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Monster Energy® Kawasaki's Jason Anderson Wins in Oakland and Moves into Second in Championship Points
Round 2 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship brought riders up the western coastline to RingCentral Coliseum in Oakland, California where Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Jason Anderson earned the 450SX Class victory aboard his KX™450SR. Stablemate Adam Cianciarulo managed to persevere through adversity for a respectable 12th place finish. In the 250SX Class, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Seth Hammaker backed up his season opening podium result with a third-place finish and teammate Jo Shimoda followed in seventh.
Monster Energy Kawasaki riders Anderson and Cianciarulo started their day with a tactful approach to the historically soft conditions of the Oakland SX track. At a venue that is known to break down throughout the night, the KX450SR mounted riders elected to patiently explore different lines before increasing their speed in the second qualifying session. This approach gave both riders critical insight into the track’s development and the potential for different rhythms before the racing program began. At the conclusion of timed qualifying, Anderson was fourth with a 59.380 and Cianciarulo qualified seventh with a best lap time of 59.932.
When the first 450SX heat race got underway, Anderson emerged from Turn 1 in second place. The No.21 Monster Energy Kawasaki rider raced forward with notably impressive speed through the track’s two particularly challenging whoop sections. Anderson sustained pressure from behind at the mid-point of the race but, proved his composure as he continued hitting his marks and gapped away from the challengers to finish the race with a second place result.
The second 450SX heat race would see another strong Kawasaki start as Cianciarulo rounded the first corner in the lead. Cianciarulo attacked the track with precision in the opening laps to pull away from the competition. As the race progressed however, the front of the field shuffled and a couple of mistakes from Cianciarulo led to him surrendering several positions. The Florida-native closed out the race in fourth position with a direct transfer to the Main Event.
The start of the 450SX Main Event saw Cianciarulo once again grab the holeshot and take command of the lead early while Anderson followed close behind in third. Anderson made his way quickly into second position and the Monster Energy Kawasaki duo led the field in the top two spots for the opening laps. On Lap 3, Anderson made his move to take control of the lead from Cianciarulo with a well maneuvered inside line entering a 180-degree bowl turn. Once Anderson took command of the lead, he never looked back. The notoriously free-spirited rider showed his grit as he outmatched the competition lap after lap on the progressively deteriorating racetrack. Anderson went on to bring home his first Main Event victory since 2018 in only his second start with the Monster Energy Kawasaki racing team. Meanwhile, teammate Cianciarulo rode with admirable effort to challenge for podium contention well into the mid-stage of the race before the difficult track conditions and the effects of his on-going shoulder ailment resulted in a hard-earned 12th place finish.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve had a win, but I never stopped believing in myself. I always knew I could be back up here on the top step, I just needed to put it all together. The track was tricky tonight with how beat up it got, but I feel super comfortable on the KX450SR and that was a huge factor in getting across the finish first. There are a lot of races left and I hope to stay here fighting for wins throughout the season.”
- Jason Anderson
"This was another challenging weekend for us, but we have a number of positives to take away from it. I got out to two holeshots and was feeling comfortable up front early in the Heat Race and again in the Main Event. I did the best I could with my situation tonight and that’s what I’ll continue to do each day going forward. We are still on track with our goal of getting healthier every week and progressing back to full form as the condition of my shoulder improves.”
- Adam Cianciarulo
From the outset of the 250SX practice sessions, it was apparent the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki squad of Hammaker and Shimoda were ready to prove their worth among the competition. Through both timed sessions the young duo challenged one another with times that rivaled the top of the overall leaderboard. When the checkered flag flew on the final qualifying practice, Hammaker had the fourth fastest time (1:00.738) and Shimoda followed close behind in sixth (1:01.154).
The first 250SX Heat Race hosted both Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki riders and they quickly made their presence known at the front of the field. Shimoda rocketed out to a clear holeshot before showing strong form and battling for the lead position. He eventually settled into second place with two laps remaining in the race. Meanwhile, Hammaker hastily moved from a fifth place start up into top-three contention. The race for the lead positions was hotly contested for all seven laps of the heat race and ultimately, Hammaker secured third place just behind Shimoda.
The 250SX Main Event once again hosted green at the front with Shimoda launching his KX250 out to the holeshot and leading the pack through the green flag lap, while Hammaker pressed forward from fourth. The No.47 of Hammaker demonstrated his podium prowess by quickly climbing his way through the class of the field to take control of second place by Lap 4. The sophomore rider fended off the pressure of several top contenders as he looked forward with hopes of claiming the top step. In the late stages of the race, a couple of small mistakes caused Hammaker to drop to third, where he would finish the race. The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki mounted rider claimed his second consecutive podium result of the 2022 season. As for Shimoda, a small mistake before entering the long whoop section at center field on Lap 2 forced him to relinquish the lead before quickly resuming in second position. Shimoda was poised to fight for his first podium finish of the season until two laps later a costly mistake in the same section of the track caused the Japanese-born rider to crash and drop down to 10th on the leaderboard. Shimoda regained form to make his way to seventh before the conclusion of the main event.
“I’m definitely happy to earn a third place here in Oakland. We are two races into the season and I have two podiums already, that consistency is going to be important for the championship. That said, I know I’m capable of more and I want to show that. I think there are a few things I could have cleaned up to improve my result tonight, so I’ll get back to work with the team through this week and we’ll do our best to get the win in San Diego.”
- Seth Hammaker
"My starts were much better today so that is an area of big improvement for me. I’m at the front in the beginning of the race and I believe I have what it takes to fight for podium positions at the finish. I just need to eliminate the mistakes that I have made. For me, seventh place is not where I want to finish but, we had okay qualifying, a good heat race, and two great starts tonight so there is a lot to build on going into next weekend.”
- Jo Shimoda