Monster Energy Kawasaki 2016 Unadilla Report

Courtesy of Monster Energy Kawasaki

Foothill Ranch, CA (August 14, 2016) – The Monster Energy® Kawasaki team rolled into New Berlin, New York for Round 10 of the 2016 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship held at Unadilla Raceway refreshed after the two week break. At the start of 450 Moto 1 it was Eli Tomac on his KX™450F earning the holeshot and immediately battling for position. Tomac made a small miscalculation and ended up third but would immediately strike back and take second position. The No. 3 Monster Energy Kawasaki rider would remain in second place until the checkers at the end of the first moto.

At the start of the second moto, Tomac rounded the first turn in 10th and set off towards the front. By the halfway mark in the race Tomac had already pushed into fourth position and continued to bridge the gap to the front. With 11 minutes remaining Tomac put the No. 3 machine into third and soon battled for second. Tomac would eventually settle into third where he would remain until the checkers. His 2-3 finishes earned him a third overall on the weekend.

“This weekend had it’s ups and downs,” said Tomac. “The first moto I rode pretty well but unfortunately couldn’t hang with the leader. I did what I could and brought it home second. In the second moto I didn’t get the start I needed, in this stacked field you have to be at the front right out of the gate to be at the front when the checkers fly. A third overall isn’t what we want though, time to go home, do the homework and put the Monster Energy Kawasaki back on top of the podium.”

Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki arrived at Unadilla well rested and ready to compete for the win. At the Moto 1 gate drop it was rookie Austin Forkner with the holeshot followed closely by Joey Savatgy in second with Adam Cianciarulo in third and Arnaud Tonus close behind. Unfortunately, on Lap 2 there was a red flag, causing a full restart and sending the entire field back to the starting gate. After the second gate drop it was Cianciarulo with the holeshot, Tonus in third, and Savatgy in fourth while Forkner, who was held up by a downed rider, was relegated to the back of the field. At the halfway mark Cianciarulo moved back into second while Tonus and Savatgy remained third and fourth respectively with Forkner working his way into 10th. Within moments Savatgy would make a move for third and began working towards the leaders and with 10 minutes remaining Savatgy put the No. 37 into second. With two laps remaining Savatgy entered into a heated battle for second while Cianciarulo and Tonus sat fourth and fifth respectively with Forkner lapping in 10th. At the checkers Savatgy fought hard to keep second position, with Cianciarulo fourth, Forkner in seventh and some last lap issues forced the No. 66 of Tonus back to 16th.

At the start of the second moto it was Forkner earning redemption and the holeshot, followed immediately by Savatgy in second, with Cianciarulo in fifth. Shortly after the start Savatgy cross rutted off a jump, was forced off the track and relegated to third. Five minutes into the moto, Forkner remained out front with Savatgy third and Cianciarulo in eighth. Seven minutes into the moto Savatgy would have issues, pushing the No. 37 back to 17th and finally removing himself from competition with misfortune affecting the No. 44 of Cianciarulo as well, lapping in 26th position before pulling out of competition.

With 10 minutes remaining Forkner, the only remaining Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider in competition, had a strong lead aboard his KX™250F. With just over six minutes remaining Forkner made a small mistake and gave up the lead, settling into second with a comfortable gap to third. Shortly after, the second red flag of the day would be waved, stopping competition and giving Austin Forkner 7-2 for third overall, Savatgy’s 2-32 earned a 10th overall, Cianciarulo went 4-33 for 11th overall and Tonus going 16th-38 for 20th overall.

“On the first start I earned the holeshot and held the lead until the red flag,” said Forkner. “On the restart I was in a rut behind another rider that went down and was held up pretty bad. I pushed all the way to the end, passed a couple guys on the final lap and finished seventh. In the second moto I had an amazing start and lead the race for almost the whole moto. I was passed towards the end of the moto and immediately afterwards they red flagged the race. Had I known that was going to happen I would have sent it to keep first, but you live and learn. The track was really tough today and the conditions were even worse, but I managed to have solid results and I’m looking forward to the next one.”



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