases the entire seat, with the rider still attached, and inflates an airbag backrest. The idea is that having ejected you slide down the road in a sitting position, with the seat betwixt your hide and the asphalt. Sort of extreme tobogganing.

To be fair, when bike airbags were first mooted the idea seemed mad, and they've worked out pretty well on the Goldwing even if the idea hasn't spread elsewhere yet. Perhaps with enough development this could turn out to be a real safety boon. But we don't suggest you throw out your leathers just yet.

Honda Red Rider: #22 Chad Reed

For as long as he can remember, Chad Reed wanted to be the world’s best Supercross racer. Like so many other impressionable kids his age, he spent hours on end dreaming about being a factory rider and someday racing in America in front of stadiums packed with cheering fans. It’s a youthful dream shared by many, realized by few...and even fewer Australians. In Chad’s mind there was never a doubt that it was his destiny to be the next King of Supercross.

It wasn’t long before Reed had won all there was to win down under and after successfully defending his Australian Supercross Championship in 2000, Chad headed to Europe. Reed headed first to Europe to race the FIM World Championship series. The venerable series proved to be the perfect showcase for Reed’s natural talent and desire to win. He finished the year 2001 ranked as the second fastest 250cc motocross racer in the world, and it was clear that he’d soon reach his dream of racing in America.

Reed came to the States with one mission; to win the AMA Supercross Championship. He won the 2002 125cc East Coast Championship in his first year, which quickly propelled him into the factory Yamaha team and racing in the premier 250cc class. Even his first year against the best-of-the-best in 2003 was incredible when he won the World Supercross Championship.

Reed won his first Supercross title in 2004 by taking 10 victories for the season and finished 2nd in that year’s motocross season. 2005 saw the epic battle between Chad Reed, Ricky Carmichael, and James Stewart in Supercross. Reed finished the season with multiple wins and placed 2nd in the championship standings. Reed was again very competitive in 2006 despite suffering a level three shoulder separation in mid-season. Going into the final event of the season, Reed and Carmichael were tied for the points lead, making the 2006 season the closest AMA Supercross championship in history. Reed finished the season 2nd in points by only a 2 point margin.

For 2007 Chad Reed created his own team set-up under the Yamaha L&M Racing Team name and again piloted the number 22 factory YZ450F. The season kicked off with the usual battles between the three giants of Supercross; Chad Reed, Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart, with Reed winning the opening round of the World SX Championship in Toronto, Canada. Reed battled injury for much of the season, but still managed to finish on the podium at every round, with just one exception. This consistency delivered him the runner-up trophy in both the AMA and World SX Championships for 2007.

Reed entered 2008 Supercross season with a more relaxed approach and a renewed desire to win races. He won the opening event of the season and never looked back, going on to dominate a total of 9 Main Events and taking his second AMA and World Supercross title. The Aussie completed one of the gutsiest rides ever seen in the history of AMA Supercross when he remounted his bike and took to the grid only hours after being hospitalized with after a practice crash left him with internal injuries and severe damage to his shoulder.

Chad battled hard during the 2009 AMA Supercross Championship, narrowly losing the title to Stewart by 4 points. He elected to race the 2009 motocross season after a 2 year hiatus and clinched the title at round 10 of 12 rounds and accounted for 5 wins. In 2010 Chad began the year on board with Kawasaki. He battled injury and illness through both the Supercross and Motocross season. 2011 is a brand new year for Chad and his newly formed TwoTwo Motorsports team racing. Chad, entering the 2011 season aboard a Honda, is happy, healthy, and in championship contention.

Honda Red Rider: #41 Trey Canard

Without a doubt, the grueling and thrilling sports of professional Supercross and Motocross racing remain a young man’s game. But even within an endeavor loaded with young athletes who possess seemingly unbounded talent, the superlatives flow freely whenever the name Trey Canard pops up.

Canard got a brief first taste of professional racing at the end of the 2007 Motocross season, and his three subsequent years of full-time competition have not only honed his racing skills but also made him a champion twice over. Riding for the GEICO Powersports Honda team aboard his CRF250R, Canard captured the 2008 AMA Supercross Lites East Championship and the 2010 AMA 250 Motocross title. Moreover, when Canard filled in for an injured rider during the 2010 Supercross season, he capitalized on the timely opportunity to try his hand in the elite big-bike series aboard a Team Honda CRF450R by finishing on the podium five times in a row. Sure, many people were hoping he would do well, but five consecutive podiums mid-season on a new bike? Let’s just say that even more people were simply shocked to witness such a high level of success so quickly. Furthermore, Canard topped off the 2010 season by helping Team USA win the overall victory at the FIM Motocross of Nations held in Lakewood, Colorado—all in all, quite a meteoric rise in only three years! Now only 20 years old, Canard steps into the bright-shining limelight as one of two riders on Team Honda in 2011.

