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Monster Energy® Kawasaki’s Jason Anderson Claims Overall Win at Budds Creek
The 2022 AMA Pro Motocross Championship kicked off Round 10 with another exciting weekend of racing from Budds Creek in Mechanicsville, Maryland. Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Jason Anderson showcased his veteran prowess with consistent runner-up finishes in both motos to claim his second career overall victory in the 450 Class while teammate Joey Savatgy battled for 9-6 moto scores to end the day seventh overall. In the 250 Class, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider Jo Shimoda continued his hot streak by claiming the Moto 2 win en route to earning second overall with 3-1 moto results, advancing the Japanese-born rider to second in the championship points standings. Meanwhile, Cameron McAdoo overcame early adversity aboard his KX™250 to finish 14th overall (10-17).
Due to chances of rainfall in the forecast, the iconic Budds Creek MX was left dry, fast, and fluid, resting in the steep valley and greeted the world’s finest motocross racers come Saturday morning practice. Monster Energy Kawasaki riders were quick to adjust to the developing track conditions during qualifying to find the fast lines through the mix of sand and clay terrain. When qualifying sessions concluded, Savatgy recorded the sixth fastest lap (1:57.514) while Anderson finished eighth fastest (1:57.559).
The first 450 Class moto started with Anderson rounding the first corner in sixth and Savatgy close behind in ninth place. The No.21 KX™450SR rider made quick work of the competition as he took control of fifth after the opening lap. The New Mexico native continued to push forward and utilized the inside line after Henry Hill to lock in the pass for fourth on Lap 5. Anderson then looked to pressure the rider in third and, with eight minutes left in the race, secured a pass for the podium. Still fighting for more, the No.21 quickly decimated his opponent’s 4.8-second advantage within a single lap. From there Anderson was able to apply insurmountable pressure and move into second place where he would finish the race. Meanwhile, Monster Energy Kawasaki teammate, Savatgy was also on the hunt early as he moved up into eighth on the second lap of the race. The No.17 then engaged in a defensive battle to hold the position as last year’s 450 Class Champion attempted to charge forward. The back-and-forth battle lit up the Maryland crowd for three laps as Savatgy did all he could to stay in eighth but, ultimately, lost the position just before the halfway mark and crossed the checkered flag in ninth for another top-10 finish.
The second 450 Class moto saw Savatgy rocket out of the gate on his KX450SR to claim the Moto 2 holeshot with Anderson close behind in third. The Kawasaki duo battled for third throughout the opening lap with Anderson getting the better of his teammate. As the top two riders settled into position, Anderson looked to challenge the front runners by fearlessly launching halfway down Henry Hill. The No.21 utilized this strategy on Lap 3 to secure the pass for second. With the leader in sight, he again annihilated the opponent’s advantage and applied the superior handling of his KX450SR race machine to move into first place the following lap and establish a lead. As the race closed in on the halfway point Anderson had to fend off pressure from the rider behind in second. The No.21 lost the lead for a moment but was determined to regain the position and effectively battled back to take control of first place. The battle continued as the race entered the closing stages but despite his best efforts, the persistent pressure from behind prevailed and moved Anderson to second. The New Mexico native did well to keep the leader within a couple of seconds but couldn’t match the pace and settled for another runner-up finish. After the brief battle with Anderson in the early parts of the race, Savatgy fell to fifth where he did an impressive job keeping up with the pace of the front group. As the race drew to a close, the No.17 did an excellent job at running the pace of the front runners and ultimately finished in sixth. Anderson’s 2-2 moto scores were enough to earn him first overall on the day, his second overall Pro Motocross victory this season and second of his career. Meanwhile, Savatgy’s 9-6 finishes were good enough to earn seventh overall.
“My day was pretty awesome. I was kind of feeling off in practice and qualified in eighth place, which is not where I expect to be. But I was able to turn it around in both motos and work my way up to finish second in each of them. It would’ve been great to get the win in the second moto but 2-2 was enough to get the job done and claim the overall. It’s nice to get another win under my belt and if I can just get a few more before the end of the season that would be the cherry on top of my year.”
- Jason Anderson
“I had a good start to my day setting the fastest lap in first practice session and followed that up with a solid sixth overall in qualifying. The track was super dry to start the day so it took some time to adjust to the changing conditions once they watered the surface, but I was still able to put in two solid performances. It was really cool to get the holeshot in Moto 2 and seventh overall is where I was expecting to be, so it was a good day. The team and I are still working hard on getting better each day and we hope to get another moto podium before the season ends.”
- Joey Savatgy
Famous for its brutal breaking bumps, acceleration ruts and massive sky jumps, the Budds Creek track always tests the limits of a rider’s strength. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Shimoda was quick to prove he’s game for the challenge by setting the third fastest lap (1:57.595) in the 250 Class qualifying sessions. In only his second race back from injury, McAdoo put on a strong effort to qualify 14th overall (2:01.453).
When the gate dropped on 250 Moto 1, both Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki riders were buried in the middle of the pack with Shimoda in 11th and McAdoo running close behind in 14th. Wasting no time, both riders began charging forward until a mishap from McAdoo on the opening lap dropped him back to 15th. Shimoda was relentless in his push to the front as he advanced six positions in six laps. The No.48 KX250 rider followed suit cutting his way through the pack to run in 11th by Lap 3. The No.30 ran in fifth for a handful of laps, patiently waiting for the perfect time to mount a charge. That time came during Lap 11 when he capitalized on a small mistake from the rider ahead to secure fourth by railing the outside corner heading towards the Big Gulp step up jump. Keen on securing a podium result, Shimoda closed in on the rider in third with just three laps to go and engaged in a crowd-roaring battle. For a pair of laps, Shimoda and his opponent were less than a second apart, with the riders swapping positions a couple of times before Shimoda solidified himself in third and earned the Moto 1 podium. After racing to as high as eighth in the field, McAdoo had another hiccup late in the race that shuffled him back to 10th on Lap 15 where he would finish.
At the start of 250 Moto 2, Shimoda launched out to a much-improved start and emerged from the first turn in second. McAdoo suffered from a poor jump off the line and ran in 34th after the first corner. As soon as Shimoda could see the leader up ahead, he dropped the hammer and charged after him. Shimoda had the crowd on their feet as the front two swapped positions multiple times until Lap 6 when the Japanese sensation secured the lead for a second time. Once in the lead, the No.30 found a comfortable pace and began establishing a lead from the rest of the field. McAdoo’s struggles continued early in the race as more mistakes cost the Iowa native valuable time and positions. Unwilling to settle for less, McAdoo pushed forward for the duration of the moto to finish 17th, equating to a 14th overall finish (10-17). Shimoda led 12 of 15 laps on his way to claiming second overall (3-1) on the day as well as in the championship standing by earning a six-point advantage ahead of third place.
“The weekend was good! The first moto start wasn’t the best, it was like the old me, but I had a good charge and came back to finish in third. The second moto started much better and had a nice battle with (Justin) Cooper for first place. I passed him early and held it to the end to win the moto. It’s a good feeling getting the win but next weekend I’ll be going for the overall victory.”
- Jo Shimoda
“It was a tough weekend for sure but I can hold my head up high knowing I didn’t give up in either moto. Getting 14th overall isn’t where I expect to be but we’re playing the long game and slowly improving on the bike each week. I’m going to work on cleaning a few things up in practice this week so I don’t make the motos so hard for myself during the race and hopefully, we can get back inside the top-10 and start battling for a top-five by the final round.”
- Cameron McAdoo