Round 9 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross marks the halfway point to the series where the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki riders finished on the podium.
Adam Cianciarulo captured the victory and Austin Forkner grabbed third place. Both Monster Energy Kawasaki riders Eli Tomac and Joey Savatgy finished in the top-10 of the 450SX class in sixth and ninth, respectively.
Cianciarulo kicked the day off by qualifying with the second fastest lap time in the 250SX Western Region and teammate Garrett Marchbanks in ninth. The team showed why they are leading the point standings from coast to coast as Forkner answered back by qualifying third in the Eastern Region and then going on to win the 250SX Eastern Region Heat race with Martin Davalos capturing third.
As the gate dropped on the 250SX East/West Showdown Main Event, it was Forkner who captured his fourth holeshot of the season, only to be challenged for the top spot by fellow Kawasaki rider and West points leader, Cianciarulo.
The two red plate holders battled for multiple laps until Cianciarulo found a way to make a clean pass around his teammate to take over the lead midway through the race; he went on to take the checkers as Forkner fell back a position, but still landed on the podium in third. Davalos finished eighth, while Marchbanks took 20th after a minor crash towards the end of the race.
Between Cianciarulo and Forkner, the Kawasaki riders led all 20 laps of the showdown and leave Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which hosted this year’s Super Bowl, as the points leader in each region.
“What a night, man! It felt good to be back on the bike and being able to race with all of my teammates this weekend. This win feels so good, especially when you consider how stacked the competition was. I’m proud of my teammates and our success, it’s just a testament to how good our KX250 is this season and how dialed the entire Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team has it. We put in so much work so it’s great to see it pay off. We’ll keep it going for the next few weeks and get ourselves ready for Seattle.”
– Adam Cianciarulo
“It was fun being able to race with the West Coast riders this weekend, and it definitely provided a unique challenge out there. I’m pumped to get another heat win and podium finish under our belts and maintain the points lead heading into Daytona. I had a few tip overs in practice today, so my main goal tonight was to ride consistently and be patient going into the night show. It’s not another win but we’ll take it!”
– Austin Forkner