Canard helps Team USA win prestigious Motocross des Nations
After qualifying No. 1 in the MX2 class, reserved for 250cc riders, Canard delivered two solid finishes Sunday to help Team USA win its sixth straight overall championship at "the Olympics of Motocross." Racing alongside 450cc-powered bikes in both motos in the event's unique format, Canard overcame an early spill to finish 12th in Moto 1. He then returned for a seventh-place result in Moto 2.
"This is a very difficult race but one I've always wanted to do," Canard said. "It definitely lived up to all my expectations.
"I got caught up early in the first moto when a rider in front of me went down. It put me way back in the pack and I had to work really hard to get back in the front group. Then there wasn't enough time between motos to fully recover and I got a little tired in Moto 2. I'm a little bummed about that but overall it was great to compete in this event and help bring it home for the USA."
Representing Team Australia, fellow GEICO Powersports Honda rider Brett Metcalfe logged an impressive third-place finish in Moto 1, before taking the fifth spot in Moto 3. Metcalfe was far and away the star of Team Australia, which ended a respectable sixth overall among the 30 nations competing at this year's race.
"I'm pretty pleased with my effort," said Metcalfe, who was participating in his fourth MX des Nations. "It was really hot out there and the altitude hurts the performance of the bikes a bit and kind of throws you off but I'm happy with the finish we had as a team. If you're not in first place at the end of the day you always feel as though you could have done better but we raced as hard as we could and had a great time.
"This event is unlike any other and it's so cool to have all the fans from the various countries out there supporting their riders. I was honored to represent Australia again and it was also pretty special to race in the USA this year because this is where I live now and this is where Sheena (wife) is from so we had our own cheering section."
Dungey won the first and third motos to lead all riders. Short was taken out by another rider after leading Moto 2 but recovered enough for a 13th-place finish. He then came in second in the final moto to clinch the title for the Yanks.
Metcalfe's teammates, Dean Ferris and Jay Marmont, didn't fare quite as well. Ferris was 18th in Moto 1 and 27th in Moto 2. Marmont was 18th in Moto 2 and 10th in Moto 3.
"I would do this again in a heartbeat," des Nations rookie Canard said. "I think it would be a lot better to do it on a 450 so hopefully I'll get that chance some day. For now, we're going to savor this win for Team USA and have some fun with these crazy fans."