QUÉBEC OFF-ROAD CHAMP LOÏC LÉONARD AND HONDA CELEBRATE ANOTHER #1

Multi-time Québec off-road champion Loïc Léonard recently celebrated the end of another highly successful racing season during a visit to Honda Canada’s Boucherville, Québec, regional headquarters. Proudly holding his 2015 Québec #1 plate, Léonard posed for an official victory photo alongside Honda’s François Hamel, Zone Manager, Eastern Canada, Motorcycle and Power Equipment, and Jean Leduc, District Sales Manager, Motorcycle and Power Equipment.

While a quick look at the year-end results sheet seems to indicate that Léonard easily dominated the 2015 FMSQ championship series, winning 7 out of 8 rounds on his Honda Canada/ Moto Ducharme CRF250R, the reality on the track was quite different. Léonard had to fight hard to overcome a season-opening DNF. “At the first race of the series, half-way into the first lap, I leaned a little too tight into a corner and slammed a tree stump with my Honda’s engine. The stump won, and I instantly went from Red Rider to Red Spectator. Not a good way to start a title defense. From then on, I had no margin for error, which made things pretty stressful. I had to push hard to win every race, but at the same time I had to be real careful not to make another mistake since I couldn’t afford to give away any more points. There are some really fast riders in the FMSQ, and right from the start I let them smell blood in the water. That’s definitely not a good strategy. But as expected, my Honda ran like an atomic clock during the remaining races, allowing me to take the win every time and claw my way back to the top. It wasn’t easy: I had to battle hard and ride really smart, so I’m very proud to have pulled it off.”

Above and beyond winning his fifth consecutive Québec #1 plate, the 22 year-old full-time engineering student from Laval, Québec, also had some solid results south of the border, where he once again hit a handful of rounds in the highly competitive Grand National Cross Country championship, generally regarded as the top off-road series in the world. “That’s always been the yardstick for us, ever since my Super Mini days. You line up at a few GNCCs, race as hard as you can, and see where you wind up on the overall results. That’s the gauge, and it doesn’t lie. I struggled a bit at a couple of the rounds I did this year, but I also broke into the Top 20 Overall twice. I got my best result ever, 18th overall, at the Snowshoe GNCC in June, which was good enough to also win the GNCC Top Amateur Award. That was really cool. Then I got 18th overall again at the series finale, the Ironman GNCC in November, which confirmed that my Snowshoe result wasn’t a fluke. It was a really positive way to end my 2015 racing season. It confirms that I’m still progressing and getting faster every year. For a guy from Canada like me who goes to university in the snow during winter while all the fast GNCC dudes are out riding, becoming a Top 20 guy is a significant step.”

If all goes according to plan, Léonard will be making the long drive to Florida over his Christmas break from school, giving his Moto Ducharme / Tri-County Stainless Steel / EVO Suspension / Aldo Racing / MD Distributions / Forma / Deft Family / FXR Racing / 100% Goggles / Lachapelle Racing Products / Mongoose Machine / Reckluse Canada /FunnelWeb Filters / 6D Helmets / Twice Production / TM Designworks / IMS Products backed 2015 Honda a final sandblast. Then it’s back home to the academic grind, and eventually signing his 2016 deal and picking-up his 2016 CRF250R. “I’m extremely happy the guys at Honda have indicated they want to keep me on board. I really like my CRF250R. It’s quick, reliable and fun to ride. And most important, it keeps making me faster.”