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Monster Energy Kawasaki press release:

For the second year in a row, the AMA Pro Motocross series returned to the “Sunshine State” to compete at the WW Ranch Motocross Park in Jacksonville, Florida for Round 7 of racing where the Monster Energy® Kawasaki duo of Eli Tomac and Adam Cianciarulo both picked up a moto podium finish resulting in third and fourth place overall finishes respectively. In the 250 class, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider Cameron McAdoo rebounded to finish seventh overall (9-8), while Mitchell Harrison earned 13th overall (11-16).

As the morning fog wore off at the WW Ranch facility, the Kawasaki duo wicked up the pace and laid down fast laps during the morning qualifying sessions as Cianciarulo qualified second for the second week in a row with a 2:05.054 and Tomac in seventh with a 2:06.383.

Cianciarulo repeated his pattern from the previous race in Millville and rocketed out of the gate to an early lead aboard his KX™450 in Moto 1. Cianciarulo remained calm, cool, and collected as he led the race under pressure from the competition for 25 out of the 30 minute plus two lap race but would have to settle for second place in the first moto. Tomac found himself outside of the top-10 at the first turn but made quick work on one of the roughest tracks the series has seen this season and made his way up to sixth by Lap 5 where he would remain for the remainder of the race.

As the gate dropped on Moto 2, it was the No. 9 of Cianciarulo who once again launched out front to a fourth-place start and made quick work of the competition moving into the lead before the end of the first lap. Cianciarulo put together consistent laps and around the halfway point, trouble struck as he came together with another rider, sending him to the ground. Cianciarulo would quickly remount on his KX450 to finish the moto in seventh place and his 2-7 scores were good enough for fourth place overall. The race came to life as the three-time defending champion as Tomac once again strung together one of his signature come from behind performances by starting outside of the top-10. The champ hounded and challenged the race leader for the win but lappers and roost kept him from being able to make a pass stick. The 450 class veteran pieced together a 6-2 performance, earning him third place overall on the day.

Eli Tomac:

“Today we finally felt like we were back to normal a bit with how Moto 2 shaped up. Moto 1 was similar to how the entire season has gone, where I get buried and couldn’t dig myself out of the hole, but Moto 2 I felt fresh and felt like I had a lot left in the tank physically to make that push. At this point we are out of the title fight, but that’s not going to stop me from pushing for moto wins these last two weekends.”

Adam Cianciarulo:

“We put ourselves in such a good position both motos to grab another overall and close the points gap so I’m pretty disappointed with how the second moto went. I needed to be a little stronger at the end of Moto 1 to hold off (Zach) Osborne and Moto 2 I felt like I was doing everything right but left the door open and came together with (Marvin) Musquin. I did everything I could to salvage what I could. The good news is we are healthy and know what we need to improve on for the last two rounds.”

In the 250 class, Harrison led the charge in the morning for the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team as he qualified eighth with a 2:07.897 while McAdoo qualified 16th with a 2:08.883.

As the gate dropped for Moto 1, both McAdoo and Harrison leapt out the gate but found themselves outside of the top-10 looking in. Battling stomach issues throughout the day McAdoo would fight, scratch, and claw his way the entire moto to charge past his competitors before ultimately finishing ninth. Harrison spent the vast majority of the race in 10th place, but a last-lap, off-track excursion would result in an 11th place moto finish.

In what appeared to be a carbon copy start of Moto 1 for the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki duo, it was McAdoo who quickly weaved through the competitors to come out with a fourth-place start after the first few turns. McAdoo battled to stay up front the entire moto crossed the finish line in eighth place, earning him seventh overall on the day. Meanwhile, Harrison was once again running 10th but a trio of crashes and tip overs, including another last-lap mistake that costed the rider multiple positions and he ultimately finished the moto in 16th earning 13th overall (11-16).

There was a proud moment for Kawasaki Team Green in the second 250 class moto, as Jordan Jarvis aboard her SGB Racing/Maxxis/Babbitt’s Online/Kawasaki KX™250 became only the second female rider in the history of the sport to compete in a AMA Pro Motocross national.

Cameron McAdoo:

“Honestly, we had a really tough day today here in Florida. I woke up this morning with what we think is food poisoning. I just felt really under the weather today and this is a track where you need every ounce of physical strength in your body. I threw up before, during, and after my motos today. I just did my very best to salvage the day and am proud of the effort that we put in for 9-8 scores to go seventh overall on the day. We will focus on getting healthy for next weekend and come out swinging in Lakewood.”

Mitchell Harrison:

“We started out the day decent by qualifying eighth. To be honest, I just didn’t ride the best or what I felt like was to my full potential. The first moto, I didn’t get the best start and just didn’t really go forward or backward. In Moto 2, my team had my bike so dialed in and I felt more like myself, but little mistakes kept costing me as I hit the ground three different times. I pride myself on my fitness and usually when it’s hot and humid like this is when I shine and my competitors fade, but today I didn’t feel like that was the case for me. I had 10th in Moto 2 and made a costly mistake on the last lap which resulted in losing multiple positions. We have four motos left to the season to make it count.”