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Monster Energy®/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Jo Shimoda Victorious at Unadilla
After a two-week break in the AMA Pro Motocross Championship, the top motocross racers arrived in New Berlin, New York for Round 9 at Unadilla MX recharged and ready to battle. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider Jo Shimoda had a triumphant return to the top step of the podium with 1-3 moto scores for the 250 Class overall victory while fellow Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider Cameron McAdoo made his return to racing with a respectable eighth overall (11-4). Meanwhile, rising talent Ryder DiFrancesco earned eighth in Moto 1 before a rock to the bicep caused a premature conclusion to his second moto and Seth Hammaker was sidelined for the remainder of the day after a crash in the latter stages of Moto 1. In the 450 Class, Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Jason Anderson continued his podium success with 3-3 moto scores for third overall and teammate Joey Savatgy had a consistent 9-8 for ninth overall.
Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki had a strong presence at Unadilla with the return of McAdoo and rookie DiFrancesco extending the team to a four-man squad. All four riders were quick to take to the high speeds of the iconic racetrack as it became apparent that slightly altered track preparations were contributing to a harder packed, faster and more wide-open racing surface than is typical of the Unadilla circuit. When qualifying concluded, Shimoda was the best of the Kawasaki riders with the fifth fastest lap (2:16.199) and Hammaker followed closely in sixth (2:16.570). Meanwhile, McAdoo and DiFrancesco progressed their way into competition pace with the 15th and 16th fastest laps, respectively.
At the start of 250 Moto 1, Shimoda emerged from Turn 1 in the top-3 with Hammaker close behind in sixth. The Japanese-born rider made swift work of the competition as he took control of the lead on Lap 2. Hammaker and DiFrancesco followed suit by moving their way through the front runners to run in third and fourth by Lap 6, while McAdoo fought his way toward the top-10. As soon as he was out front, Shimoda logged the fastest laps of the moto to extend a comfortable lead over his rivals. The No.30 KX™250 rider never relented, building his gap to more than 10 seconds ahead of second place. Shimoda led 14 of the 15 laps to claim a decisive win in the first race of the day. DiFrancesco was ultimately shuffled back in a late race battle before finishing the race in eighth while McAdoo climbed his way up the running order to cross the finish line in 11th. Hammaker had a strong performance going until a crash on Lap 12 forced him to sit out the remainder of the day.
The second 250 Class moto hosted Team Green at the front again when the No.48 KX™250 rider McAdoo rounded the first turn in fourth position with Shimoda following in seventh. DiFrancesco was caught up in the back of the pack as he came across the holeshot line in 32nd position. At the front of the pack, McAdoo set his sights forward, racing his way up to second place by Lap 6. Shimoda marched his way up the running order in a similar fashion, passing up to third before a small crash on Lap 7 set him back one position. Shimoda quickly remounted his charge and soon raced his way into a contentious multi-lap battle with McAdoo over the final podium position. In the closing laps, Shimoda gained command of the position and finished out the race in third with McAdoo close on his tail in fourth place. Meanwhile, DiFrancesco’s come from behind race through the field was derailed when a sizable rock hit him in the shoulder and caused him to resign from the moto. Shimoda’s impressive 1-3 moto scores earned him the 250 Class overall win; his second of this season. McAdoo’s 11-4 scores secured him eighth for a respectable first race back since he was sidelined at Round 1 of the championship and DiFrancesco’s 8-37 finishes ranked him 15th overall.
“In the first moto I had a good start and passed a couple of riders ahead quickly before putting in some sprint laps to get away. Once I established a gap I focused on maintaining my pace and controlling the race from the front. In the second moto, I got an okay start before a small tip over cost me a few positions. I had to make a comeback through the field to get to the podium but, I feel both motos were good for me. It feels great to back up my first overall motocross win from earlier in the season with another one here at Unadilla.”
- Jo Shimoda
“It’s always tough to jump back into racing this late in the season when everyone already has their rhythm and has been racing with that intensity every weekend. That said, I built up throughout the day to make a strong ride through the pack after a bad start in Moto 1 and I battled for the podium with Jo until the very end of Moto 2, so I’m happy with this as a starting point. It’s great to be back out there battling and I’m ready to bring the fight again next weekend.”
- Cameron McAdoo
“In Moto 1 I felt like I was putting in a really good ride early to make my way up into the top-5. It’s great experience for me to keep racing up there with the top guys so I was happy with that and ended up finishing the moto in eighth. In Moto 2, I was way further back early and I knew I had a tough race ahead of me. I was making forward progress until I got a big rock to my shoulder part way through the moto and it just took away my strength. I wasn’t able to hold on and maintain the pace safely, so I headed back to the truck to regroup for next weekend.”
- Ryder DiFrancesco
The Unadilla National is notorious for deep loamy ruts that complicate the steep elevation changes of the venue’s naturally hilly terrain. Contrary to the event’s reputation, however, this year a shallower ripping of the soil and less water through the early stages of the day led to higher speeds, dustier dirt, and square edge bumps that are more likely to be found in Southern California than upstate New York. The Monster Energy Kawasaki duo of Anderson and Savatgy quickly showed they were fit for the added challenge when they set the second and third fastest laps of qualifying, respectively.
In 450 Class Moto 1, Anderson was narrowly edged out for the holeshot as he jockeyed for position with several of the top championship contenders. At the end of Lap 1, Anderson had a solid hold on fourth position while applying pressure to the riders ahead. Savatgy started the race in ninth and navigated through the early race chaos to maintain his spot through the opening laps. On Lap 4, Anderson made a pass around last year’s champion to take over third position and assert himself in the podium fight. Meanwhile, Savatgy fought to move his way forward until a small crash while running eighth on Lap 14 cost him valuable time and relegated him to a ninth place finish. Anderson logged steady laps through the latter portion of the race while positions shuffled around him to ultimately finish the moto in third place.
The second 450 Class moto saw both Monster Energy Kawasaki KX™450SR riders emerge from Turn 1 inside the top-10. Anderson raced forward from fifth on the opening lap to move into fourth on Lap 2 and quickly set his sight toward another podium finish. Savatgy came through the green flag in eighth position and again proved his solidarity by logging consistent lap times from the outset of the race. Anderson made another pass on Lap 5 to move from fourth into third position before he locked into his pace and maintained a strong hold of the podium position. The Monster Energy Kawasaki duo proved their fortitude despite the treacherous late-day track conditions as they both held position through to the finish line. Anderson’s 3-3 moto finishes earned him third overall; his fifth overall podium of the season. Savatgy finished the race in eighth to earn ninth overall (9-8); his sixth overall top-10 of the season.
“The track conditions were different than what we’ve come to expect from Unadilla, so getting comfortable on the fast edgy sections was the big challenge of the day. I’m happy with how my KX™450SR handled in both motos and we put together two solid races for another overall podium. I’m still getting better as we go on and I’m going to continue pushing toward the front through these final three rounds.”
- Jason Anderson
“I definitely started the day out strong with the third fastest lap in qualifying and looked to contend for a spot in the top-5. I had a minor fall while trying to make a pass in Moto 1 that ended up costing me quite a bit of time but, altogether, I had two pretty consistent motos for another top-10 overall. I’m still making steady progress with the team, and we’ll look to clean up the mistakes and improve the result next weekend.”
- Joey Savatgy
