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Apr 19

Victory in Atlanta for Monster Energy Kawasaki Rider Jason Anderson

By General Posts

Foothill Ranch, Calif. (April 17, 2022) – Round 14 of the Monster Energy® AMA Supercross Championship brought riders from across the country to Atlanta Motor Speedway for a unique racetrack in the infield of the iconic racing venue. Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Jason Anderson claimed his fourth win of the season with a commanding performance in the 450SX Main Event. Meanwhile, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Jo Shimoda and Austin Forkner earned fourth place and seventh place respectively in the 250SX East/West Showdown.

Anderson and the rest of the Monster Energy Kawasaki team arrived to Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday morning to find the grounds flooded from overnight rainfall. As the rain continued through the morning hours, scheduling adjustments were made to preserve the track. The revised schedule granted the riders in each classification a single 13-minute timed qualifying session prior to the start of the racing program. Adding to the challenge of learning a track in such short time, the specially designed Atlanta circuit hosted one of the longest starts in Supercross history, multiple whoop sections and over twelve turns, altogether producing the longest lap times so far this season. Knowing his time on the track was limited, Anderson launched straight out to a high pace on lap one of the timed session. The No.21 KX™450SR rider battled at the top of the leader board for the entire session as he made the most of the slick conditions. When the session concluded, Anderson recorded the second fastest time of the morning with a 1:25.286.

At the start of the first 450SX Heat Race, Anderson emerged from the first turn in second position. With dryer track conditions and increased traction, Anderson quickly turned up the pace from his qualifying laps and took control of the lead before the end of Lap 1. The New Mexico native responded to pressure from the current points leader by improving his lap times as the race progressed. There was a brief exchange for the lead position on Lap 5 before a crowd animating pass while sliding around the inside of one of the track’s sweeping 180 turns moved Anderson back into the top spot. When the checkered flag flew, Anderson was over four seconds clear of the competition, claiming his fifth heat race win of the season.

When the gate dropped for the 450SX Main Event, Anderson once again launched his KX™450SR out to the front of the pack. The podium positions were tightly contested for the opening laps as Anderson tactfully moved passed his main championship rivals. On Lap 3, Anderson gained control of the lead by capitalizing on a mistake from the competition. The Atlanta crowd soon erupted again as Anderson took advantage of the clear track in front of him to start jumping an impressive triple-quad rhythm section before the finish line. Continuing to jump the rhythm lap after lap, igniting the crowd consistently, Anderson steadily built a sizeable lead over the riders behind. By Lap 11, the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider was more than eight seconds ahead of the closest competitor. With a nearly perfect race from start to finish, Anderson crossed the checkered flag first, lighting the Monster Energy fire cannons and securing his fourth Monster Energy Supercross win of 2022.

Anderson’s impressive win in Atlanta moves him three points closer to the 450SX Championship points lead as he stands firmly in second place with three rounds remaining.

“It seemed like we might have a mudder this morning but, the dirt came around after the sun showed up around mid-day. By the time my Main Event started, the track was gnarly but, we’re in a great spot with the bike so I was able to keep pushing the pace through the tough conditions. Even though the whoops were cupped out and edgy, the bike was consistent and predictable, so I kept charging across them every lap. The whole team has put in a lot of effort to have the KX™450SR working as good as it is right now so hopefully we can enjoy a few more of these wins before the season ends.”
– Jason Anderson

Returning to the 250SX Eastern Regional Championship, Forkner joined his Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki 250SX Western Regional teammate Shimoda in Atlanta for the first East/West Showdown of the year. In one of the first groups to take to the wet track, Forkner proved he hasn’t missed a beat by jumping right to the top of the 250SX East qualifying leaderboard. When his qualifying session concluded, the Missouri native had the second fastest lap time with a 1:28.808. In the 250SX West qualifying, Shimoda made himself acquainted with the track by exploring a variety of different lines and setting the sixth fastest lap time with a 1:30.773.

When the 250SX East Heat Race rounded the first turn, Forkner found himself ahead of only one rider as he narrowly avoided a first turn crash. The No.33 KX™250 rider made quick moves through the opening lap, however, passing his way into seventh by the end of Lap 1. Despite racing through traffic on the wet track, Forkner began setting the fastest laps of the race. Forkner passed at least one rider each lap while rapidly closing the distance between himself and the leader. When the white flag waved, Forkner was up to third in the running order but, the tenacious rider wasn’t settled. On the final lap, the fans at Atlanta Motor Speedway roared with cheers as Forkner made two daring passes to claim the 250SX East Heat win by a thrillingly slim margin and establish himself as a contender to win the 250SX East/West Showdown.

