Adam Cianciarulo drew first blood in the 250MX class at the opening round of the 2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship. The Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider maintained the runner-up spot for the entirety of the first moto. The skies began to open up in the second race, creating muddy conditions, but Cianciarulo captured the holeshot and led all 13 laps, grabbing the checkers by a margin of 16 seconds. His 2-1 performance enabled him to capture the first overall victory of the season.
“It definitely wasn’t an easy win and the mud was crazy, but, man, does it feel good to come out on top,” Cianciarulo said. “I know a lot of people were questioning my focus coming into today’s race, but I think we proved we’re in it and ready to fight for this championship. The field is stacked this year, so it’s going to be a good season of racing, that’s for sure!"
Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star/Yamaha Racing's Justin Cooper grabbed the holeshot in moto 1 and led every lap to take the first moto victory of the season. In the muddier second race, he didn't get as good of a start and needed the whole race to work his way up from ninth to fourth.
“A great start to the season with the first moto win and a good day overall,” Cooper said. “I was able to salvage a decent amount of points in the second moto considering the conditions. It was gnarly out there, so I can’t complain too much on the result, but we want more. I’m looking to take this momentum into next week!”
Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Colt Nichols was able to tie to his career-best overall with a third at Hangtown. The Oklahoma rider’s 5-3 moto finishes put him tied for third in the point standings as well.
“Starting off the season is always a challenge to see how you stack up, so I just wanted to see where we were,” Nichols said. “I’ve felt like I’ve been good at outdoors, but have been underprepared the last few seasons, so this is a great start on the podium. The track was brutal and the Yamaha felt great today. Everyone who has been helping me out has been awesome and it feels great to get third overall.”
Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star/Yamaha Racing’s Dylan Ferrandis came into the series on a high note after clinching the 2019 Western Regional 250SX Class Championship just two weekends prior. The French rider went 3-5 for fourth overall at Hangtown.
“The day started out well,” Ferrandis said. “I felt very comfortable physically and on the bike during practice. In the first moto, I made a late charge to the front to finally finish third. In the second moto I was feeling good. The speed was really good too until I fried my clutch and had to slow down to save the bike to finish the moto. It was really frustrating for me and now I’m really disappointed, but we’re on to the next one in Pala next weekend and hoping to get back on top.”
Geico Honda's Chase Sexton spent most of the first race in third place until Ferrandis passed him in the final corner to steal the final podium spot. Sexton was there again in moto 2, but fell early in the mud before fighting back to sixth.
“[That was] not what I wanted,” Sexton said. “I just didn’t feel super comfortable all day. The good side was that my starts were pretty good, but I definitely wish I could have stayed up there a little better. I had a quick crash in moto two and that cost me, but the conditions were pretty tough. It’s okay though. We scored good points and we will put in the work and come out swinging for round 2 this weekend.”
