Held in Blountville, Tennessee, the fourth round of the AMA Pro Motocross championship was positive for Team Honda HRC, as Cole Seely turned in another solid performance aboard his factory CRF450R. During the first moto, Seely got off the line to a top-10 start and worked his way into fifth, where he stayed for the majority of the 30-minute-plus-two-lap race, before relinquishing three positions and taking the checkered flag in eighth. In the day's final 450 race, Seely nabbed a second-place start and held off multiple advances from the competition throughout the opening laps. The Californian rode well to a top-five finish, his 8-5 scores landing him sixth overall.

Meanwhile, teammate Fredrik Noren put together two respectable rides. Following a 10th in moto one, the Swede overcame a fall midway through the second race to finish 12th in the moto and overall.

NOTES

• Team Honda HRC riders Cole Seely and Fredrik Noren participated in Muddy Creek's Thursday pre-race press conference, which involved several local dignitaries including Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Ron Ramsey. Following the conference, both riders were given the opportunity to check out the track during a pair of 20-minute riding sessions.
• On Friday, Seely and Noren joined GEICO Honda riders Matt Bisceglia, Jordan Smith and RJ Hampshire for an autograph signing at Bristol, Virginia's Atlas Cycle.
• During race day's timed qualifying practice at Muddy Creek, Seely led the charge for Team Honda HRC by logging a 1:53.220, the seventh-fastest time, while Noren was 12th-quickest at 1:54.275.
• Toward the end of the second moto, riders were forced to adapt to the rain that began pouring over the Muddy Creek track. For Noren, the situation proved particularly challenging. "I didn't mind the rain, but it was a little hard because I ran out of tear-offs when it first started raining," he explained. "I had to use my thumb a few times to wipe the drops off so I could see."
• Seely's moto finishes advanced him four positions in the points standings, his 79-point total putting him in a tie for tenth, 13 points behind the rider ahead of him. Meanwhile, Noren remains in 12th place in the standings, but he closed the gap on 11th to just a single point.
• On June 13, Team Honda will campaign the fifth round of the 2015 AMA Pro Motocross championship, which takes place at High Point Raceway in Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania. "High Point is hit or miss for me," the 450 rookie said. "I've had some good and bad races there, but I'm excited to ride a 450 at that track because I feel like the power is really needed there. I'm looking forward to continuing to progress each week."

THE FOCUS: Pioneering MX  During both the Supercross and motocross series, it's crucial that teams are prepared for any situation that arises, and to that end, Team Honda HRC utilizes special equipment for transporting tools and spare parts between the truck and the track. For Supercross, the technicians use special push-carts, while the greater distances and rougher terrain of the outdoor series call for a customized Honda Pioneer 700 side-by-side. "They both serve the same purpose," explained crew chief Jason Haines. "We carry extra wheels, exhausts, bike stands, gas, miscellaneous parts and a tool box, so we're prepared just in case something needs to be replaced during a race."

The Pioneer 700 features a custom-made aluminum rack to securely hold the wheels, and plastic covers protect the brake rotors from damage. Most of the equipment is simply placed loose in the side-by-side's bed, where it's available for quick access. "Hopefully we don't need to use any of the stuff—and most of the time we don't," Haines says, "but if there's a first-turn crash and something gets bent, or if there's a red flag and we need to make some adjustments on the start line, we're prepared to do so."

QUOTES

Cole Seely "The day was good. I got off to a good start in the first moto but ended up getting shuffled back a bit. I worked up to sixth at one point but lost some spots and ended up settling for eighth, which I wasn't too happy with. The track was really rough, and I also struggled with line choice a bit. I felt we set my bike up a little off, so after the moto we came back and made the appropriate changes. I felt great in the second moto. I got off to a great start and was running second for a while. It was cool to run that pace with those guys. I lost a few positions at the end and ended up fifth. All in all, it was a good day, and I really think I'm becoming a stronger outdoor rider."

Fredrik Noren "I think this weekend was a lot better than the other weekends. This is probably the best I've felt so far this year with my riding. I qualified 12th and was feeling comfortable. We made some small changes to the bike and I think we went in a good direction. I was riding really good in the beginning of the first moto, but about five or six laps in I twisted my knee again and kind of backed off the pace. I got back going as the moto went on but finished 10th. In the second moto, I didn't get a great start and spent half the moto passing a ton of guys but ended up washing out in a turn and letting some of them pass me back. I got going again and finished 12th. Overall, I'm pretty happy with my riding this weekend and think I can improve more next weekend."

Dan Betley: Team Manager "I think both guys did better than they did last week. Cole is consistently improving week to week. We made some fairly large changes to both their bikes during the week and only minor changes on race day, which tells me we went in the right direction. Unfortunately, Freddie twisted his knee again during the first moto but luckily, other than losing some positions, he was okay. In the second moto, he was actually charging through the pack when he went down and ended up having to re-pass the guys he had just passed. The goal for Cole was to get in the top five, so we slightly missed that mark by getting sixth overall. However, I think we just need to keep getting momentum and keep improving. Cole is building his confidence in his riding and in the bike, and adapting to the conditions. He's naturally more of a Supercross rider than an outdoor rider, and it's a totally different mindset to succeed in this environment. This is a good learning year for him."

Rich Simmons: Mechanic (Cole Seely) "Today was pretty good. Cole ended up getting sixth, but I personally don't worry about his overall. I just want him to keep improving each week. He just needs to keep running up front with those guys and learning the pace, which I think is more valuable and important than getting sixth overall. He struggled a little in the first moto, so we made some small suspension changes between races. He talked with his coach, Jeff Ward, about about better lines, and the second moto was much better."

Brent Presnell (Fredrik Noren) "Overall, I think Freddie did really well. He kind of tweaked his knee again in the first moto but was able to push through it and rode well to finish 10th. In the second moto, he was really on pace to work his way into the top 10 but he had a slight tip-over that hurt him, position-wise. He regrouped and was able to pass some of the same guys back, but it's hard to get good results when you're on the ground at any point during a moto."

450 Motocross Overall Results

450 Motocross Championship Points Standings (after 4 of 12 rounds)