Torco Racing Fuels Honda’s Trey Canard has all the makings of the feel-good story of the year. He lost his father unexpectedly at an early age and has been racing with his father as inspiration ever since. Five years later, he made the most promising supercross debut since Ernesto Fonseca, winning his first-ever AMA Supercross.

Racer X: Hey Trey, great race. Not too bad for a rookie, huh?
Trey Canard: Yeah, man, I’m fortunate. I’m blessed in many ways, and it’s not just me that did that; everyone behind me... There was a lot of hard work and dedication behind me. It’s a long series, and I want to concentrate on that.

You dedicated this win to your dad on the podium. Can you put into words what this means to you?
Oh, man, this feeling I’ve got right now is insane. Obviously, my dad passed away in ’03, and I’ve been riding since then, for five years, for him, and to carry the name. I’m so excited, and I hope it continues.

To pull off your first win so early, does it take a weight off of your shoulders, or does it make it worse?
It’s a relief in some ways, but I realize that it’s only one, and there’s a lot more races to come. I don’t want to get too excited about this one because I know there are so many more. I’m so pumped.

What was it about the track tonight that really suited you?
You know, I just wanted to go do my best, and that’s pretty much what I did. I just wanted to get out there and go at 200%.

Was there any point out there where your mind started wandering at all? You were out front by yourself for a long time...
Not really, you know? I just tried to bring it in like it was a normal practice routine, and I just put my 15 laps in.

What is it with you redheads?
I don’t know. It’s something in the Irish blood, I guess. (Laughs)

Well, you certainly have some fight in you. Even in your Heat race, you had to overcome a couple pass attempts and even a couple of stuffs from Ryan Sipes to win that thing.
I’ve just been looking forward to it for so long that I just didn’t want to back down. I’m really, really pumped.