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Monster Energy®/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Cameron McAdoo Podiums in Daytona
Round 9 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship said goodbye to the cold winter weather of Minneapolis and Texas and hello to the mild heat of the iconic Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, where Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Cameron McAdoo earned an impressive third-place result. In the 450SX Class, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jason Anderson prevailed through early adversity to salvage a ninth-place finish.
McAdoo entered Saturday morning’s qualifying sessions carrying the points leader red plate from his win the previous weekend and set out from the first timed practice session to master the long Daytona track layout and replicate his success from last year, where he captured his first career 250SX win. When the final qualifying session ended, McAdoo claimed the sixth fastest lap time with a 1:13.559.
In the first 250SX Heat, McAdoo started the race in third place. Using his creative race craft, the No.48 utilized alternative lines to pick off the rider in second during the opening laps and begin mounting an all-out charge to take over the lead. With a little over a minute left in the race, McAdoo looked to play spoiler but a small slip up before the supercross triple forced him to check up at the face of the takeoff, surrendering second place. McAdoo was quick to regain his composure and continued to push for the remainder of the race, closing the gap to second, however, time would run out forcing him to settle for a third.
At the start of the 250SX Main Event, McAdoo launched his KX™250 off the gate towards the front half of the pack and emerged from the first turn inside the top-10. With valuable championship points on the line, the Iowa-native raised the intensity early on and entered a three-rider battle for fifth. The three riders swapped positions back and forth numerous times before the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider solidified himself in fifth. As racing progressed, McAdoo held off pressure from behind to keep his podium hopes alive while battling the varying and challenging soils of the Daytona track. With less than three laps left in the race, the No.48 Kawasaki blitzed through the rough whoop section to pull within less than a bike’s length from the rider in third then proceeded to take full control of the position to cross the finish line in third.
McAdoo managed his race like a true championship contender and kept his title dreams within reach with a podium finish. The impressive ride keeps the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider second in the championship points standings, sitting just five points down from the leader.
"We had a tough start today. I was struggling throughout qualifying, but I regrouped with the team and was ready to get out there for the main event. I got out to a decent start in the main and had some intense battles with RJ [Hampshire] and Pierce [Brown] throughout the race. Those two were running at a fast pace so I really had to fight to get by them and make it on the podium. There’s still some work I need to do to close the points gap but we’ve got a solid plan in place that we believe in and will put me in the best position to win. I’m already looking forward to next weekend and lining up on a normal supercross track again.”
- Cameron McAdoo
Having ridden half of the track layout during Friday’s press day, Anderson started Saturday eager to get acquainted with the rest of the layout. The No.21 Kawasaki was the first bike out on the track at the start of free practice and instantly looked comfortable with his setup. Always striving to progress and learn, Anderson expressed his desire to experiment with different lines in the first timed qualifying session to better game plan for the night show. This strategy helped Anderson set the fastest lap of the first qualifying session (1:11.085) and then better his time in the following timed session with a 1:11.030 lap time, good for second overall in the 450SX Class.
When the first 450SX heat race began, Anderson launched his KX™450SR out to a top-five start and was quick to establish himself in fourth place, giving him a direct transfer position into the main event. As the race wore on Anderson picked up the pace in efforts to mount a charge for third place but tipped over in the tricky sand section and finished the heat in fourth.
As the gate dropped on the 450SX Main Event, Anderson found himself with a superb start heading into the first turn. Strategically using the inside lines early in the race, the No.21 quickly advanced into second place on the opening lap before contact from another rider took them both down, leaving Anderson in 16th position on Lap 1. As the race continued, the Monster Energy Kawasaki pilot made tactful passes on a deteriorated Daytona track. Unfortunately, in the latter half of the race adversity struck again when Anderson clipped the rear tire of a stopped rider and suffered another tip over. With limited time left in the main, Anderson quickly remounted his Kawasaki race machine and instantly continued his charge up the field. With only one lap left, Anderson’s nonstop attack proved beneficial as he went on to catch the rider ahead and make the pass for eighth just before reaching the checkered flag. Anderson was later credited with ninth position for an off track advantage as a result of being forced beyond the Tuff Blocks while coming through the field.
The top-10 finish keeps Anderson second in the championship points standings with just 18-points between him and the leader.
“I felt really good today leading into the night show and showed I had the pace to be upfront. The results weren’t there tonight but I know I am way better than what they show and I’m going to keep getting better as the season goes on. I’m never one to give up when things get tough, and I think I showed that tonight. There were some moments where I think being a little more patient on my end would have been the better move, but I did my best in terms of damage control tonight. I have a lot of fight left in me and we’re only 18-points behind, this championship isn’t over yet.”
- Jason Anderson
