The 250SX West Region returned to action with Kawasaki riders making a statement as Austin Forkner claimed the top step of the podium.
With only three rounds remaining in the AMA Supercross, Kawasaki rider Eli Tomac added another point to his points lead on Wednesday night and continues to garnish his KX450 with the points leading red plate after his third-place finish in Round 14.
As the gate dropped on Heat 2, Tomac shot out of the gate in third and quickly made his move into second by Lap 3. With two laps to go, Tomac passed the leader and crossed the finish line with the heat race win.
Buried in the back of the pack off the start in the 450SX Main Event, Tomac was forced to fight his way through the field. Calm and collected, the points leader picked off riders and by halfway through the race, Tomac had made his way up to fifth but wasn’t done pushing forward. When others seemed to have reached their limit, Tomac continued to surge, passing most of the field right up to two laps remaining and crossing the finish line in third.
“I had to claw my way back once I was really buried off the start,” said Tomac. “I really need to work on getting better starts so I’m not challenged with tracking down all of these really fast guys in this class. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to catch up to a podium position, but I just kept charging. I’m happy with a third-place finish and glad to pick up a point toward the championship which is the goal. We’re going to stay focused and get ready for the next one.”
250SX
After nearly four months since their last race, the 250SX West Region riders returned to action as Forkner qualified fifth and McAdoo following in sixth.
McAdoo lined up for 250SX Heat 1 and got off to a great start in second. By Lap 4, McAdoo made a pass for the lead, which he held for three laps before making an error and colliding with another rider. McAdoo quickly remounted on his KX™250 after getting passed by two other riders but kept charging to make up positions and finish in third.
Heat 2 saw Forkner rocket out of the gate to grab the holeshot and lead every lap to the checkered flag giving him first gate pick for the main event.
As the gate dropped on the 250SX Main Event, both Kawasaki’s launched up front with Forkner in second and McAdoo hot on his heels in third. Forkner quickly made his move for the front, where he led the remainder of the race to grab his third victory of the season. McAdoo also put in a strong ride as he held on to his third-place position amongst the championship contenders to join his teammate on the podium for his second career podium.
With tonight’s victory, Forkner advances into the second-place position in the championship points chase and only down 10 points to the current leader.
“I had a solid day and it was a great first race back,” said Forkner. “The track was pretty good after the rain, but with the heat and altitude, this was one of the hardest races of the season. My training during the break paid off, I was happy with my riding, and my starts were on point. I’m happy to be back racing and can’t wait to get back out here next week and fight for the championship.”