Image: Octopi Media.

Fifth place in Detroit met the next target of Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Chris Blose, with the 250SX East fill-in continuing to shift his expectations forward as he edges closer towards the front.

Blose received a relatively late call-up to join Mitch Payton’s program as a replacement for injured team regulars Jo Shimoda and Seth Hammaker, ahead of the 250SX East season-opener in Houston.

Starting the season with P10 in the main event at NRG Stadium, Blose has improved throughout the championship as he continues to build. After finishing seventh in Daytona, he indicated ‘we can be in the hunt for a top-five finish soon’ and delivered on his word at Ford Field.

Ahead of the night show in Detroit, Blose notched the seventh-fastest time in 250SX East qualifying, later finishing fourth in heat two. Completing the opening lap of the final inside the top five, Blose maintained fifth position throughout the race despite a near collision with a lapped rider, riding on to secure his best result in the 2023 campaign to date.

“The support of the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki team has been awesome as we’ve focused on building with each week of racing,” Blose explained. “I’ve improved my main event finish by one position at each of the last three races, so I’d say that process has been going really well.

“It was great to break into the top-five and show the hard work of this whole squad. Now, with a few weeks to prepare for Atlanta, we should be even more ready to challenge at the front of the pack.”

With six rounds down in 250SX East, Blose is seventh in championship standings as the region’s next outing takes place at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Atlanta, on 16 April.