main content of page
Racing News |
Monster Energy®/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki Rider Jo Shimoda Brings Home Two Podiums At Round 9 Of The AMA Pro Motocross Championship
Foothill Ranch, Calif. (August 13, 2023) - Monster Energy®/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider Jo Shimoda landed on the podium twice with two third place finishes for a fourth overall on the day and moving him up to third in the overall points standings. Teammates Ryder DiFrancesco, Austin Forkner, Carson Mumford and Seth Hammaker finished eighth (9-12), 11th (22-5), 12th (15-13) and 14th (24-8), respectively. Monster Energy® Kawasaki riders Adam Cianciarulo and Jason Anderson battled through the deep ruts of Unadilla MX finishing fourth (4-6) and eighth (14-4) overall, respectively, and moving Cianciarulo up to third place overall in the SMX World Championship points standings.
Located in northeastern New York, Unadilla MX has been a long-standing famous motocross track for almost 60 years. Surrounded by farmlands and rolling green hills, Unadilla is known for its rutted terrain, speed and elevation changes. During qualifying, Monster Energy®/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki riders filled the Top 6 with Hammaker placing second, less than a half second behind the top qualifier, Forkner placing third overall after posting the fastest time in the second session, Shimoda fifth, and Mumford sixth - all within the same second, while DiFrancesco placed 13th.
At the start of 250 Moto 1, Hammaker shot out of the gate pulling a second-place start, while Shimoda, Mumford, DiFrancesco and Forkner were fifth, 10th, 13th and 17th. Both DiFrancesco and Forkner made crucial mistakes at the beginning of Lap 1 that sent them back into the 18th and 40th position. Hammaker made a quick pass for the lead and continued to battle with the No. 43 of Levi Kitchen. DiFrancesco made quick moves to gain 10 positions by Lap 2, while Mumford progressively climbed in the ranks as well. Hammaker maintained a consistent pace in the second position and Shimoda in the sixth position. Forkner continued to charge through the pack and claim more positions each lap. Hammaker made a small mistake pushing him back to the fifth position, which soon ensued in a tough battle with his teammate the No. 30 of Shimoda. Shimoda overtook fifth and shortly after Hammaker made a vital error, sending him off his machine. After briefly taking time to recover from the fall, Hammaker remounted his KX™250 and continued the moto. Shimoda persistently charged forward to overtake the fourth position. One lap later, Shimoda saw himself in the third place spot where he would finish in Moto 1. DiFrancesco, Mumford, Forkner and Hammaker would finish ninth, 13th, 22nd and 24th, respectively.
After a lightning delay and a light rainfall at the start of Moto 2, the No. 75 of DiFrancesco claimed the second place position on the start, followed by Hammaker in third. However, an on-track incident forced the moto to be restarted. At the restart, DiFrancesco did one better and claimed the holeshot on his KX™250 machine, with Shimoda in third and all five Monster Energy®/Kawasaki/Pro Circuit riders in the Top 10 at the start. DiFrancesco battled with the No. 32 of Justin Cooper for half of a lap until Cooper made the pass, placing the No. 75 in the second position. DiFrancesco and Shimoda battled for second place, which the No. 30 would claim. Hammaker, Forkner and Mumford would continue to alternate positions within the Top 10 for the first half of the moto. Shimoda then battled with Hunter Lawrence, and moved into third place where he would remain the rest of the moto. Forkner continued to climb in the ranks, eventually finishing in fifth place, his best finish of the 2023 AMA Pro Motocross series. Hammaker would also redeem himself from the previous moto finishing eighth. After minor mistakes, DiFrancesco would finish 11th and Mumford 13th.
Monster Energy® Kawasaki riders Jason Anderson and Adam Cianciarulo started off the weekend strong on their KX™450SR machines qualifying third and eighth.
In Moto 1, both Anderson and Cianciarulo came out with Top 5 starts until a fall in Turn 2 for Anderson sent him to the 38th position. By the end of Lap 1, Anderson had gained 17 positions, and proceeded to make his way towards the front pack. After breaking into the top 10 and a few minor mistakes throughout the remainder of the moto, Anderson salvaged a 14th place finish. Cianciarulo maintained his position in fourth, and continued to hold his steady pace for the moto where he would finish.
Moto 2 began strong with both Monster Energy® Kawasaki riders again crossing the holeshot line in the Top 5. Cianciarulo held third place and began to battle with his teammate on the No. 21 KX™450SR machine until Anderson overtook the position on Lap 4. Both riders continued to hold their speed as the track began to deteriorate and deep ruts began to form. Anderson began to battle with competitor Dylan Ferrandis for a lap, falling into the fourth position where he would finish the moto. Cianciarulo battled with the No. 7 of Aaron Plessinger, eventually moving into the sixth position where he would finish.