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Feb 5, 2023

Monster Energy® Kawasaki’s Jason Anderson Earns Second Consecutive 450SX Podium

The world’s best supercross racers traveled east from the golden coast of California for Round 5 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship in Houston, Texas where Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Jason Anderson raced his Kawasaki KX450SR to a podium result for the second consecutive weekend while teammate Adam Cianciarulo earned another top-10 result. Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider Chris Blose charged through the field to secure a 10th place finish in the opening round of the 250SX Eastern Regional Championship.

Following several weeks of wet weather and open-air racing venues along the Southern California coastline, the riders and the Dirt Wurx track crew were pleased to head into the closed dome home to the Houston Texans. The controlled indoor climate meant ideal soil conditions were guaranteed and the track designers took the opportunity to incorporate several long and high-flying rhythm sections around the course. The Monster Energy Kawasaki duo of Anderson and Cianciarulo made quick work of the track as they jockeyed for position near the top of the leaderboard all morning. Cianciarulo was the first rider to launch the 75-foot quad jump heading toward the start straightaway, but it didn’t take long for Anderson to follow suit. The two riders attacked the track with confidence as they both ranked themselves inside the top-five of timed qualifying. When the qualifying sessions concluded, Anderson logged the fourth fastest lap (51.476) with Cianciarulo close behind in fifth (51.569).

When the riders rounded the first turn in 450SX Heat 1, Anderson was just edged out by Cooper Webb for the holeshot before Anderson rocketed past Webb to take the early lead. Anderson fended off a flurry of pressure from the top contenders in the field as he led the opening laps of the race. The No.21 KX450SR rider kept his focus forward and progressively built his gap over the competition to nearly three seconds before the checkered flag flew. Anderson managed to lead every lap en route to securing his first 450SX Heat win of the 2023 season.

In the second 450SX heat race, Cianciarulo started in fourth and looked poised to race among the top three. In the opening laps, however, the No.9 Monster Energy Kawasaki rider made a mistake in the deep sand corner and forfeited a position. Cianciarulo regained his composure and found his rhythm in the closing stages of the race to take back fourth position and mount an offensive push toward third. When the checkered flag came out, Cianciarulo’s charge forward fell short on time, but his fourth-place result earned him a direct transfer to the Main Event and, perhaps more importantly, proved his pace on the technical track.

In the 450SX Main Event, Anderson and Cianciarulo launched out of the gate to contend for positions inside the top-five. Anderson made several quick moves on the opening lap into third place before a red flag incident resulted in an official staggered restart procedure on Lap 3. When the green flag waved, signifying the resumption of racing, Anderson deployed an immediate effort to overtake the rider ahead and successfully gained control of second place within the lap. As a crowd-thrilling battle for the podium positions persisted, Anderson locked in a solid pace in third position where he would ultimately finish the race to secure his second consecutive Main Event podium and jumped to fourth in the Championship points standings. Meanwhile, Cianciarulo had shuffled back to seventh in the opening laps but found a steady rhythm again after the restart and linked together consistent laps inside the top-10. At the checkered flag, Cianciarulo finished in 10th for another respectable result in the stacked 450SX Class.

“I’m happy with our performance this weekend. As a team we’ve been focused on getting back into the battle for wins and this is the second weekend in-a-row that we’ve done exactly that. I’m hungry for more and definitely want to stand at the top of the podium but, we’re making small gains to get there, and this weekend was another step in the right direction. We’ll continue the progress this week and look forward to battling again in Tampa.”

- Jason Anderson

“There were a lot of positives to take from today; I qualified closer to the front, found a good rhythm in the heat race and feel good about where we are with my KX450SR. Overall, I ended up with another top-10 finish and we’ve added another building block to the season. I’m still gaining and improving so I’ll continue to do the work during the week with the team and we’ll keep striving for more.”

- Adam Cianciarulo

The opening round of the 250SX Eastern Regional Championship hosted many new faces as several rookies prepared for their professional debuts. In a similar vein, the familiar face of Chris Blose enjoyed the excitement as the veteran rider, who began racing professionally in 2005, joined the powerhouse Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team for the first time. Despite limited time working with the team prior to the race, Blose looked right at home on the Kawasaki KX250 as he contended with the best riders in the class. Blose proved his aptitude for the bike and the technical track as he quickly adapted and logged the 10th fastest lap time (53.786) of the qualifying sessions.

The suspense was high as the gate dropped for the first 250SX East heat race of the year. When the riders rounded the first corner, Blose ran in third before making a move to overtake the rider ahead on the opening lap. Blose battled with several riders as the close racing brought roars from the crowd. When the mayhem began to subside, Blose settled into a steady pace in fifth place where he finished out the race.

In the first 250SX Eastern Regional Main Event of the season, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Chris Blose found himself shuffled to the back of the pack through the opening 180-degree turn. Blose crossed the finish on the first lap in 16th position with all his main rivals ahead. The No.57 KX250 rider pressed forward with determination as he executed passes lap after lap. Despite having to navigate through the competition and the deteriorating track conditions, Blose maintained a consistent march forward through the field with the top-10 in his sights. In the closing stages of the race, Blose capitalized on his wealth of experience to adjust to the demands of the track and secured a respectable 10th-place result.

“It’s been great working with the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team. I first rode the bike earlier this week so, it’s been a really quick few days of getting ready for this weekend. While we are aiming to be higher up the running order in the future, to start this out with a top-10 and to have a smooth race weekend under our belt is promising.”

- Chris Blose

450SX Class
450SX Class
450SX Class
450SX Class
250SX Class
250SX Class
250SX Class
250SX Class