The following is from Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A., regarding its factory team results at the Toronto Supercross:
Foothill Ranch, CA (March 5, 2017)–Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Eli Tomac topped Toronto with the fastest time in qualifying, a heat race win and a flawless 450SX Class Main Event win at Round 9 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship. Teammate Josh Grant qualified for the main with a third in Semi Race 2. In the Main Event, Tomac exited Turn 1 in third with Grant in 15th. Within moments the No. 3 KX™450F of Tomac was out front and began to distance himself from the field. Grant began racing his way towards the front and with nine minutes remaining had raced into 10th place while Tomac had opened up a gap of over 10 seconds on the field. By the time the checkers flew, Tomac claimed his fourth win of the 2017 season with a nearly 15 second margin of victory while Grant crossed the line in 11th.
“Tonight was great,” said Tomac. “Obviously this is the result we want and the points we need. I felt really strong in the race, I’d look back here and there to see if I needed to pick up the pace or stay consistent and to have that control is a great feeling. The track was, once again, really tough and I’m really happy to come away with the win.”
“Tonight was intense,” said Grant. “The track really broke down throughout the main, so it was important to try and stay as consistent lap by lap. I had some ups and downs tonight but I moved forward from where I started in the Main Event and I’ll take that and build off it for the next one.”
Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo raced to the podium for the first time this season, giving him the needed confidence boost as the series took over the Rogers Centre in Canada. His efforts helped propel him to a tie for third in the championship standings. Teammate Joey Savatgy was in podium position, but he went down late in the race and that pushed him down the charts to sixth.
Cianciarulo returned to the site of his 2014 season-ending crash looking to not only overcome his past, but have his best night of the season. After finishing second in his heat race, Cianciarulo worked hard to get a good start and was aggressive in the opening lap to start in fourth. He minimized his mistakes, which kept him close to the front-runners. When the 15 minutes plus one lap was complete, Cianciarulo finished the night as the runner-up.
“I’ve definitely been through a lot to get back here [on the podium],” said Cianciarulo. “This is a really good step for me. It was a night where I didn’t necessarily feel my best so I’m happy with the end result. I’ve gone through a lot to get back here so I’m stoked and thankful to be here.”
Savatgy showcased his speed throughout the day. He qualified third and then went onto finish fourth in his heat race. When the gate dropped for the main event, it was Savatgy who took the holeshot and raced back and forth for the lead. He settled into second around Lap 7, but with just a few laps remaining, Savatgy miscalculated a rhythm section and went down. He quickly remounted his Kawasaki KX250F and was able to still come across the finish in sixth.
“The biggest thing I need to do is to minimize mistakes,” said Savatgy. “It’s frustrating because I feel like we’re prepared and we come in ready. I’m really looking forward to a little redemption next week.”
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