AMA-SX: 2011 Houston Results

The American Honda rider was victorious in a crash-filled main event in Houston. The very first corner of the race saw a large pile-up which caught several riders including San Manuel Yamaha s James Stewart and TwoTwo Motorsports Chad Reed. Geico Hondas Kevin Windham emerged from the mess with the holeshot.

Windham would lead the first half of the 20-lap race before crashing out on lap 11. That handed Canard the lead which he held for the rest of the race except for a brief moment where Rockstar Makita S uzuki s Ryan Dungey gained the advantage.

Canard crossed the finish just 0.186 seconds in front of the defending Champion Dungey who had perhaps his best race since winning the season opener in Anaheim, Calif.

I'm so excited, says Canard. Winning a Supercross is something I have dreamed of doing my entire life and to finally get the win feels amazing. It was a crazy race full of ups and downs for a lot of riders, so to be on top at the end is something I'm really happy about.

Though he was beat by a fraction of a second behind Canard, Dungey says he was satisfied with the results.

Overall, we had a real solid day, says Dungey who is still seeking his first win this season. The bike felt great all day. I really owe a lot to Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki because they worked hard. We need to keep pushing and start winning these races. Im really thankful for the day coming off of last weekend was a real tough one for the whole team and myself, but this is a step in the right direction and we'll keep building from here.

Third place went to Monster Energy Kawasakis Ryan Villopoto who passes Stewart to take the series points lead.

Stewart recovered from the opening lap crash but a second collision broke his front brake, forcing him to ride a conservative race to finish 15th.

Meanwhile, KTM had a good race with factory riders Andrew Short, Mike Alessi and Ken Roczen all finishing in the top 10 riding the 350SX-F. Short finished fifth and Alessi 10th, both season highs while Roczen finished seventh in his premier class debut.

The 2011 AMA Supercross Championship continues Feb. 19 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, Calif.