BROWNSBURG, Ind. – Jeff Ward successfully transitioned from a Hall of Fame motocross racer into a successful IndyCar Series driver. After his first taste of IndyCar Series racing on Feb. 28, Trey Canard may just find himself on the same path when his motorcycle racing days are done.
Canard, a factory rider for Honda’s Supercross and Motocross team, visited the Honda Performance Development Indy Tech Center to learn about IndyCar Series racing from Honda drivers Josef Newgarden and Simon Pagenaud.
They took turns driving HPD’s state-of-the-art simulator around a virtual Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, improving his lap times nearly every time around the 2.258-mile road course.
“The downforce is something I’ve never really experienced,” said the 23-year-old Oklahoman after his two stints in the simualtor. “Unlike a bike, you’re not using your whole body to turn, the whole feel of turning with only your hands was different to get used to. We’ve all driven a car, but this was a whole different feel. But it was a lot of fun. It was just an awesome experience.”
And while Pagenaud and Newgarden set times too fast for “Turbo Trey” to match, the IndyCar Series drivers came away impressed with Canard’s smooth style, which the supercross racer said mimicked his style when he races his 450cc dirt bike.
“It’s great to have the opportunity to meet and work with (a guy like) Trey on the Honda simulator and share our experiences,” Pagenaud said.
“For me, it’s easy to adapt to the simulator. It’s almost like driving my own Honda-powered Indy car. As a Supercross rider, Trey has very quick reflexes, but for him, it’s a whole new vehicle, but he got up to the standard rather quickly.
“He didn’t do that many laps, but early on, he had a moment where the car got really squirrely and he was able to catch it, really fast. That takes really high reflexes and it impressed me because he’s not used to having a steering wheel in his hands.”
Canard, who is still recovering from a broken arm that has kept him off his bike this season, will welcome Pagenaud and Newgarden to Lucas Oil Stadium on March 1 for the Indianapolis round of the AMA Monster Energy Supercross.
For Newgarden, who considers himself a fan of Supercross, it’s an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.
“I’ve been to Supercross races, but I’ve never seen it up close,” Newgarden said. “I’ve never seen what the process of what they do and how they work on the bikes up close or how the riders interact with their mechanics. It will be interesting to compare it to what we do in INDYCAR. I’m excited to see it up close. “