Foothill Ranch, Calif. (January 12, 2020) – Round 2 of Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship returned to The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, Missouri after a brief one-year hiatus, with a warm welcome of rowdy fans. Monster Energy®/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider and hometown hero, Austin Forkner, captured his first 250SX win of the season, while Monster Energy® Kawasaki riders Eli Tomac and Adam Cianciarulo pushed hard in the 450SX class to finish fourth and seventh respectively.
After starting the day off qualifying with the third fastest lap time, Forkner kicked it up a notch by the time the gate dropped on 250SX Heat 2, taking the win. When the 22-rider field lined up for the 250SX Main Event, Forkner grabbed his second holeshot of the season aboard his KX™250. Forkner would lead all 18 laps to take his first win of the season in front of nearly 100 family and friends who came to see him at his home race.
After crashing in the first 250SX qualifying session, Cameron McAdoo attempted to ride in the second timed session before having to pull off and withdraw from the night show. McAdoo will seek further evaluation regarding his status and look to return as soon as possible.
While rain and light snow fell outside, the St. Louis crowd kept the energy high inside the dome with the help of the Kawasaki riders pumping them up at the Monster Energy Rig Riot as the Party in the Pits were hosted inside.
“I’m really happy to get our first win of the season tonight, especially at my hometown race with a ton of family and friends in the stands. It’s just been a special night for me. I wasn’t feeling the best about how I was riding and where I was last weekend, but this weekend couldn’t have been more different. I felt good all day and comfortable on my KX250 and I hope we can keep that momentum going and continue clicking off wins.”
– Austin Forkner
“Man, what a tough day. It’s always a difficult pill to swallow when you end your day early, especially when you’re riding well and feeling good in the beginning. I made a small mistake in qualifying and just couldn’t really recover after that crash. I was hurting pretty badly, so the team and I all made the decision to call it a day and get checked out in hopes to recover quicker for the long season ahead.”
– Cameron McAdoo
The 450SX dynamic duo of Monster Energy Kawasaki kicked off the day qualifying with the two fastest times as Cianciarulo clocked the fastest lap time of 50.2 seconds and Tomac right behind him, in second. So far this season Cianciarulo has held the top spot in all six practice and qualifying sessions.
Tomac lined up for the first 450SX heat race and found himself buried mid-pack off of the start. Picking off contenders one by one, Tomac made an impressive charge from 10th to second before the clock ran out and crossing the finish line.
Carrying the confidence of qualifying into the night show, Cianciarulo shot out of the 450SX Heat 2 gate in third. By the halfway point, Cianciarulo made his way into the front to lead the remaining four laps and take his first career 450SX heat race win.
In the 450SX Main Event Tomac found himself wedged out and sitting mid-pack after the first turn. He began making quick work as he maneuvered his KX™450 around the field moving from 12th to fourth before running out of time just shy of a podium finish. 450SX class rookie Cianciarulo was able to hold a top-5 position for the majority of the race before making a minor mistake on the final lap of the race, recovering quickly to finish seventh.
“Well we didn’t finish the night where we wanted or should be, but the team and I will get back to work this week and get everything dialed before Anaheim next weekend. I know we’ll be focusing on my starts, which have really been hurting my chances at finishing on the podium, but we’ll get those dialed and make any other minor adjustments that need to be made so we can get back on top.”
– Eli Tomac
Today was a really encouraging day. In the 450SX Main Event, despite my start, I felt like I was riding well and making good progress. Unfortunately, I turned a fourth into a seventh with a last lap mistake. I’ve been grinding on my starts trying to get them where they should be, but I obviously didn’t execute tonight. We’ll lock those in and be ready for A2.”
– Adam Cianciarulo
