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MONSTER ENERGY® KAWASAKI RIDERS BRAVE THE DRY AND HOT CONDITIONS AT UNADILLA
Monster Energy® Kawasaki riders braved the dry and tough conditions at Round 10 of the Pro Motocross Championship in Upstate New York. Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider, Seth Hammaker, scored a hard-fought podium finish in Moto 1 to earn fourth overall (3-6). Garrett Marchbanks executed another one of his signature charge from behind rides to finish sixth overall (5-5). Teammate Levi Kitchen dug deep in Moto 1 and rebounded for Moto 2, securing 10th overall (10-10). Ty Masterpool made his exciting return to racing this weekend, after an injury in June had sidelined him the week before RedBud, finishing 13th overall (9-20). Drew Adams flew through qualifying and claimed the 250 fastest qualifier for the first time in his career, and finished 15th overall (18-12). Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Jorge Prado got off to a great start before battling the elements of the track and his competitors to secure 12th overall (15-12).
Unadilla, a normally very rutted and hard-packed track, brought unfamiliar conditions this weekend as dry conditions plagued the area that had not experienced rain since June, creating a very dry and one-lined track. In qualifying, the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki riders started out the day strong, consistently filling the top of the rankings in both qualifying sessions. Hammaker topped the charts, taking fastest qualifier in the first session. Adams put down a fast lap in the second session to overtake the top spot, with almost half a second improvement on the previous fastest time. Adams, Hammaker, and Marchbanks claimed first, second, and fourth overall in qualifying, respectively. Masterpool and Kitchen secured spots just outside the Top 10 in 12th and 13th overall, respectively. Prado immediately pushed to set his fastest time in the first session, securing a respectable fifth overall and earning a preferred gate pick for Moto 1.
In 250 Moto 1, Hammaker and Masterpool pulled commanding starts aboard their KX™250 machines, placing themselves in optimal positions within the Top 5. Adams started just outside the Top 10, while Marchbanks and Kitchen had less-than-ideal starts, being shuffled back to mid-pack. Hammaker held a strong pace up front, while in a tight battle with the Top 3 throughout the moto, dropping his fastest lap time over halfway through the moto. Hammaker held off the pressure from the field and ended the moto with a podium finish in third place. At his first race back since injury, Masterpool started off the race day strong by coming out of the first turn in fifth place. After a few laps, Masterpool slid out on the slick track and remounted his bike in 13th place. He charged to get back to the front, ultimately finishing in ninth. After securing fastest qualifier, Adams had an ideal gate pick for Moto 1, but a poor jump off the gate put him back in 16th across the line. Adams started moving forward until he went down after a few laps and dropped back to 23rd. Adams remounted his bike and fought through the field and lapped traffic to ultimately finish 19th. Kitchen and Marchbanks topped the hard charger list for passing the most amount of riders in the moto. Kitchen passed 23 riders to secure 10th place, while Marchbanks passed 18 riders to claim an impressive fifth-place finish and recorded the fastest time in Sector 3, towards the back of the track.
In 450 Moto 1, Prado pulled an exceptional start aboard his KX™450SR by grabbing the holeshot and holding the lead for a moment. Prado found himself in intense battles throughout the moto, and was able to hold off his competition until pressure from behind caused him to slip back to 15th place to finish the moto.
In 250 Moto 2, Hammaker continued his run of impressive starts, positioning himself in fourth place off the gate. Kitchen rebounded in Moto 2, with a much stronger start, rounding the first turn in eighth place. Masterpool started just outside the Top 10, while Marchbanks and Adams found themselves towards the back of the pack. Hammaker quickly moved himself into third place and battled to claim another podium finish. As the day progressed, the heat became more brutal on the riders. Hammaker fought to stay towards the front of the pack, but would slip to sixth by the end of the moto, securing fourth overall to tie his best finish at Washougal this year. Kitchen was clicking off laps and moving through the field until he lost the front end in Turn 22 and slid out while battling side-by-side with his teammate Hammaker. Kitchen remounted his bike in ninth, but with little time left in the moto, Kitchen was forced to settle for 10th place in the moto and 10th overall. While still recovering from his injury, Masterpool pushed through his first race back to secure 20th in Moto 2 and 13th overall. Adams charged through the field in Moto 2 and showed his strength and raw speed by passing 15 riders to take 12th in the moto and 15th overall. Marchbanks sat on top of the hard charger rankings for the fourth time this season. Marchbanks passed 18 riders and claimed the fastest time in Sector 7, under the bridge before the finish line. He ended the day fifth in the moto and sixth overall.
In 450 Moto 2, Prado lined up with a preferred inside gate pick, but was shuffled back off the start to 14th. Battling the rocky roost and tough competition, he settled into his pace clicking off consistent laps to climb into 12th place and finish the day 12th overall.
“I had a good day here at Unadilla. I had to work hard all day, though to make my way through the field, but I pulled out good results. I started the day up top again with fourth in qualifying, which is always a good feeling. Still working on starts during the week because that’s what is holding me back the most. I know I am capable of running up front when I have a good start, but I need to prove that. For the conditions of the track today and where I started, I’m happy with sixth overall. Looking forward to closing out the season next weekend.”
- Garrett Marchbanks
“The day started off solid, getting fastest qualifier was pretty cool—first one of my career. Moto 1 wasn’t the best. I got an okay start, but unfortunately went down early and had to fight my way back. In Moto 2, I still didn’t get the start I needed, but I was able to work my way forward and salvage 12th. I’m looking forward to finishing out outdoors at Budds Creek next week.”
- Drew Adams
"My day here at Unadilla was definitely tough. I qualified okay, around 13th place. In Moto 1, I went off into the banners off the start, so I was towards the back but worked up to 10th. In Moto 2, I had a better start and was riding pretty good, but while trying to get by Seth [Hammaker], I crashed and hit my head a little. It was another tough day, but I’m going to keep trying.”
- Levi Kitchen
“Today was a big step in the right direction. I really want an overall podium outdoors, but I’m happy to stand on the box in Moto 1. It was my best outdoor day as a whole in my career, which was a good feeling. Qualifying went really well. I had two clean, strong starts for the motos. Moto 1 I felt really competitive and could push the pace, but Moto 2 is where I tend to struggle with my health issues and how much energy I have left at the end of the day. Overall, I’m happy though with my results today, and we’ll look to next week now.
- Seth Hammaker
“It was good to be back behind the gate, but definitely not the results I was hoping for. I’m still putting the pieces together. In Moto 1, I felt strong and was running a solid pace, but slid out and had to fight my way back. Moto 2 didn’t go as planned. I didn’t get a good start and pushed forward as best I could, but having it be my first race back, I was a bit off the pace and finished the race in 20th. We’ll keep working, build from this, and come back stronger at Budds Creek.”
- Ty Masterpool
“Not the weekend I was hoping for, but we have some positive results to take away. I got fifth in qualifying, which helped set me up with a good gate pick for Moto 1. I was able to get the holeshot in the first moto and ran up front for a bit, but the track was very dry and hard-packed, making it difficult to ride and I dropped back to 15th. In the second moto, I got shuffled back off the start and had to work my way up to finish 12th. We’ll focus on the next race and closing out the motocross season strong.”
- Jorge Prado