At the start of the 250SX West Heat race, Shimoda proved he had made gains with his starts by launching out to the early lead. Shimoda led the opening lap before a couple minor mistakes on Lap 2 forced him to relinquish the position and settle into third place. The Japanese-born rider matched pace with the riders ahead as a battle for the top five positions ensued for the better portion of the qualifying race. On the final lap, Shimoda lost one more position before finishing out the race in fourth place with a direct transfer to the 250SX East/West Showdown.

When the gate dropped for the 250SX East/West Showdown Main Event, the No.30 KX™250 rider Shimoda rocketed out to the holeshot and early lead while Forkner quickly made his way forward from sixth. After a few swift passes by Forkner, the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki duo occupied two of the three podium positions for the opening laps with Shimoda setting the pace out front and amassing a roughly two second gap over the rest of the field. On Lap 3, Forkner lost a position after the split sand section and settled into fourth until he eventually dropped back to seventh due to a small crash in a rutted corner a few laps later. Meanwhile, Shimoda proved his grit by battling for podium contention and withstanding pressure from the respective championship challengers of each regional series through the first 10 laps of the race. Shimoda balanced intensity with finesse on the non-traditional supercross track to maintain control of third position in the running order until he was overtaken through the whoops while approaching the white flag. Shimoda challenged back for a final lap battle over the last podium position but ultimately crossed the finish in fourth place. Forkner regained his momentum late in the race and finished with a respectable seventh place result.

Shimoda’s fourth place finish in Atlanta marks his fourth top-five of the season and moves him to only two points shy of fourth in the 250SX Western Regional Championship points standings.

Forkner’s seventh place finish secures his third top-ten result of the season as the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/ Kawasaki rider had an impressive return to the 250SX Eastern Regional Championship.

“This weekend my starts were really good in the heat and the Main Event so that is nice progress on something I’ve been working to improve. At the beginning of the main I felt strong and was comfortable out front with the lead but, I think my speed was a little bit off this weekend, so I ended up being passed by a few riders. I want to be back on the podium, so I wouldn’t say that I’m satisfied with fourth place but, there are positives to take away from this weekend and we will keep trying to be better.”
– Jo Shimoda

“I’ve been eager to get back to racing and definitely wanted to show that I’m a contender for wins this year. In the Heat Race, I was really happy with my riding. To come through the whole field and get a win with a last lap pass on last weekend’s overall winner was a good way to get back into the swing of things. I’ve only been back on the bike about a week now, so I was really happy with my race craft and I think I was on track to have another strong performance in the Main Event until I crashed while running in third. Overall, it was great to be racing again and I’m ready to fight for some wins before the championship ends.”
– Austin Forkner

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Mar 21

Update: Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki at AMA Supercross Championship

By General Posts

Monster Energy®/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Cameron McAdoo Finishes Second in Indianapolis

Foothill Ranch, Calif. (March 20, 2022) – Round 11 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship brought the series to Indianapolis where a tight and technical track layout greeted the world’s finest supercross racers and resulted in an action-packed night that saw Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider Cameron McAdoo secure his second consecutive runner-up finish of the 250SX Eastern Regional Championship. In the 450SX Class, Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Jason Anderson bounced back from adversity to finish the race in sixth.

McAdoo, who currently sits second in the 250SX Eastern Regional Championship points standings, entered the weekend action at Lucas Oil Stadium hoping to place more pressure on the current points leader and keep his championship fight alive. McAdoo started the day on the top of the leaderboard in the first 250SX qualifying session after recording a 44.786 lap time. In the final 250SX qualifying session, the Iowa-native utilized the power of his Kawasaki KX™250 to uncork a massive quad after the finish line jump and improve his overall time to 44.060 and qualify second overall heading into the night show.

McAdoo started the first 250SX heat race of the night by grabbing the holeshot and establishing himself at the front of the pack early. The No.48 KX250 rider used his experience to control the lead and develop a sizeable gap from the competition behind during the opening laps. From then on, the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider rode a flawless race as he went on to collect his first heat race win of the 2022 supercross season.

