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It’s always a great time getting the chance to chat with Trey Canard. Since we came back two years ago we really hadn’t had the chance to and Trey is an OG Vurb guy! From his humble beginnings in the amateur ranks, to his incredible professional career spanning from 2007 to 2017, If Canard was on the gate he was a threat to win any race he entered. Last week we posted the first part of this interview, but here is the conclusion. We asked Trey about what it’s like to be the Team Consultant/Test Rider at HRC Honda, thoughts on the hiring of Colt Nichols, and his Ted Talk.
vurbmoto: How’s everything on your end? How’s the family and your son?
Canard: Yeah, it’s all good man. I got hurt a while back, so I’ve been hanging at home a lot. It’s been good though, he’s just walking now and it’s a lot of fun. I broke my arm/wrist four weeks ago, so I’m kind of getting to the part where it’s not so bad.
Well, I’m sorry to hear you got hurt, but at least you can be home and you can still run after him.
(Laughs) Exactly. I’m not having to change diapers either so that’s been pretty sweet!
This is a crucial time for testing and now that you’re out of commission, how does that work within the team?
It was definitely a disappointment to get hurt. This is crucial development time right now, especially with supercross. Luckily I got our first SX base test in. We got through some key parts, so I feel pretty good about it. Now with Colt Nichols on board he’s staying in southern California and they’re able to do some testing with him. I think it’s working out pretty good.
It’s got to be pretty cool for you because you’ve known Colt since he was a little kid.
Yeah, just an Oklahoma guy, I’ve known and followed him forever, and I’ve always been a big fan of his. I’m really excited about it. I haven’t had the chance to see him ride yet, but I obviously get reports while they’re testing. I’ll get to see him around the first of December. I think he’s going to do a great job this year.
What does your schedule usually look like this time of year with testing, especially when it’s not a new bike year?
It’s not a new bike year, but we always have targets. At the end of motocross everyone has a big debrief. Riders will make requests and talk about strengths and weaknesses. In October we will have a pretty big test with a lot of parts to run through. We see if we’re going in the right direction. We’ll have a lot of suspension parts and chassis parts. The motor isn’t such a big deal on the 450, we like to make it rideable. However, chassis and suspension are pretty crucial this time of year.That’s the focus. Then in mid November to December we like to be pretty settled in on what the guys are riding. We like to establish a base with what they’re used to and what they like.That way when they go racing in January they feel pretty comfortable.
You’ve worked with Kenny, Chase, Hunter, and Jett a while now, but now with Kenny gone is it difficult to add a new rider to the mix when it comes to their settings?
Yeah a little bit. I have a couple answers. In my mind a good bike is a good bike for everyone. There are some preferences, so knowing what someone is looking for is really hard, especially if you’re a different sized rider and ride the bike differently. That can make it difficult. The more I know a rider the better I can pinpoint what the bike is needing or guide them in another direction. I don’t know how Colt sets his bike up, but I’m really excited because he’s been riding a different bike for several years. I think that is really good value for our team. He’s coming off of a KYB air fork and a bike that has been winning. I think it’s a great opportunity and he’s going to add a lot to our team. Maybe I don’t know exactly what he needs, but he’s going to bring a lot to the table for the rest of the guys.
When you test both 250 and 450 what are some of the differences in your setup strategy?
I would say setting up a 450 is much more difficult. With a 250 there is a little less weight, but with the inertia of the bike when you add it to a 450 it just amplifies everything. Small changes to the 450 usually go a long way, you can tell a difference with minor adjustments. On the 250 your window for development is a bit bigger. You spend a lot of time on a 250 trying to find horsepower and make the bike as fast as possible. With the 450 you’re just trying to make it rideable, so it’s a lot different I’d say. Then you have to ride the bikes differently too, on the 250 you have to ride it aggressively and you have to rev it. The 450 you can ride it aggressively, but there is a fine line of what it needs and asks for. You’ve just got to make that switch. I haven’t done many 250 to 450 days back to back, but when I have it takes a minute to reset your mind.
How do you keep all of the parts that you’ve tried organized? Do you file reports, or does someone else do that and you’re strictly on the bike?
If I ever do anything at home I’ll do a report, but when we’re in California, which is 95% of our testing, they keep the notes and keep track of the entire test. Thankfully I don’t have to file all of that away. One thing I really love about being a test rider as opposed to racing is that I can file that stuff away in my own mind. As a point of reference when I’m riding something I can be like, ‘Hey remember that part we tried?’ I really like the character of that and if you can bring that to the table somehow I think it’s beneficial. I think it’s really beneficial to keep track of that in your own mind.
It seems like the HRC team truck has completely flipped a switch these days. Before it seemed like no one was really allowed around the truck and it was super corporate, where now the past couple of years everyone seems more inviting. With your experience being around the team as long as you have, do you feel the same way?
It’s for sure changed. Honda’s a big corporation, so there are a lot of things they need to do. We have some young riders on our team and some really big personalities and I think that lends to tearing down some of those walls of ‘strictly business’ ideas. I think it’s been great! Lars (Lindstrom, team manager) has done a great job this year of creating a fun environment and making it a desirable place to be. I’m a firm believer in if you want to be somewhere and you enjoy what you’re doing, then your work is going to be so much better. If there’s anything we can do to inspire the riders, mechanics, and staff then we try to do that.
Honda has a lot of young talent coming through the program with Hunter, Jett, and now Chance Hymas. You came through the ranks with Factory Connection Honda, so you were once in their shoes. What are you most excited about for the future of the Honda program?
There is a really big push to win a 450 championship. It’s been since 2004 and it’s really playing on the hearts of everyone involved. Everyone wants to do it and everyone believes we’ve got a great shot in the next few years with Chase Sexton and with Jett coming into the 450 role this Summer. I just think there is a big push from all sides in production, the race team, to try to create the best bike out there and also to make sure we can perform at races.
Switching topics here now to your Ted Talk, we posted it on the site, but we haven’t talked to you since it happened. How did the opportunity come about?
Yeah, it came about super randomly! They actually emailed my website and my website is super old, like I’m still on a KTM on there and I just have never even updated it. I just kept the website to keep the domain name. I just got this random email, like ‘Hey do you want to do a Ted Talk?’ I didn’t really know if it was a joke or what, so I emailed them back and I was like, it can’t be that bad! It kind of just went from there. I was super nervous to do it. There were a lot of great speakers there and it felt like an honor to do it. It was an opportunity that I thought I could not pass up. When I went up to do it it was like lining up on a gate and having to perform and I enjoyed that. I’m also very passionate about the things I spoke about and I think anytime you’re passionate about what you’re doing it shines through in different ways. It was a big honor and I’ve had a lot of opportunities in the faith circle to do some speaking like that, so I enjoy it and it’s definitely a challenge every time that I do it.
Were there a lot of people there?
I think there were like 1200 people there, which is kind of rare for a Ted event. It’s usually a really small setting. It was at a really cool amphitheater in Utah. I’ve never spoken in front of that many people with all eyes on you. I had to memorize it too, which was super spooky for me. Any time I do something like that I’m usually speaking from notes or slides. To have to memorize everything was a challenge. I had it down and we had rehearsal, but right before I went up I was drawing a blank. I was like what do I do if I get up there and can’t say anything? TedX St. George paired me up with a speaking coach and I had some help in preparing and how to form my ideas and making it smooth and presentable.
Thanks for your time Trey, I hope your arm heals quickly. This was fun to go down memory lane and we should do more of this in the future!
Yeah, it’d be awesome man! I’d love it!
Main image: Honda HRC
