main content of page
Racing News |
Monster Energy Kawasaki Riders Complete the AMA Pro Motocross Championship on the Overall Podium
The 12th and final round of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship returned to Fox Raceway in Pala, California, where 100+ degree temperatures challenged the world's fastest motocross racers for the season finale. Monster Energy®/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Jo Shimoda completed an incredible season of racing by claiming the Moto 2 win in dominant fashion to finish second overall (4-1) on the day and second overall in the championship while teammate Seth Hammaker finished sixth overall (6-7) to secure seventh place in the overall standings. Cameron McAdoo ended the day 12th overall (8-17) after a late race crash in Moto 2 and, despite sitting out 15 of the 24 motos due to injury, still managed to earn 18th in the points standings. Meanwhile, Ryder DiFrancesco was unable to finish the final 250 Class moto and earned 19th overall (15-31) securing 22nd place in the championship. In the 450 Class, Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Jason Anderson capped off his career-best motocross season with a third overall (4-3) on the day and in the championship.
When the first 250 Class moto began, Shimoda utilized the power of his KX™250 race machine to capture an excellent start, completing the opening lap in second place with Hammaker in sixth, McAdoo in 10th, and DiFrancesco in 15th. With championship hopes still alive, Shimoda closely followed the leader and began a multi-lap battle for first. McAdoo and DiFrancesco were both swiftly carving their way through the field during the opening laps, while Hammaker remained steady in sixth. Halfway through the moto, Shimoda found himself in what was now a three-way battle for the lead. In the second half of the race, McAdoo was able to secure eighth place as Hammaker held steady in sixth and DiFrancesco slipped back to 15th. With the race coming to an end, Shimoda was unable to make the pass for first and was forced to defend his position in second. With only two laps left, the Japanese rider would drop back to fourth following contact with another rider. Shimoda crossed the line in fourth with Hammaker not far behind in sixth. McAdoo held strong until the end for eighth and DiFrancesco finished 15th.
At the gate drop of 250 Class Moto 2, Shimoda rocketed out to another excellent start, emerging from the first turn in second place and was followed closely by his teammate McAdoo in third. The No.523 of DiFrancesco was also in the mix up front early on after a sixth-place start. DiFrancesco passed a fellow rookie on the opening lap to move into fifth while Hammaker started the moto in seventh but fell back to ninth in the following laps. Feeling motivated after missing out on the win and podium in Moto 1, Shimoda quickly took control of the lead on Lap 1 and immediately began to check out. The No.30 had a sizeable gap ahead of the rest of the field by the end of the third lap. Meanwhile, McAdoo was in an early battle with the defending champion over third position. The No.48 put on a lion-hearted effort to hold the position but was overtaken and dropped to fourth on Lap 4. While Shimoda logged some of the fastest laps of the race as he rode away from the competition, his teammates were battling to maintain their positions. When the checkered flag flew on the final 250 Class moto of the season, Shimoda crossed the line to take the Moto 2 win by an astonishing 24-second gap, securing second overall on the day and solidifying his second place position in the championship. Hammaker crossed the line seventh for sixth overall (6-7) and seventh place ranking in the championship points standings. Unfortunately, McAdoo and DiFrancesco were unable to finish the race and ended the day 12th (8-17) and 19th overall (15-31), respectively.
“I got a good start in Moto 1 and was battling for the lead most of the race. Unfortunately, I made contact with another rider and went down with only a couple of laps to go and finished fourth. In Moto 2, I was in second off the start and I quickly moved into the lead on the first lap. From there, I went all out for the first few laps of the race to build a good size gap and won the race by over 24 seconds. I think I could have secured another overall win without the accident in Moto 1 but it still feels good to end the season with another overall podium.”
- Jo Shimoda
“Today was a hot one but overall, a good day. I felt good in the morning qualifying sessions and carried that momentum into the motos. The track got pretty gnarly towards the end of the final moto but I was able to push through for sixth overall with 6-7 moto scores. It feels good to get a complete season of Pro Motocross under my belt, I learned a lot from each race and hope I can carry that experience into next year.”
- Seth Hammaker
“That first moto was extremely hot, but I was able to use my conditioning to push through the heat and finish eighth. The second moto start was much better than the first. I think I was in third right behind Jo and tried to follow him early in the race but got caught up in a battle with another rider. I was giving it everything I had out there and with only a few laps left, I made a mistake going over the Fox triple and went down. The crash ended my race early but I’m glad I was able to get up and feel okay.”
- Cameron McAdoo
“Even though the result didn’t go as planned, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to have raced in these select Pro Motocross rounds, it has been a real eye-opener. It’s nothing like racing the amateur circuit where there are one or two fast guys. At the pro level, everyone is fast and you really have to work for each position. I learned a lot from this experience about what I need to work on in the off-season to be ready for my full transition into the pro ranks next year.”
- Ryder DiFrancesco
Despite some of the summer’s hottest temperatures providing challenging conditions for all, Anderson wasted no time placing his KX™450SR race bike near the top of the leaderboard in qualifying. The No.21 recorded the second quickest lap time in both sessions with his final attempt being the quicker of the two (2:24.718).
In 450 Moto 1, Anderson found himself in early adversity after a pileup in the second turn pushed him back to 16th. The No.21 quickly regrouped and began racing through the competition ahead, swiftly advancing up to 11th by the second lap. The New Mexico native continued in full race-recovery mode as he quickly pushed his way through the field. Just over the halfway point, Anderson was running as far up as sixth place when he would face a 12-second gap between him and the rider in fifth. Utilizing the power of his KX450SR, Anderson managed to decimate the gap ahead and move into a top-five position by Lap 10. When the race checkered flag flew, Anderson passed an impressive 12 riders en route to securing fourth in the moto.
Anderson started the second 450 Class moto in a much more favorable position, emerging from the first turn in second. Anderson was quick to catch the rear wheel of the leader and begin applying an immense amount of pressure before gaining control of the lead on Lap 2. From there, Anderson built a comfortable gap ahead of the field up until the halfway point before pressure from the championship points leader began to arise. With excellent flow around the track and superior line choices, the No.21 was able to defend the lead for a few laps before dropping back to second. Anderson immediately faced pressure for second place the following lap and despite his best efforts was unable to maintain the position. When the final checkered flag of the season flew, Anderson’s impressive performance in both motos was enough to finish third overall (4-3) for the day and secure his hold on third in the championship.
“I was running inside the top-10 at the start of Moto 1 but, unfortunately, the rider in front of me tipped over and I was unable to get around him which dropped me back to around 16th. I still managed to work my way up to fourth before the end of the race but used a lot of energy. Moto 2 started much better. I was running in second after the first turn and took over the lead on the third lap. I thought I had the speed to hold off the guys charging behind me, but they were on another level today and I finished the race third. Overall, the team put in a great effort today and I’m happy we were able to bring home another podium result. This has been one of the most fun seasons of my career and I can’t thank the guys at Monster Energy Kawasaki enough for all their hard work. I’m looking forward to more good times and race wins next season with the team.”
- Jason Anderson
