In front of a massive Fourth of July crowd at the famous RedBud National in Buchanan, Michigan, for round seven of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship, Team Honda HRC's Fredrik Noren rode to career-best finish of seventh overall with 7-8 marks.

With teammate Cole Seely sidelined for another weekend due to an injury sustained in a practice crash prior to Budds Creek, Noren was the sole rider carrying the torch for factory Honda. In moto one, Noren got off to a less-than-desirable start but quickly recovered, advancing to 11th by the completion of the opening lap. He maintained that position for half of the race before making more passes and capitalizing on the mistakes of other riders to secure seventh, his best finish of the year. During the day's 17-lap final race, the Swede launched off the line to a better start and charged to eighth place by the finish.

NOTES

• On Friday, Team Honda HRC crewmembers and riders celebrated Independence Day early with a team BBQ at the RedBud track before venturing down to watch the night racing in the pits.
• During timed qualifying practice, Fredrik Noren was 13th fastest, his time of 2:04.828 coming during the second session.
• Noren's solid seventh-place finish moved him up two spots in the championship standings, leaving him tied for tenth with 132 points.
• It was an exciting weekend for Noren and girlfriend Amy Schaff, who were married in Ohio on Sunday, the day after the RedBud National. The two met at the races in 2012 while Schaff was working as a photographer and Noren was campaigning his second season in the U.S. In attendance at the wedding were Team Honda HRC manager Dan Betley, crewmember Jason Thomas and fellow rider Trey Canard, who actually conducted the ceremony. "I'm super excited to get married to Amy," Noren said on Saturday. "I'm not nervous because I've been so focused on the race, but I'm sure it'll come when it's time to go up there and actually do it. Amy has been really great; she's done most of the planning so I haven't really had to think about it and have been able to focus on my racing."
• Since 1974, factory Honda has logged an impressive win list at the iconic RedBud National, including 12 victories in the 450 class, nine in the 250 division and five in the now-defunct 500cc class.
• The Honda Red Riders will return to action on July 18 for round 8 of the AMA Pro Motocross series in Millville, Minnesota, for the Spring Creek National.

THE FOCUS: Injury Update

Following a successful AMA Supercross season that saw a factory CRF450R on the podium at every round of the 17 race series, the Honda Red Riders have been plagued by injury during the AMA Pro Motocross series. Trey Canard, who has been recuperating from a broken arm since the Detroit Supercross, was recently released by his doctor to begin riding. However, further evaluation revealed that the bone is still not properly healed, and Canard will visit his doctor again on Tuesday, July 7, with the hope of learning a more accurate return date.

Teammate Cole Seely has missed the last two rounds due to micro tears in his hamstring and a pulled adductor muscle, injuries that were sustained in a crash while practicing at Glen Helen prior to Budds Creek. After multiple visits to Dr. H. Rey Gubernick at Natural Health Sports Therapy in Costa Mesa, California, and attempts by Seely to ride during the week, the team decided it was best for the Californian to sit out of the RedBud national and focus on a full recovery. Seely is scheduled to return to the gate at round eight in Millville, Minnesota.

Since his season-ending crash at Colorado's Thunder Valley National, GEICO Honda's Eli Tomac has undergone successful surgery on both shoulders. He began physical therapy immediately following each procedure and has already started to see improvement in mobility and range of motion.

QUOTES

Fredrik Noren "Today was a great day for me because it was my best overall finish ever. It started out a little slow; I struggled a bit during practice, but things got better during the motos. I felt like my riding was really good, with [Broc] Tickle in front of me and [Blake] Baggett behind me, so there weren't any slow guys I was battling with. We made some small changes to the bike before the second moto, which helped. Today was even more special because I have so many friends and family here from Sweden that were able to experience this with us and to see what Amy and I do every weekend and put all our energy into."

Dan Betley: Team Manager "I'm happy with Freddie's overall result today. He got pinched off on the start of the first moto and worked from about 14th to seventh, which was great. We made an adjustment between motos to change the balance of the bike a little bit by raising the back and lowering the front. He got a better start in the second moto and was riding with the guys he should be riding with all the time, and was fighting for position."

Brent Presnell: Mechanic (Fredrik Noren) "Today went great. Freddie was riding really well; he was happy and excited, which translated into a solid day. He had two great rides and was in the battle the whole time with minimal mistakes. We made a few bike changes from the morning to the first moto and then in between races, and those helped in the areas he was struggling. Now he gets to relax and get hitched!"

Press contact: Mandie Fonteyn // Dispatch Communications // mandie@dispatchco.com // +1 (951) 537-0454

450 Motocross Overall Results

450 Motocross Championship Points Standings (after 7 of 12 rounds)