At the start of the 250SX Main Event, McAdoo emerged from the first turn in second place and within striking distance of the leader. As the top two quickly broke away from the rest of the field, McAdoo used the opportunity to study his opponent’s line choice and plan his attack. The front two momentarily jockeyed for first place early in the race before the Kawasaki rider took full control of the lead with 11 minutes remaining. Halfway through the main event, the 250SX veteran used his cunning race skills to maneuver past lapped riders, however, he would surrender the lead after a few close calls racing through traffic. Despite his best effort to reclaim first place, McAdoo finished the race in second and maintains second overall in the 250SX Eastern Regional Championship points standings.

McAdoo’s stellar performance in Indiana places the Iowa native just 11 points back from the lead in the 250SX Eastern Regional Championship as the series prepares a return to the West Coast next weekend.

“Overall, we had another solid weekend. I was feeling really good in practice and enjoyed the track a lot all day. It felt nice getting my first heat race win of the season and battling for the main event lead. The track was super tight and developed deep ruts as the night went on, which I think was a benefit for me as I was able to use my experience on rough tracks to make the pass for the lead. Unfortunately, I missed my line going through the whoops one too many times while trying to cut through lapped traffic and got passed back. The good news is we still finished second and are in the title fight. Now it’s time to let the west coast guys race next weekend before we come out swinging in full force at St. Louis.”
– Cameron McAdoo

The 450SX qualifying action on Saturday morning saw Anderson start the day by recording the fastest lap time (44.842) in the first 450SX qualifying session.

Pleased with how his Kawasaki KX™450SR was performing, Anderson elected to make no bike changes before the second timed qualifying practice and instead focused on improving his line choices. At the end of timed qualifying, Anderson clocked an improved lap time of 43.124 to qualify second overall.

The beginning of 450SX Heat 1 saw Anderson launch out to a top-three start and use the impressive handling of his KX450SR to jump into second place by the second turn. With his sights set on the lead, Anderson used his impressive corner speed to move into first place with just two turns remaining before the end of Lap 1. The No.21 Kawasaki rider wasted no time gapping the competition as he proceeded to build a six-second lead on his way to winning the first 450SX heat race of the night.

When the gate dropped on the 450SX Main Event, Anderson again emerged from the first turn inside the top three. The excellent start allowed the No.21 Kawasaki rider to advance into second early in the race and keep the leader within reach. Facing serious pressure from behind, Anderson proved his resilience by refusing to surrender second place and ultimately shutting down every pass attempt made from the competition behind. With three 450SX wins under his belt this season, Anderson was in search of more and mounted a charge for the lead with 13 minutes remaining. The New Mexico native capitalized on a mistake from the leader in the whoop section and used his sly race craft to take control of first place momentarily before contact from the rider behind dropped Anderson to seventh place. With little time remaining in the race, Anderson continued to race forward and finished in sixth.

With another top-10 finish, Anderson maintains his second-place ranking in the 450SX championship points standing.

“I came into the weekend feeling ready to fight for a win and had a solid day going, especially after the heat race win and first gate pick. Come main event time, I had to do some serious defending early to stay in second and have a chance at the win. We lost some points this weekend but there’s still plenty of fight left in me. I’m here to win and that’s going to remain my main goal for the rest of the season.”
– Jason Anderson

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Mar 15

AMA Supercross Championship: Cameron McAdoo Secures Fourth Consecutive Podium

By General Posts

Monster Energy®/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Cameron McAdoo Secures Fourth Consecutive Podium in Detroit

March 12, 2022 | Ford Field | Detroit, Michigan

Foothill Ranch, Calif. (March 13, 2022) – Round 10 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship brought the series to the famous Motor City of Detroit, Michigan, where Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider Cameron McAdoo secured his fourth consecutive podium result with a second-place finish. In the 450SX Class, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jason Anderson was involved in an exciting battle for the lead before a late-race crash ended his race.

McAdoo entered Saturday’s morning qualifying session keen on closing in on the championship lead. From the first timed qualifying session, it was clear McAdoo had the pace to win as he used the power of his Kawasaki KX™250 to uncork a massive quad down the rhythm section and record the fastest lap of session one. At the end of the timed qualifying sessions, Team Green’s McAdoo recorded the third-fastest time overall with a 44.480.

