main content of page
Racing News |
Monster Energy® Kawasaki Brings The Heat To Hangtown At Round 2 Of AMA Pro Motocross
Foothill Ranch, Calif. (June 3, 2023) - Round 2 of the AMA Pro Motocross series took place at Prairie City SVRA for the annual Hangtown Motocross Classic in Rancho Cordova, California. Surrounded by a sea of rolling hills and an intense sun, Monster Energy® Kawasaki rider Adam Cianciarulo overcame the notoriously hard packed track finishing fifth overall (5-4), while also moving up to fifth place in the championship standings, six points behind fourth. Monster Energy®/Kawasaki/Pro Circuit riders Jo Shimoda, Ryder DiFrancesco, Carson Mumford and Jett Reynolds finished sixth (4-10), 10th (8-13), 13th (15-9) and 22nd (17-35), respectively.
For the last 55 years, Hangtown has been a legendary motocross location bringing in top riders from around the world. The track is widely known for its elevation changes, severely hard packed soil, difficult off-camber turns and single-line corners which require technical bike handling skills and superb physical capabilities from riders. In the morning qualifying session, Cianciarulo proved his skill by qualifying his KX™450SR second fastest with a time of 2:08.300.
In Moto 1, Cianciarulo had a fifth place start as he continued to set a pace a few seconds behind the top four riders. As the wind began to pick up and the track dried out, the hard packed dirt began to form a harsh course for the riders. He continued to hold his pace and maintain a solid fifth place where the No. 9 would finish for the first moto.
As Moto 2 came around, temperatures reached their highest during the peak heat of the day, and Cianciarulo was determined to stay motivated and consistent throughout the final race. Water trucks sprayed the harshly, hard packed track and deep ruts began to form. The No. 9 was off to fifth out of the gate once again and maintained his position, holding a consistent speed behind the close running top four riders. Cianciarulo continued to pace himself and moved into fourth position after one of the riders in front of him went down. The course continued to deteriorate, but that did not stop him from persevering and crossing the finish line in fourth place, fifth overall for the weekend.
“I can’t say I’m super stoked on my results, but I am happy with the progress my Monster Energy® Kawasaki team and I are making. This is always a brutal track, so I’m glad that we were able to hold a steady pace. We are going to continue to put in work and get back to where I know I can be.”
- Adam Cianciarulo
The Monster Energy®/Kawasaki/Pro Circuit riders laid down some fast laps in the morning qualifying session, all placing in the top 11. Shimoda proved his speed by qualifying with a fourth place time of 2:07.982, one second behind the pole sitter. Mumford showcased his skill by qualifying with a time of 2:08.763, earning him the eighth place position for the race. DiFrancesco rounded out the top 10 by qualifying with a time of 2:09.692 and Reynolds continued to improve and display his raw talent by qualifying with a time of 2:09.805, securing the 11th place position to line up for the first moto.
Reynolds kicked off Moto 1 with an impressive third place start, immediately engaging in intense battles with veterans in the 250 class. DiFrancesco, Shimoda and Mumford were sixth, 13th and 15th, respectively, off the start. As the heat and calm breeze began to take a toll on the track, each rider continued to push their limits to be up front for the moto. Reynolds made a costly mistake sending him off track where he lost a few positions, but DiFrancesco, Shimoda and Mumford were making up positions as each lap passed. Shimoda overtook third place on Lap 10 and continued to battle for the position until a small mistake sent him back to fourth where he finished. DiFrancesco moved up to the fifth position for multiple laps while the track began to rapidly deteriorate. As the course became tougher, DiFrancesco lost a few positions but persevered to the end, finishing in eighth place. Mumford ran consistently in the top 10 until a mistake sent him back to 25th. Despite the error, Mumford powered through the choppy course, making up a remarkable 10 positions in only six laps, finishing in 15th. Reynolds made another costly mistake, causing him to lose 10 positions, but he was determined to fight for a solid finish. Reynolds continued to make up positions on the rutted track and crossed the finish line in 17th.
Shimoda grabbed a sixth place start in Moto 2 as the top eight riders battled within a few seconds of each other the first six laps. The No. 30 was on the brink of breaking into the top four with teammate DiFrancesco right on his heels, until a collision with a fallen rider sent him off the track. Shimoda quickly remounted his KX™250 but was back to the 20th position. Shimoda's determination quickly advanced him five positions in just three laps where he finished 15th. After his off-track excursion with Shimoda, the No. 75 of DiFrancesco quickly re-entered the track and used tremendous skill to quickly overtake a few positions, finishing in 13th for the moto. Mumford had a 15th place start and quickly began to make his way through the field. He consistently battled through the aggressive braking bumps, concrete like terrain and maneuvering through lapped traffic. In just a few laps, Mumford broke into the top 10 and finished ninth for the moto. Reynolds had an unfortunate start where he was caught up in a second turn pile up, relegating him to the 37th position. Reynolds recuperated from the wreck and continued to ride. The No. 124 experienced a few errors throughout the moto and pulled into the mechanic’s area, missing two laps of the 16 lap moto before finishing the race in 35th.
“I felt great mentally and physically. My stamina and energy is there, I just need to start limiting my mistakes. Although there were some issues out of my control, I feel good knowing that we have the pace to be up front. Time to reevaluate for the next round.”
- Jo Shimoda
“Round 2 this weekend and I feel solid with our overall result. I’ve raced up here my whole life so it was cool to come back. The track being hard packed and mixed with the hot weather definitely tested my stamina, and the heat is what we will have for the rest of the Pro Motocross season. My KX™250 handled this brutal track flawlessly, and I’m ready to continue putting in work to be on top. ”
- Ryder DiFrancesco
“I’m not the most happy with my performance this round. A few mistakes on my end kept me from being consistent, but I can’t thank my Monster Energy®/Kawasaki/Pro Circuit team for sticking behind me and pushing me to be better. We’re heading to the next round healthy and ready and will keep building each week.”
- Carson Mumford
“It was going great until it wasn’t. I had awesome starts in both motos, but Moto 2 I was a caught in the pileup in the second corner. I felt like I was running at a great pace on my KX™250 until I started making mistakes that sent me to the back. It’s a long season, I have a lot to learn but even more to offer. I’m ready to recuperate and be ready for the rest of the Pro Motocross season.”
- Jett Reynolds