Image: Octopi Media.

A gritty effort from Adam Cianciarulo to ride through a shoulder injury and finish 11th at Anaheim 1 exceeded his expectations by a significant margin, outlined the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider.

Cianciarulo sustained a grade three AC shoulder separation late in the off-season, limiting his preparation for the 2022 championship and impacting his outright physical performance.

Despite such, the 25-year-old managed to finish Anaheim’s opening main event of the year in P11, securing 12 valuable points and the confidence knowing he can complete 20 minutes in his current condition as he continues to build back strength.

“It was a challenging day for us,” Cianciarulo stated after circulating inside the top three for some time. “Obviously coming in with a grade three AC shoulder separation isn’t ideal, but I did the best I could all day.

“I can honestly say I exceeded my expectations by a lot. I wasn’t sure if I’d even make the full 20 minutes going into the main event, but the team and I had a quick chat before the race which helped me get into the right mindset and deliver a rather impressive result.

“The goal is to keep getting healthier each week and start fighting for wins as soon as possible.”

Cianciarulo has experienced a difficult 12 months when it comes to injury, breaking his collarbone at Orlando 2 last year bringing an end to his 2021 supercross campaign, before his Pro Motocross season was cut short due to ongoing nerve troubles in his right arm.

By all accounts, Cianciarulo had recovered well from those and enjoyed a strong pre-season before the latest shoulder separation, looking now to regain full fitness to try and return to race-winning form.