Monster Energy Kawasaki press release:

Image: Supplied.

Round 15 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship returned to action at Rice-Eccles Stadium as Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider Austin Forkner charged to his fourth 250SX win of the season and narrowed the race to the 250SX West Region Championship, down to seven points.

Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Eli Tomac earned another podium as he finished third in the 450SX class and maintained a 24-point lead with just two rounds remaining. Tomac made a statement at the fifth round in Salt Lake City by topping the charts in qualifying with a lap of 43.557, which was a half-second faster than the rest of the field, marking his fourth pole position of the season.

Heat 2 saw Tomac shoot out of the gate quickly and down the long, unique straight away that eventually turns into a flat left-hand corner. As he continued to push forward, Tomac laid down the fastest lap time of the race on the final lap to finish in second place.

As the gate dropped on the 450SX Main Event, Tomac flew out of the gate again, but just as he looked to be getting out in front, he came into contact with another rider in the first turn. Showing tremendous skill and strength, Tomac regained composure and began a charge to the front once again. Carving his way through traffic on the difficult track, Tomac made his way to third by Lap 9 where he would go on to cross the finish line.

Eli Tomac: “Overall it was a good race. I felt good and got in the groove up until halfway and then I got a little squirrelly in the whoops. I tried pushing it for a while and realized it wasn’t worth it to go too wild and I know I need to reserve some of the energy for these last two rounds. It’s not a win, but I’m happy with the result because we’re thinking about the bigger picture.”

Only four days after their podium finishes on Wednesday night’s race, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki riders Forkner and teammate Cameron McAdoo returned with sky-high energy as they qualified fourth and seventh, respectively.

Forkner lined up for 250SX Heat 1 ready to go but unfortunately ran into a downed rider in the first turn, causing him to bobble and briefly tip over. By the time he remounted aboard his KX™250, Forkner was in the back of the pack forcing him to race his way up to a transfer spot into the main event and avoid the Last Chance Qualifier. Never shying away from a challenge, Forkner attacked the track reaching fourth place before running out of time and crossing the finish line.

Heat 2 saw McAdoo shoot out of the gate in third where he remained before capitalizing on another rider’s mistake to make a pass and finish in second.

As the gate dropped on the 250SX Main Event, the Kawasaki riders raced out front as Forkner grabbed fourth position with McAdoo hot on his trail in fifth. Forkner quickly maneuvered his way into second by Lap 5, while McAdoo was able to once again capitalize on another rider’s mistake and move into third. Forkner continued to ride impeccably and remained patient before making his move into the lead for the remaining eight laps for his fourth win of the season while McAdoo finished fourth.

The Kawasaki duo and the 250SX West Region Championship will have a 7-day break and will resume racing Sunday, June 21st for the East/West Showdown as well as the final round of the championship.

Austin Forkner: “I felt really good today. That was one of my best supercross races I’ve ever raced. My speed was good, the track was set up for us to easily make a mistake and it was slick in some areas, but I was patient and waited to make a move for the lead. I’m really happy about that ride and even happier about earning a few more points. We’re proving that we’re still in this race and how badly we want it.”

Cameron McAdoo: “I had a good day today and feel like I rode a solid main event. I made a few mistakes that the team and I will go back and focus on so we’re ready for next Sunday, but overall, I’m just happy to be healthy and racing up front where I belong. I can’t thank the entire Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team enough for their hard work and support this year and I’m looking forward to finishing out the season strong.”