It was an up-and-down day for the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team, highlighted by Joey Savatagy’s third overall finish.
Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Joey Savatgy had plenty to celebrate after Saturday’s GEICO Motorcycle Budds Creek National where he landed his first 250cc podium of the year after recording 4-3 moto finishes.
The track was a real challenge, as Intermittent rain showers before and during the 250cc class motos made for a muddy race, but Savatgy negotiated the track with few difficulties, overcoming a rough start in the first moto to work his way up to fourth. In the second moto, he got an even better start and rode more consistently to finish third, which gave him enough points to earn his second career Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship overall podium.
“Anytime you end up on the box at the end of the day, it’s good,” Savatgy said afterward. “I’ve always felt pretty comfortable racing in conditions like this, and I think they did a pretty good job with the track. The key to (success) today was making as few mistakes as I could, and other than one bad lap in the first moto, I felt I did that.”
Savatgy’s Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki teammate, Adam Cianciarulo, also proved that the track conditions weren’t too much for him in the second moto as he nailed the holeshot and then rode near the front for the entire first 250cc moto, netting a runner-up finish. However, it wasn’t enough for him to overcome a difficult first moto where he finished eighth.
“I put myself in some bad positions today especially in the first moto,” Cianciarulo said. “I didn’t get the start I wanted and then I was more aggressive than I should have been and got together with Marvin (Musquin). That put both of us back. The second moto was better, but I was thinking too much about my crashes, which kept me in second.”
Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Chris Alldredge rode a strong first moto, overcoming some minor problems with the weather conditions but ultimately working his way into the top 10. In the second moto, his problems compounded and he had to fight hard just to get up to 21st place, which left him 14th overall.
“It was a battle all day,” Alldredge said. “I made a lot of mistakes during both motos, but especially in the second. I know I need to learn during the year, and I am, but I want to get the results I know I am capable of.”
Next on the calendar for the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross is the traditional Independence Day stop at Red Bud in Buchanan, Michigan. As always a large crowd is expected to make it another memorable weekend.
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