ADAM CIANCIARULO MOVES INTO SECOND PLACE IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

Courtesy of Kawasaki

Following a great start to the AMA Pro Motocross Championship for Eli Tomac and Josh Grant, both Monster Energy® Kawasaki riders finished short of the podium at the Glen Helen Raceway on Saturday.

The crowd lined the fences and cheered on hometown hero Grant as the gate fell for 450MX Moto 1. Grant got off to a great start in fourth, while Tomac sat 11^th. Tomac began picking off riders like they were standing still with lap times that were three seconds a lap faster than the race leader. Tomac swiftly caught and passed his teammate Grant for second place, but would eventually run out of time in the moto to catch the leader. Tomac finished second place with Grant in third, putting both Kawasaki riders on the podium for the third straight moto.

During the opening laps of 450MX Moto 2, both Tomac and Grant ran into problems forcing Tomac to pull into the mechanics area before rejoining the race a lap down. As the race heated up, Grant would go down for a second time, forcing him to exit the track and retire early from the competition. Tomac made up as much ground as he could to finish 19^th, going 1-19 for ninth overall. Tomac moves to second in the Championship Standings, with Grant in fourth.

"It just wasn't in the cards for us today," said Tomac. "The team and I were in a good spot today and my bike felt great during qualifying, but just had some bad luck when the gate dropped. It's a long season and we'll be back next weekend."

"Today could have gone better," said Grant. "I started the day off with great qualifying times right behind Eli and followed it up with another podium finish in the first moto. I ran into some issues in Moto 2 and had to call it quits. We're still in this as a team and I'm looking forward to bouncing back."

Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki kicked off Round 2 of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship with Adam Cianciarulo setting the fastest lap in qualifying to take pole position. As the gate fell on 250MX Moto 1, the field came roaring down the hills of Glen Helen with Joey Savatgy in second place, Austin Forkner in fourth, Hill 24^th and Cianciarulo 26^th after tipping over at the top of the hill. Cianciarulo put his head down and began his charge through the pack at an incredible pace. When the checkered flag flew, he had passed 19 racers to finish seventh place. Savatgy held on to grab his first podium finish in second, while teammates Hill and Forkner were forced to retire early from the competition.

In Moto 2, it was Cianciarulo with a much better start in third place with Forkner in fifth, Savatgy 17^th and Hill 21^st. After starting outside the top-20, Hill showcased his true racing talent and managed to put his KX™250F up into 12^th place by the end of the moto, finishing 18^th overall. Forkner finished sixth place for 13^th overall and Cianciarulo rounded out the podium in third place, going 7-3 for fourth overall. Unfortunately, Savatgy was unable to finish the second moto. Cianciarulo moves up into second place in the 250MX Championship Standings, Savatgy seventh, Forkner eighth and Hill 14^th.

"It was a good day for us," said Cianciarulo. "My starts weren't quite on point today but in Moto 1 I managed to come back pretty well through the pack and finish strong. I carried that momentum into Moto 2 and made my way into third on the first lap and just rode consistent to finish on the box. I'm glad to leave California and head into Colorado second in points."

"Not the day we wanted," said Savatgy. "It started off great after finishing second in the first moto, but after a poor start in Moto 2, I struggled to find smooth lines to pass and ended up not being able to finish the race. I'm looking forward to rebounding next weekend."

"Today went well," said Forkner. "I was happy with how I rode on such a rough track and made a lot of passes late in Moto 2 which gave me confidence in my fitness. I just need to start out front and I believe I can reach that top spot."

"Lots of positives to take out of today," said Hill. "Overall, I think our team had some tough luck today, but we're all in one piece, healthy and moving on to Round 3 together. Glad we all made it through the California rounds and can move on to Colorado."

Was this post helpful? Add yours to our service or subscribe to our feed above.