“As an amateur racer riding Hondas for the Factory Connection team, it was my dream to one day make it onto the Honda factory team, and to be given this opportunity now is a real honor,” said Canard. “I’ve been a part of Honda’s racing program for a long time in both my amateur and professional careers. I’m pumped to be able to continue that relationship into the big-bike class.

“I’ve been riding Hondas since my amateur days, so the transition from the CRF250R to the CRF450R felt very natural to me; you can definitely see and feel the family resemblance between these two bikes. Obviously, there’s more power to deal with when riding the 450, but I think that makes riding it even more fun. Despite being a bigger bike it handles incredibly well, and I can’t say enough about the support the team gives me; they are just great. And now that we’ve had more time to get the bike dialed in to my riding style, things have really come together well.”

“To be honest, I’m kind of blown away at how quickly Trey got a handle on racing the CRF450R,” said Erik Kehoe, Motocross Team Manager. “Not everyone can make the jump to the bigger bikes easily, but pretty much right off the bat Trey demonstrated his ability on the Honda CRF450R. Actually, his earning five consecutive Supercross podium finishes in the middle of the season last year was quite exceptional. And it wasn’t only his results that impressed me, it was also how quickly he came to grips with the new bike and got up to racing speed in the 450 competition, riding a new and bigger bike against the best riders in the world. A lot of credit has to go to Trey’s nature; he works incredibly hard and he’s very coachable, always willing to stay late and learn more.

“He showed a great deal of racing maturity last year in winning the 250 Motocross championship. He had to overcome a points deficit from early in the season, but he just kept focused on doing what he had to do and slowly but surely chipped away at the points gap, getting stronger and stronger as the season wore on. The title chase came down to the last race in the season, but Trey never got flustered; he just kept charging, and he made his own destiny and became a champion for the second time in three years.”

Now the young racer faces a new challenge, his biggest yet. Will he win a third championship in 2011 aboard a new bike, riding with the factory team? Well, judging from the rocketship arc of his racing career thus far, a title in the 450 class is certainly within his grasp.

Honda Red Rider: #14 Kevin Windham

Many knowledgeable race watchers consider Kevin Windham to be one of the most naturally talented riders the sport has ever seen. Now a veteran at age 32, the GEICO Powersports Honda racer's textbook riding style has blended with all his experience to carry him to the forefront of title contention. Windham remains at the top of his game, finishing second in the 2008 Supercross series and fifth in 2009. Despite battling stiff competition from younger competitors, he continues to defy all odds in this young man's sport, running up front race after race—much to the delight of the stadium crowds.

"As long as I'm still enjoying myself out on the racetrack and I'm still competitive up front, I'll continue to race," says Windham. "I was successful in finishing on a number of Supercross podiums last season and only twice missed finishing in the top 10—I’m happy with those results. I had some ups and downs, but I was able to stay fairly consistent."

In 2010, the Mississippi native again tackles the Supercross Championship aboard his Honda CRF450R, but he will opt out of the outdoor season this year as he did in 2009. Many Windham fans wonder why he has chosen to opt out of Motocross, especially considering the abundant success he's enjoyed outdoors in past years—he was the series runner-up for six years between 1999 and 2006.

"I love Motocross racing, but there comes a point in every racer's career where you have to pull back and reduce your schedule in order to increase your longevity and be able to stick around for a few more years," he explains. "I did race a few outdoor races last year mainly for the enjoyment of racing Motocross, and that was a lot of fun. But my focus will remain on the Supercross series in 2010."

As a veteran leader of the GEICO Powersports Honda team, it is only fitting that his younger, less experienced teammates look up to him and draw from his wealth of racing knowledge.

"It's great to have some of the younger guys around, especially on the Lites program," says Windham. "I enjoy helping them out when I can. Their willingness to learn brings a youthful essence to the team, which I enjoy. I learn from them, they learn from me, and it works well. I'm also looking forward to having Mike LaRocco overseeing things this year. He is definitely going to be a big help to the younger riders."

Off the track, Windham remains dedicated to his wife Dottie and his four children. Being a family man has changed the way he views racing and his life.

"I’m very lucky to have a supportive family that encourages me to keep on racing. Knowing they are proud of my achievements both on and off the track, and always having them here for me after each race, is important. When I am done riding at the end of the day, they come out and go for a ride with me on the bike, and that makes me proud. I wouldn't want my life any other way."