In 250SX Heat 2, McAdoo started the race in seventh place. With his sights set forward, the No.48 quickly began planning his attack towards the front during the opening laps. McAdoo’s superior speed through the whoop section made all the difference in the short race as he was able to utilize this advantage to make his way up to second place before the end of the race.

At the start of the 250SX Main Event, McAdoo found himself caught up in the middle of the pack as he navigated through the first rhythm section inside the top-10. Eager to make his way up the field, McAdoo used his creative line choice to move past the competition and run in third before the start of Lap 3. By the halfway mark, the Team Green™ rider was following close behind second place and again utilized his impressive speed through the whoop section to make the pass. After moving into second, McAdoo fended off immediate pressure from the rider behind and proceeded to build a comfortable gap between him and third in the following laps. The Iowa native continued his charge forward but limited time forced McAdoo to settle for a second-place finish.

McAdoo’s impressive charge through the field on his No.48 KX™250 secured a fourth consecutive podium finish of the 2022 season maintaining second place in the 250SX Eastern Regional Championship points standings.

“This is my first time racing here in Detroit and I’m happy with how the day went. We started on a strong note after finishing the first timed qualifying session with the fastest lap time and backed that up with a strong showing in my heat race. I really want to be battling for wins and know I have the speed to do so, I just need to work on getting better starts so I can be in the mix from early on. Overall, I’m proud of how I rode and am thankful I have such a strong team supporting me.”
– Cameron McAdoo

Coming into the day with the expectation of testing different bike setups, Anderson started his morning by closely examining the layout in Ford Field during riders’ track walk. Anderson and the team discussed the day’s game plan before qualifying, anticipating how the track would change throughout the day due to the unique Detroit dirt which was tackier than in years past. In the later stages of qualifying, Anderson consistently recorded lap times near the top of the timesheet before recording a 43.716 lap time for third-fastest heading into the night show.

The beginning of 450SX Heat 2 saw Anderson utilize the impressive handling of his KX™450SR to trade positions with the front runners during the opening laps. Combining fast laps with consistent whoop speed, the No.21 Kawasaki rider ran comfortably in second before the start of Lap 4. In the later stages of the race, Anderson found himself having to adapt to the track’s rapidly deteriorating surface but, like a true veteran, managed the situation with ease and finished the short qualification race in second.

The beginning of the 450SX Main Event saw Anderson off to another strong main event start and trading positions back and forth at the front of the pack before taking firm control over second place by the end of Lap 4. The No.21 KX450SR rider utilized his whoop speed to take the lead two laps later. As the race unfolded behind him, Anderson was running comfortably out front and in control of the race. Near the halfway mark, the New Mexico native began feeling immense pressure from behind but refused to hand over the position easily. Despite his best efforts, the rider behind was able to take over the lead with 10 minutes left in the race. Never one to give up, Anderson stuck close behind the leader’s wheel, studying his line choices and mounting charges to regain the lead. Unfortunately, while making a charge for the lead, Anderson suffered a late-race crash that ended his night early.

Anderson retains second place in the championship points standings with seven rounds of racing left to go.

“I was feeling really good today from the start of the first practice. Probably the best I’ve felt racing in Detroit, and I think my performance throughout the night showed I had what it took to win tonight. Unfortunately, I pushed a little too hard while challenging for the lead and had a crash that ended my race early. It’s unlucky, but these things happen. I’m just glad I feel fine right now and am planning on giving it my all in Indianapolis next weekend.”
– Jason Anderson

May 21

Gearhead’s Trike Story

By General Posts

by Tim Graves with photos from Sam Burns

That old trike was a real Frankenstein’s monster. She was the back end of a Corvair of a 1960 vintage and a front end of a Honda CB 500. She had a full-size keg gas tank on the chariot bed over the engine. The driver seat was a plastic Baja bucket. The passenger seat was none.

Just a little history of what started me on the biker’s road.

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Jan 26

Rider Austin Forkner Captures First Triple Crown Win of the Season

By General Posts

Foothill Ranch, Calif. (January 26, 2020) – Round 4 of Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship returned to the desert in Glendale, Arizona for its first of three Monster Energy Supercross Triple Crown events of the 2020 season. Monster Energy®/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider Austin Forkner raced for redemption as he returned to the top step of the 250SX class podium with a 1-1-3 score, while Monster Energy® Kawasaki rider Eli Tomac rode consistently all night for a 2-2-3 score, earning second overall in the 450SX class and placing his KX™450 on the podium once again.

