Team Honda HRC Discusses Cole Seely Injury

The following is from Team HRC Honda regarding the leg injury suffered by team rider Cole Seely at the Seattle Supercross on April 8:

Round 13 of AMA Supercross didn’t go as planned for Team Honda HRC, as Cole Seely was sidelined for the evening after aggravating a preexisting groin injury during the daytime program. Halfway through the only qualifying session, Seely dabbed his left foot in a corner, twisting his leg and forcing him into the pits. After the Californian was evaluated by the Alpinestars Mobile Medical Unit, it was determined that he would not compete due to a possible tear in his adductor muscle. Seely will visit his physician this week to receive a full diagnosis and prognosis.

Seely said that he was bummed that he could not race the Seattle Supercross.

“I first hurt my groin last weekend in St. Louis when I cased the triple in practice and my legs got ripped off the pegs,” Seely said. “It was bothering me all week, but I actually felt okay in the beginning of practice. Unfortunately, when I came into the left turn after the mechanics area and put my foot down, it ripped to the side again and I heard it pop. After that, it was instant pain. I went to the mobile medical unit, and they think that it’s the adductor muscle in my groin but we won’t know until I get an MRI.”

Team Honda HRC Manager Dan Betley said that he was not only disappointed for Seely but for the entire team.

“It’s unfortunate not having him out there,” Betley said in Seattle. “These conditions have suited him well in the past, and he looked good early in practice, so we had high hopes for tonight. We’re hoping for the best but we won’t know the severity of the injury until he gets an MRI. We appreciate everyone’s support and will keep our fans posted on his status.”

• The evening before the race, Team Honda HRC’s Cole Seely and Andrew Short, along with GEICO Honda rider Jimmy Decotis, visited Hinshaw Motorsports in Auburn, Washington, to hang out with fans and sign autographs.

• Due to inclement weather leading up to the Seattle Supercross, promoters were forced to cancel not only the day’s free practice session but also the first timed qualifying practice, leaving riders with significant downtime throughout the day and only one 10-minute session to learn the track prior to the night program.

• Through Seattle, the AMA Supercross series has been in action for 14 consecutive weeks, but now racers and teams will get a much-needed break over Easter weekend. The Honda Red Riders will return to action on April 22 for round 15 at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah.

With supercross winding down, riders and teams are shifting their focus to the approaching AMA Pro Motocross series, and Team Honda HRC test rider Andrew Short has been doing outdoor testing at his home in Texas. For the next phase, team manager Dan Betley hit on a unique idea to increase the effectiveness of preparations.

“One of the biggest challenges is finding an adequate track to test on,” Betley explained. “Most of the tracks in Southern California aren’t very rough and you’re often sharing the track with a lot of other people, which changes things because there’s a big difference between amateur and professional lines. The idea I had was a take on what they do in road racing, where teams get together and rent the track.”

The test will take place in Central California this week, and in addition to Team Honda HRC and GEICO Honda, squads expected to participate include Red Bull KTM, Troy Lee Designs KTM, Rockstar Husqvarna and RCH Suzuki, so between 12 and 14 riders should be on the track at any given time. The expectation is that this should allow for realistic conditions and a better opportunity for chassis and suspension testing.