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MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI RIDERS TAKE HOME TWO OVERALL PODIUMS AT ROUND 10 OF AMA PRO MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
Foothill Ranch, Calif. (August 20, 2023) - Round 10 of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship was held at Budds Creek Motocross Park in Mechanicsville, Maryland. In the 450 Class, Monster Energy® Kawasaki rider Jason Anderson charged to a season best moto finish and clinched third place position overall (2-5). Adam Cianciarulo rocketed to excellent starts in each moto claiming the holeshot in Moto 1 and finished seventh overall (7-6). In the 250 Class, Monster Energy®/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider Jo Shimoda achieved another overall podium finishing third place in a hard fought battle. Teammates Austin Forkner, Carson Mumford, Seth Hammaker and Ryder DiFrancesco finished fourth (8-4), eighth (12-8), 10th (6-14) and 15th (21-7), respectively.
Budds Creek Motocross Park is known to be challenging and demanding for riders featuring varied terrain, elevation changes, jumps, and technical sections that create an exciting and competitive racing environment, attracting both riders and spectators. Budds Creek Motocross Park's location in Mechanicsville, Maryland makes it accessible to a large portion of the East Coast motocross community making it a fan favorite on the Pro Motocross calendar. In the early morning qualifying sessions, Cianciarulo finished third with a time of 1:59.846 while his teammate, Anderson would trail closely in fourth with a time of 2:00.139.
In the first Moto of the 450 Class, the No. 9 of Cianciarulo burst out of the starting gate to grab the holeshot and secured an early lead which he held for the initial half of the race. Meanwhile, Anderson riding the No. 21 machine initially found himself positioned in eighth place. As the race progressed and the track conditions worsened, Anderson began a remarkable display of overtaking, swiftly passing fellow competitors and propelling his KX™450SR into second place and earning his best moto finish of the season. As the moto wore on Cianciarulo faced challenges from many riders finishing in seventh place.
As Moto 2 kicked off, Cianciarulo once again exhibited one of his great starts, surging across the holeshot line in second position. However, challenges from the competition once again resulted in a drop to the fifth spot. In contrast, Anderson's race began similarly to Moto 1, but he promptly executed swift maneuvers to bridge the gap and catch up with the leaders. With the track conditions devolving into a drier and more rugged state, carving out optimal racing lines became increasingly more challenging. As the race concluded and the checkered flag waved, Cianciarulo held on to a sixth place finish, while his teammate just ahead secured fifth place and an overall podium in third-place.
During the wet and early morning qualifying session, Monster Energy®/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki riders faced a challenging track with very close times. Hammaker and Shimoda started the day off strong, positioning themselves in fourth and seventh place with a time of 2:01.505 and 2:01.873. Forkner, Mumford and DiFrancesco piloted their Kawasaki machines into ninth, 11th and 15th with the time of 2:01.906, 2:02.144 and 2:03.901.
In Moto 1 of the 250 Class, the Kawasaki riders launched off the starting gate with Shimoda and DiFrancesco surging ahead to seize the first and second positions as they navigated the first corner. As the race began to unfold, an unfortunate red flag brought racing to an abrupt halt for a rider needing medical attention, requiring a race restart with 15 minutes left on the clock. As the gate dropped for the restart, riders charged towards the first turn only to encounter a crash that caused a significant disruption in their momentum. This incident led to a considerable setback for the Monster Energy®/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki riders, relegating them to positions just outside the Top 10. Hammaker and Shimoda, faced with limited time, engaged in a swift battle and ultimately crossed the finish line in sixth and seventh places. Forkner's performance yielded a respectable eighth place finish, Mumford secured the 12th position, while DiFrancesco, unfortunately caught up in the first turn pile up, concluded the race in the 21st spot.
At the start of Moto 2 in the 250 Class, Forkner catapulted out of the starting gate, securing his first holeshot for the season aboard his KX™250. Shimoda and DiFrancesco closely trailed behind, occupying the fourth and fifth positions as the first lap unfolded. Regrettably, Mumford found himself amidst the pack in 12th place, while Hammaker's luck took a downturn in the opening corner, causing him to fall back to the 25th position. The track conditions in this second race differed significantly from the morning's qualifying sessions, with the once-moist terrain now dried out and riddled with challenging ruts. Despite these obstacles, the riders of the Monster Energy®/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team staged late race comebacks. Shimoda managed to secure third place, thereby clinching the third overall for the day and another podium for Kawasaki. Just trailing behind, Forkner achieved his best placement of the season by finishing in fourth. DiFrancesco made a remarkable recovery from his Moto 1 misfortune to attain a seventh place finish. Mumford secured the eighth position, while Hammaker concluded the race in the 14th spot.