[News]

The Careers Of Canard & Millsaps

9 years ago | Words: Jackson Reardon

With the Monster Energy Cup providing the off-season fix of racing many fans are searching for, Transmoto’s Jackson Reardon took an in-depth look at Trey Canard and Davi Millsaps, the indisputable stars of the weekend.

The Monster Energy Cup has been run and won, and as is becoming the norm’ for this event, it was full of highs and lows. By now, the majority of fans will know that Davi Millsaps won the event and $100,000 as he made his return to racing, while Trey Canard blew a chance at $1,000,000 by crashing not once, but twice in the final race, after dominating the first two Main Events of the night. Although the night was full of storylines and highlights, such as Justin Hill’s fantastic race on board a 450, it is Millsaps and Canard who stand out – as they have for much of their careers.

Hailing from Shawnee, Oklahoma, Trey Canard has faced an up-hill battle for the majority of his career. At the age of 13, Canard lost his father, Roy, to a tragic accident which occurred whilst he was building a practice track for Trey. Already a successful Amateur rider, Trey continued to climb the Junior ranks, finishing with a dominant 2007 at Loretta Lynn’s where he won both Lites A titles and the famed Horizon award.

Trey made his presence known instantly with three straight wins in his first-ever supercross races. He would go on to battle the now-legendary Ryan Villopoto for the title down to the final race, where Canard put an aggressive move on RV to seal the championship. Moving up through the 250 class, Trey would win multiple races, but wouldn’t taste the same championship success until 2010, when he came on strong in the final half of the motocross season to steal the championship from the grips of Christophe Pourcel.

Trey’s speed throughout his career has never been an issue; the problem has being staying healthy and free of injures. In 2011, he landed a ride with Factory Honda in the premier 450 class, and won three races on his debut 450 SX season before breaking his leg in a practice crash before the final three rounds of the series. He returned mid-way through the motocross season, landing on the podium straight away before re-breaking his leg at the next round. A common thread was appearing for Trey.

In 2012, disaster struck at LA’s supercross round when Canard was landed on by Ryan Morais, resulting in a broken back and fears that Trey would never ride again. A man of immense faith in the work of God, Trey’s belief never faltered, and he immediately began rehab in the hopes of a comeback. He would not race again in 2012, but would return for the 2013 season in which he placed sixth and fourth Overall in his first full injury free season in the premier class. However, the run was not to continue, as an off-season crash resulted in a broken arm which held Trey out of competition until Round 13 of the ’14 SX season. Trey made it through the final SX rounds and built on his results coming into the motocross season, finishing an ultra-consistent series with four wins out of the final five motos and a comprehensive third Overall for the season. Trey was once again the talk of the motocross community.

Following a path that is eerily similar, Davi Millsaps, too, has faced much adversity on his journey to the top. Growing up under the tutorage of his mother, Colleen, now a worldwide-renowned motocross coach, success was the only option for Davi. He captured nine national Amateur titles, as well as the Horizon award in 2003, before moving to the Pro ranks – a transition that would prove to be difficult for the young phenomenon.

After a difficult two years with Suzuki, American Honda gave Millsaps a chance in 2006, purely due to his immense potential. He delivered immediately, winning the ’06 SX East Lites title, before making a shock move to the 450 class for outdoors where he achieved multiple podium finishes before injury halted his progress.

In 2008, Davi would win two SX races in the 450 class, and finish the series, impressively, in fourth Overall. Davi struggled to maintain his health for a full season prior to this. In 2010, he Millsaps would finish third Overall in the SX series, but by the end of the year he was ready for a change of scenery, resulting in a move to Joe Gibbs’ JGR Yamaha.

In 2012 and 2013, Davi achieved outstanding supercross results, placing second Overall in both series, even after changing over to Rockstar Suzuki Racing. He was the surprise of the season in 2013, pushing Ryan Villopoto to the final rounds, however he would be plagued by left knee injuries throughout the motocross season, and during preparation for the 2014 SX season, would injure his other knee whilst testing.

Throughout 2014, rumours were rampant as Davi never returned to racing. Whether this was due to reoccurring injuries, or the rumoured disputes with his team in reference to his pay and the new KTM, we will never know. When Millsaps returned to the Monster Energy Cup over the weekend on his new Kawasaki KX450F, no one quite knew what to expect.

Leading into the MEC, many storylines were building, and a key question was whether the dominance of Canard towards the end of the MX season would transfer into the pre-season SX event. By the end of the first race, these questions were answered, as Trey scored the holeshot and led every lap in front of a surprisingly quick Justin Hill. The picture would be repeated in race two as Canard proved his starting ability yet again with another big holeshot. This time he would have to resist pressure from Millsaps, who passed Trey when he took the Joker Lane on Lap 7. Trey would stick on Davi’s rear wheel until the final lap, where Canard was able to make the pass as the #18 passed through the Joker Lane. Davi would crash on the exit of the lane, eventually finishing fourth, while Canard took his second win of the night. Canard was killing it, but it was clear that Davi was also back.

Entering the final race of the night, it was the battle of Millsaps and Canard, with Trey the deserved favourite to take out Race 3 and the $1,000,000. The pair started in second and fourth, respectively; with Davi quickly moving into first with Trey close behind. At the half-way point, Trey was beginning to apply heavy pressure, showing a wheel to Millsaps whenever possible. Disaster struck on the turn to re-enter the stadium with Canard clipping a tuff block and going down hard. He would remount in seventh and immediately go after Malcolm Stewart, needing to make the pass to secure the Overall and $100,000. It is difficult to say whether it was due to the ensuing panic, a brain snap or just bad luck, but Canard would go down again when going for the pass on Malcolm, handing the victory and the prize money to Millsaps.

The similar journeys taken by Canard and Millsaps collided on Saturday night in Las Vegas, as we fans were treated to some fantastic racing. Whether the results are a true indicator of what the 2015 SX season holds is still debatable, but there can be no doubting the determination and skill of these two competitors. 2015 will be another chapter in the rollercoaster rides that have been the careers of Trey and Davi, and it would certainly be great for the sport if one of these athletes was able to achieve their first 450 class title.

Be the first to comment...

You might also like...

1 month ago

BAJA 1000: ‘BEYOND THE LINE’

‘Beyond the Line’: a cool, bite-sized insight to the iconic annual Baja 1000 race.

1 month ago

HOW-TO: REPLACE YOUR GRAPHICS – PROPERLY!

The six key steps involved in replacing your bike’s old, worn graphics.

News

1 month ago

Entries Open: 2024 Transmoto 8-Hour at Narrabri, NSW

Public entries are now open for the third annual Transmoto 10-Hour at Tumut, powered by GASGAS, to be held on the March 16-17 weekend.

1 month ago

GIFT A MATE – AMA SUPERMOTOCROSS VIDEO PASS

Buy your mate an exclusive ticket to watching AMA SX outside of the USA.

1 month ago

HOW-TO: CHAIN & SPROCKET REPLACEMENT

We walk you through the 10 key steps that’ll ensure your bike’s chain and sprocket are doing their job properly.

Royal Enfield

2 months ago

ROYAL ENFIELD’S HIMALAYAN 450 – FAQS ANSWERED

We answer your most FAQs about Royal Enfield’s landmark new Himalayan 450 adventure tourer.

2 months ago

HOW-TO: HANDLEBAR CONTROLS SET-UP

Eight simple steps to help you declutter, service and update your bike’s handlebar-mounted controls.

2 months ago

HOW-TO: FOOT-CONTROL SET-UP

Five simple steps to help you get your footpegs, rear brake pedal and gear-shift lever properly adjusted.