Foothill Ranch, Calif. (March 25, 2018) – Round 12 of the 2018 season of Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship traveled to Indianapolis, Indiana and brought with it the first of two rounds that include the East-West Showdowns for the 250SX class. While the weather called for a cold and snowy day, the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team brought the heat inside Lucas Oil Stadium by dominating coast to coast in qualifying and both regional heat races and a second-place finish for Adam Cianciarulo. In the 450SX class, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Eli Tomac set the pace early in qualifying and won his heat race only to suffer a crash in the main event.
After qualifying with the second fastest time, Austin Forkner went on to win the 250SX Eastern Region Heat race, while his teammate Joey Savatgy kicked off the day with the fastest qualifying time in the 250SX Western Region and Adam Cianciarulo trailed in fourth. The duo switched places in the heat race as Cianciarulo took the top spot with Savatgy crossing the finish line in fourth. In the 250SX East-West Showdown Main Event, the Kawasaki riders were off to a great start carving through the track as a team. As the race wore on, it looked like the podium could be filled with green until Savatgy made an unfortunate error that caused him to crash and remount on his KX™ to finish 10th. Cianciarulo had the crowd on their feet as he made an incredible pass on the final lap to capture second on the podium, while Forkner followed in sixth. Missing from the start gate was Martin Davalos as he continues to recover from injuries sustained at the East Region opener in Arlington, Texas.
“That was fun!” said Cianciarulo. “There were a lot of great riders from both east and west coasts out on the track tonight, so to finish second makes it that much sweeter. We continued to improve throughout the night and I fought hard to get on that podium.”
“I was feeling great all day,” said Forkner. “We were looking good and I was feeling good in qualifying and my heat race. I just wasn’t able to make the move to finish where I wanted in the main. I’m happy to end the night healthy and we’ll just keep plugging away.”
“That’s just the name of the game,” said Savatgy. “I was feeling confident after qualifying with the fastest time out of both regions combined. The team and I did everything we could tonight, but sometimes the results don’t show the all of the hard work. We’ll work on the mistakes and be ready to go for the next race.”
250SX East-West Showdown Race Results
1. Jeremy Martin
2. Adam Cianciarulo
3. Luke Renzland
6. Austin Forkner
10. Joey Savatgy
250SX East Point Standings
1. Zach Osborne 131
2. Austin Forkner 124
3. Jordan Smith 121
11. Martin Davalos 53
250SX West Point Standings
1. Aaron Plessinger 151
2. Joey Savatgy 142
3. Adam Cianciarulo 139
In the 450SX Class, the Monster Energy® Kawasaki riders also rode well in qualifying with Tomac clocking the second fastest lap time and teammate Tyler Bowers 12th. Continuing to ride eagerly, both Kawasaki riders contended in Heat 1 with Tomac finishing first and Bowers fifth.
As the gate dropped in the 450SX Main Event, the 22-rider field was off to an aggressive start and caused several riders, including Bowers, to be involved in a pileup at the first turn. Tomac was able to navigate the opening corners cleanly and establish himself in second place. Tomac continued on for several laps in second and looked to be making a push for the race lead when he made a mistake and went down in a tricky rhythm section. Although shaken, the Kawasaki rider was able to get back on his KX™450F and salvage a 15th place finish. Showing the same grit as his teammate, Bowers also got back on his bike after the early crash and crossed the finish line 11th place.
“That was a rough one,” said Tomac. “I’m grateful I was able to recover from my crash tonight in order to salvage some points though. I fought hard to power back, but the track was so tacky I just wasn’t able to make up the gap in time. We’ve been through worse and I’ve got a great team behind me so we’ll take the week to shake it off and get back out there.”
“We’re making progress,” said Bowers. “Coming out from the heat race, I was feeling really good and obviously hoped for a better finish in the main, but I am proud of the way I fought back and never gave up. We’ll keep pushing and I’m looking forward to keeping the momentum going.”
450SX Race Results
1. Marvin Musquin
2. Dean Wilson
3. Justin Brayton
11. Tyler Bowers
15. Eli Tomac
450SX Point Standings
1. Jason Anderson 265
2. Marvin Musquin 230
3. Justin Brayton 210
4. Eli Tomac 194
16. Tyler Bowers 90
