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Monster Energy® Kawasaki Rider Jason Anderson Secures Second in Seattle
Round 12 of the Monster Energy® AMA Supercross Championship hosted the much-anticipated return of supercross to the Pacific Northwest after a two-year hiatus from Seattle, Wash. Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Jason Anderson secured his sixth podium result of the season with a second-place finish in the 450SX Main Event. Meanwhile, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Jo Shimoda earned fourth place in an impressive return to 250SX Western Regional racing.
Anderson arrived at Lumen Field prepared to regain the podium momentum he enjoyed in the earlier rounds of the 2022 Monster Energy Supercross Championship. From the first timed session, Anderson proved his focus was on the main event by electing to use the track time as an opportunity to hone in on the ideal race setting. The unique combination of soft dirt, sharp whoops, and rough ruts in Seattle left most of the competition searching for the optimal chassis setup. Anderson and the Monster Energy Kawasaki team, however, had the KX™450SR handling how they wanted by the start of the final qualifying session when the No.21 rider logged the seventh fastest lap (49.031) and, more importantly, expressed confidence in his ability to contend for the win when the track broke down.
At the start of the second 450SX Heat Race, Anderson emerged from the first turn in second position. As a three-rider battle for the lead quickly ensued, Anderson moved around the track trying various lines while maintaining his position in the running order. Once the New Mexico native located the optimal lines in race conditions, he proceeded to set the fastest lap of the race (48.812) and swiftly made his way to the lead. At the checkered flag, Anderson claimed his fourth 450SX Heat Race win of the season.
When the gate fell for the 450SX Main Event, Anderson once again launched his KX450SR out to the front of the pack. The podium positions were tightly contested for the early stages of the race as Anderson ran in third place with an impressive pace. Before long, the lead group was making their way through lapped traffic and the race became a battle of attrition to overcome both the competition and the increasingly challenging course. On Lap 7, Anderson benefited from a mistake by the rider ahead to take control of second position. Anderson continued to press forward in the remaining laps as he consistently blitzed the torn-up whoop section and executed through the rutted rhythm lanes. Ultimately conquering the conditions and fending pressure from the rider behind, Anderson maintained second place through to the finish.
Anderson’s runner-up result in Seattle re-established his control over second place in the 450SX Championship points standings as the riders now head into their first and only off-weekend of the series.
“The track was pretty tough tonight, so I definitely had to be smart about choosing my battles and taking what the conditions allowed. With the wet weather during the week, the dirt was soft but, it also broke away and had more rocks than normal. I made the most of it and I’m happy with how I managed my night by getting better each time I went out on the track. It’s nice to go into the upcoming off-weekend with another podium and have a bit of positive momentum again.”
- Jason Anderson
With just a couple of weeks since his return to riding from an injury sustained at Anaheim 3, Shimoda came into Seattle intending to maximize his seat time in the racing environment. Despite his time off, when the opening practice sessions began the Japanese-born Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider navigated the track with the same natural finesse that has become typical of his riding. Through each session, the team worked with Shimoda to help him dissect the track and progressively improve his pace. At the conclusion of the final 250SX qualifying session, Shimoda’s 49.579 lap time was quick enough to rank him ninth heading into the race program.
From the start of the second 250SX Heat Race, Shimoda proved his race craft to be as sharp as ever by holding his own in a close contest between the top 5 riders. Several passes were exchanged between the front runners causing Shimoda to briefly drop from fourth position back to fifth before he then moved his way forward to third. As the position jockeying began to settle, Shimoda logged steady laps in third place and extended a small gap over the riders behind. Shimoda finished out the race in third to gain a direct transfer to the Main Event and establish himself as a podium contender for the night.
The No.30 KX™250 rider rocketed out to a top-three position at the start of the 250SX Main Event. The opening laps were reminiscent of Shimoda’s heat race as a premier group of riders separated themselves from the field while thrilling the crowd with intense racing. Shimoda was again a standout of the front group, using his race savvy to maintain control of third place. During the mid-stage of the race Shimoda briefly shuffled back to fifth place before mounting another charge toward the front and regaining one of the lost positions on Lap 16. In the closing laps Shimoda pressed forward in pursuit of the rider in third and decimated the gap between them. On the final lap of the race, Shimoda made a pass for the podium spot as he entered the whoops but, he was surrounded by lapped traffic and relegated to a non-optimal line which caused him to surrender the position before the end of the section. Shimoda made one last attempt at the pass for third in the final turn but, came up just shy at the finish line. The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider ended up finishing with a respectable fourth-place result.
Shimoda’s fourth place finish in Seattle marks his third top-five of the season and bolsters his hold on fifth position in the 250SX Western Regional Championship points standings.
“It was great to be back racing with my team after several weeks of recovery. I had limited time back on the bike, so our expectations were measured coming into this weekend. I was able to improve my speed through the qualifying sessions and the heat race, and by the main event I felt ready to challenge for the podium. I came away with fourth place which is a good result given the situation but, it’s always a little bittersweet when you come that close to a podium finish.”
- Jo Shimoda
