Monster Energy®/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider Jo Shimoda Nearly Finishes on the Podium in 2023 Monster Energy Supercross Debut

2023-04-18 10:40
The much-anticipated return of 250SX Eastern Regional racing at Round 13 of the Monster Energy® Supercross Championship in Atlanta, Georgia hosted the 2023 debut of Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki a fan favorite, Jo Shimoda, who surged onto the scene with a fourth-place finish ahead of his teammate Chris Blose, who claimed a hard fought seventh. In the 450SX Class, Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Adam Cianciarulo battled among title contenders to secure a seventh-place result while his teammate Jason Anderson competed at the front of the class until pre-mature retirement from the race relegated him to 21st position.

The tunes of high performance supercross bike engines accompanied the rising sun over Atlanta Motor Speedway in the early hours of Saturday morning as a unique daytime racing schedule had riders out for track walk at the break of dawn. Eager to return to competition, the timed qualifying sessions could not start soon enough for Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider Shimoda who raced out onto the track. As qualifying progressed, Shimoda and Blose displayed their aptitude for the extended speedway-style track design by logging lap times inside the top-five. At the conclusion of 250SX qualification, Shimoda had the fourth fastest lap (1:30.737) and Blose had the ninth fastest lap (1:32.960).

When the gate dropped for 250SX Heat 1, Shimoda raced his KX™250 into the first turn and emerged just outside the top five. While Shimoda attempted to move forward in the running order, a crash on the opening lap pushed him to the tail end of the field. Shimoda swiftly regained his pace and made quick work of the competition to salvage a fifth-place finish along with a direct transfer to the Main Event.

In 250SX Heat 2, Blose was edged out by his competition off the start but held a tight inside line through Turn 1 to craftily move himself inside the top five. The No.57 KX™250 rider further proved his veteran experience as he held pace with the rider ahead and executed a mistake-free five laps around an increasingly demanding racetrack. When the checkered flag flew, Blose’s keen race craft and consistent rhythm were enough to secure him a fifth-place finish.

The Monster Energy®/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki pair of Shimoda and Blose looked to have strong starts in the 250SX Main Event until both riders were slowed up as they narrowly avoided a multi-rider crash entering Turn 2. When the dust settled, Shimoda and Blose found themselves racing forward from 11th and 12th, respectively. Shimoda proved the sharpness of his tact as he ripped through the top 10 to control sixth position by the end of Lap 2 and moved into the top five on Lap 5. Meanwhile, Blose followed suit with efficient passes until he overtook seventh position on Lap 5. In the latter half of the race, the two KX™250 riders continued to up their pace as they worked to close the distance to their nearest rivals. Shimoda eventually took command of fourth position on Lap 8 and, despite successfully minimizing the gap to the podium position ahead, he finished the race in fourth. Blose continued his charge forward and was en route to an impressive sixth-place finish until an unexpected move from a lapped rider in final section of the final lap caused him to relinquish his spot and settle for seventh position.

"I was toward the back off the start and that made my whole race very difficult. I was able to race well throughout and almost got up to the podium, but I ran out of time. This is still a good step in the right direction as I return to racing form and look forward to the remaining supercross rounds. It’s good for me to be back out there battling with the top guys and I would really like to get a win before the end of the season.”

- Jo Shimoda

"Jo [Shimoda] and I were both outside the top-10 early, so I knew I had my work cut out for me. Consistent laps and a nailing the whoops were key as I made my way up into sixth until I misjudged a lapper coming into the final section and got held up. It was frustrating to lose a position so close to the end but, it was even more frustrating to have been back there to begin with. I’m really happy with how this KX™250 works right now and we had a great week at the test track so I wish I could have better showcased that in the results. We’ll try again next week at the showdown in New Jersey.”

- Chris Blose
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The Monster Energy® Kawasaki team of Cianciarulo and Anderson showed the versatility of their KX™450SR race bikes as they once again contested for the top spots in timed qualifying while getting acquainted with the notably long and dynamic Atlanta SX track. Cianciarulo and Anderson made the most of their time on the track by keeping the intensity high for essentially every lap of the practice. In the closing stages of the final qualifying session, both riders found another level and upped their pace to secure the second and third fastest laps, respectively. With Cianciarulo in second (1:28.156), this is the third week in a row that the No.9 rider has qualified in the top three and, with Anderson following in third (1:28.172), this is the second time in recent weeks that the Monster Energy Kawasaki duo have claimed two of the top-three spots.

In 450SX Heat 1, Cianciarulo carried his speed through a wide line in Turn 1 which caused him to be narrowly edged out for the official holeshot before quickly launching into the lead. Cianciarulo looked to replicate his impressive qualifying speed as he led the opening lap of the race until a mistake through the first whoop lane resulted in a spectacular crash. Resilient and still set on competing at the front, Cianciarulo raced back to his bike and began to climb his way up the running order. From well outside the top-10, Cianciarulo moved to eighth by Lap 2 and to sixth by Lap 4. With a final push on the closing lap, Cianciarulo gained two more positions and secured a respectable fourth place finish.

In 450SX Heat 2, Anderson emerged from the first turn in fourth and he quickly passed his way into the lead during the first half of Lap 1. A minor mistake over one of the several big doubles on the circuit sent Anderson off track before the conclusion of Lap 1, but the No.21 rider managed to re-enter the track safely without losing his position. A hotly contested battle for the win ensued for the remainder of the qualifying race as Anderson fended off immense pressure from several of his top championship rivals. When the checkered flag flew, Anderson crossed the finish line first, but would ultimately earn second place after a one position penalty was incurred for his off-track incident.

The Monster Energy Kawasaki riders raced out to strong starts in the 450SX Main Event with Anderson running in third and Cianciarulo pursuing from seventh. Anderson matched his earlier form through the opening laps by racing in lock step with the leaders. Cianciarulo took a couple of laps to find his rhythm, managing to battle with the top two riders in the championship points standings for fifth through seventh position. Cianciarulo dropped his laptime on Lap 3 and set his sights forward. On the following lap, Anderson suddenly lost his pace at the front and relinquished several positions. Cianciarulo’s charge forward brought him to the rear wheel of Anderson on Lap 5 and, just after another rider slipped by them in the whoops, Cianciarulo overtook Anderson for seventh on Lap 6. Although the No.21 rider contended inside the top-10 for a few more laps, Anderson ultimately was forced to retire from the race early due to symptoms of sickness. All the while, Cianciarulo overcame the demanding conditions to earn seventh place for his ninth top-10 finish of the season.

“This was another week with strong qualifying pace and solid starts, which are helping me to run with the front guys more and more each time. After my heat race crash, I gathered myself quickly and salvaged as much as I could. I’m still focused on giving my 100% every time I hit the track, so I carried that mentality into the Main. Even though I was a bit scrapped up, I focused on hitting my marks while I battled with those guys and took what the track had to offer. The end result was another seventh place, and we’ll continue to focus on progressing through the end of this season.”

- Adam Cianciarulo

“I had a pretty crazy week coming into this one as my wife and I welcomed our little girl to the world on Friday morning. I was definitely running low on sleep and not feeling 100% myself coming into the day and, overall, it all just got the best of me. I’ll work to regroup this week with the team, and we aim to come back swinging at MetLife Stadium next weekend.”

- Jason Anderson

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