Bad Break for Canard; Grant Third Overall

The final race on a five-week bender of AMA National Motocross found a deceivingly slick, tight track in Washougal, Wash. Team Geico/AMSOIL/Honda riders saw the highs and lows of racing on July 27. With Lites rider Dan Reardon still out with an injury, AMSOIL's Josh Grant, Jake Weimer and East SX champ Trey Canard were all hoping to leave an impression before the two-week break in action.

Grant has been suffering from a badly sprained ankle since the second moto at Budds Creek. In the first moto in Washougal, Grant grabbed the hole shot and led the first few laps of the moto before eventually finishing third.

Then, in moto two, Grant ended up with the last gate pick because he missed the deadline to report to the staging area after he had trouble starting his bike. Still, he started inside the top ten and began working his way forward, eventually finishing fourth and grabbing third overall.

"I think if I would've started up front with these guys, I would've been in a better position than I was," Grant said. "When you have 39 guys to the left of you... I just did the best that I could. I hit the berm and just hoped for the best, and I came out around tenth, so I just plugged away and tried to pick off guys. I'm fortunate to be up (on the podium) and be safe."

With his performance, Grant moved all the way up to eighth in the points standings despite missing the first three rounds.

Canard had a fall on the opening lap of the first moto and was only able to fight his way back up to 21st, just out of the points. In second race of the day, he grabbed the hole shot and lead the first half of the moto. He eventually dropped a hard fought battle with Ryan Dungey and Ryan Villopoto and moved into third. In the late stages of the moto, however, a lapper pulled into his line unexpectedly and caused him to crash violently. The end result was a broken left femur, which will keep him off of the bike for anywhere from four to six months. He has had surgery, and the doctors indicated that it went as well as possible. However, he is definitely out for the remainder of the championship.

Jake Weimer rode very strong at Washougal. In the first moto, he started midpack and worked his way all the way up to sixth place. In the second moto, Weimer was in a battle with a few riders for the whole race, eventually finishing sixth again. Weimer was sixth overall and still sits fourth in points with three rounds left to run.

The GEICO Powersports/AMSOIL/Honda team has two weekends off before Millville, Minn. The team will be joined by amateur sensation Blake Wharton, who will be making his professional debut.

Until then, we'll see you at the races.