Adam Cianciarulo kept his streak alive by qualifying with the fastest lap time (1:02.5) for the fourth time in a row this season with his teammate Tomac once more followed closely in second.

The Triple Crown race format proved to be a test of endurance as the 450SX class was challenged with three 12-minute plus one lap main events while the 250SX class competed in three 10-minute plus one lap main events.

The dynamic duo of Tomac and Cianciarulo lined up for the first of three gate drops of the night knowing the importance of a good start in the shorter races, and without hesitation, the Kawasaki teammates shot out front as 450SX Main Event 1 began with Tomac in second and Cianciarulo in fourth. Cianciarulo quickly made his way into third, trailing Tomac in second for the entirety of the first race.

As the gate dropped on 450SX Main Event 2, it was the No. 3 Kawasaki machine of Tomac who quickly took the lead just before another rider went down on the first turn, forcing a red flag and the race to restart. Once again, the now 21-rider field would line up for the second main event but this time presenting Tomac with more work to get to the front as he started from fifth, while Cianciarulo was able to position himself in third. Just as Cianciarulo made his way into second, he made a minor error causing him to tip over and remount in eighth. Before the checkers flew, both Kawasaki riders were able to advance a few positions with Tomac crossing the finish line with another second-place finish and Cianciarulo in sixth.

Eerily identical, 450SX Main Event 3 saw another red flag at the start of the race forcing the riders to once again line up, making this their fifth gate drop of the night. As the gate dropped for the final race of the night, the Kawasaki teammates found themselves buried mid-pack in 11th and 12th positions. Acknowledging they had their work cut out for them, they began charging the field as Cianciarulo made his way into fifth by Lap 3 and Tomac trailing right behind him. With only a few laps remaining, Cianciarulo reached third before suffering a hard crash in the whoops and only managed to finish 17th, ultimately giving him eighth overall with 3-6-17 scores. However, Tomac was able to continue his consistency and takeover third place, where he would finish for second overall with 2-2-3 scores. Tomac has now advanced to second in the 450SX Point Standings, merely eight points behind the leader.

“These Triple Crown races are already crazy and then to add the two red flags, there was just a lot going on. We technically had five starts tonight and I didn’t exactly help myself on those, but I was able to make my way to the front and remain consistent with my finishes. Consistency really was the key tonight and the team worked their tails off to help me finish up on the podium. We still have some work to do but overall, we had a successful night and I’m glad we’re close in the point standings.”
– Eli Tomac

“That was definitely not how we wanted to finish the night and although this is part of racing, it’s always a tough pill to swallow. We kicked off the day qualifying fastest again and honestly, I was feeling good all day. I made some mistakes out there and that last one cost me. I’m sore and a bit frustrated but I have a great team behind me, who continue to remind me there are a lot more races left to go in this premier class. We’ll take the week to recuperate and look to come out strong in Oakland.”
– Adam Cianciarulo

Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Forkner kicked off the day qualifying third and headed straight into the three main events with the momentum.

Forkner wasted no time proving he is still a force to be reckoned with as he dominated the first two races in the 250SX class after blasting out front and taking off to lead 17 of the 22 laps combined.

As the gate dropped on 250SX Main Event 3, Forkner cautiously shot out in fourth keeping the overall goal in mind. As he approached Lap 4, Forkner maneuvered his way into third with the goal to finish out the night consistently and with the overall win, which is just what he did with the 1-1-3 scores.

After putting his KX™250 on the top step of the podium for the overall win on the night, Forkner was able to reduce his point deficit to 10 in the 250SX West Point Standings and now sits fourth. The 250SX West class has two rounds remaining before a six-week break begins and the 250SX East class comes in to vie for their chance at the championship.

“I’ve been working on the whoops with the team all week because I’ve really been struggling there, so I was ready to race tonight. I’ve had to dig myself out of a hole after last weekend and now 10 points down isn’t too bad. I’ll just keep grinding, chipping away at those points and continue to dig out of this hole. Overall, it was a great night for the entire Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team and we’re looking to keep it rolling.”
– Austin Forkner