Racing is about speed. If a rider has that, everything else falls into place. At least that is what Adam Cianciarulo believes heading into Round 7 of the Monster Energy Supercross season this Saturday at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. that will air live on NBCSN at 7 p.m. (Stream live by clicking here.)
“Definitely the learning curve has been steeper than anticipated, but the speed I’ve had is pretty surprising compared to the other guys,” Cianciarulo told NBC Sports.
Cianciarulo’s move to the 450 class was a tale from a storybook. He won the Monster Energy Cup last October in a star-studded race and then stood on the podium in the first points paying event at Anaheim.
The next three weeks told a different story. In the unfinished novel of his rookie season, a seventh in St Louis, sixth in Anaheim 2 and eighth in Glendale are only chapters that Cianciarulo believes will reveal him as the hero at the end.
“The first six rounds have been a little up and down, but overall I’m really happy with where we are,” Cianciarulo said. “I feel like I’ve left some good results out there with silly mistakes, but for the most part I’ve surprised myself with how my speed has been.
“Coming out and getting a podium at Anaheim was super cool – and having a chance to win that race. Even some of the obstacles we’ve faced. We crashed at Glendale – a couple of bad starts thrown in there along the way, but I’ve been able to manage it for the most part and pull out some decent results no matter what.”
Adam Cianciarulo earned his second podium at San Diego in his sixth 450 start. Vanessa O’Brien (KawasakiUSA)
Success is about perspective.
It is only as a matter of perspective that his three results of sixth through eighth are less than expected. Those expectations came from the media and industry insiders. Ultimately it is Cianciarulo’s perspective that makes the difference this early in his 450 career.
Currently fifth in the points standings with fourth only three away, Cianciarulo has a lot of time to move up in the order. A lot of points are on the line in the next 11 rounds. But even that is not his primary concern. For the rookie, it is about learning to manage races with greater consistency.
“Obviously (my competitors) are all world class talent. To be able to be up there with them in my first year – with two podiums in six races I don’t know if I expected that,” Cianciarulo said.
Cianciarulo knows the speed is there. He set the fastest qualification time in all six rounds so far.
He knows he has the talent. Cianciarulo beat his teammate Eli Tomac and Malcolm Stewart in the Monster Energy Cup the first time he raced a 450. His two podiums were scored ahead of both riders at the top of points, Ken Roczen and Tomac.
He raced against last year’s Supercross champion Cooper Webb for both of his podiums. Cianciarulo finished five seconds ahead of him with his second-place finish in Anaheim 1. He was three seconds behind Webb last week.
Finding the limit means stepping over it from time to time. That is true in any form of racing. For a Supercross rider the razor’s edge of disaster lurks on every jump and in every corner.
“The adversity I’ve faced – the mistakes I’ve made – have all been basically caused because of not settling,” Cianciarulo said. “Just trying to get the absolute most I can out of every race. I guess in a way you can look at that and say it was inexperience or a rookie being a rookie.
“But from my perspective I don’t want to settle. I want to be winning now that I’ve proved to myself that I can go as fast as these guys. I don’t see any reason that I can’t win and be on the podium every time. I’ve been trying to maximize every result.”
Another crash while leading at Seattle dropped Chase Sexton from the top of the NBC SuperMotocross Power Rankings while solid performances by Cooper Webb and Eli Tomac allow them to climb the chart and threaten to make this a two-rider battle with six rounds remaining in the 2023 Monster Energy Supercross season.Cooper Webb wags his finger at Chase Sexton after winning his heat in Seattle. – Feld Motor Sports
During the race, Webb knew he had ground to make up. Riding behind both Tomac and Sexton early in the Main, he was as far back as fifth on Lap 7 at Seattle. That position would cost him the red plate and give away the advantage he began to build with his first win of the season in Tampa. Sexton is often at his best as he battles from the back and he methodically worked his way through the field. At the end of the feature, he was nearly five seconds off Tomac’s pace, but during the past 45 days, he holds the advantage. A resurgent Tomac that could erase that advantage quickly though.
Tomac struggled in Indianapolis with a neck strain. That contributed to his worst performance of 2023 and his second result outside the top five. He finished third in Detroit two weeks ago, but it was a distant third after finishing off the podium in his heat during that round. In Seattle, it appeared the same thing might happen when Tomac finished third in the prelim behind his two principal competitors Webb and Sexton. The Main was a different story.
Tomac dropped to fourth in the opening laps behind both of his rivals early in the race, but he got around Webb on Lap 2 and kept charging. When Sexton fell to the ground on Lap 11 and dropped to fourth, Tomac was in position to strike. He scored his sixth win of the season to tie James Stewart for second on the all-time wins list. He now shares the red plate with Webb as the rounds wind down.
Sexton has the speed, but he lacks the seasoning of Webb and Tomac. He’s pressing hard on every lap and that has bitten him several times this year. Sexton’s mistakes are costing him with a 10th-place finish at Indy, the loss of seven points at Detroit and a fifth in Seattle as the riders he’s battling stood on the podium. No one seriously questions Sexton’s talent or speed, but ultimately the results are what counts.
Justin Barcia is hitting his stride. He advances two positions this week after scoring his fourth consecutive top-five and second podium in that span of races. Barcia finished between sixth and eighth in five consecutive rounds from Anaheim 2 through Arlington, but he’s mostly avoided controversy and that puts him fourth in this week’s SuperMotocross Power Rankings after Seattle.
Jason Anderson had a solid performance in Seattle, but with a fifth-place finish in his heat and fourth in the Main he just keeps losing a little ground to the leaders. The biggest impact to his standing in the NBC Power Rankings is a 10th-place finish in Indianapolis that will take a while to age out of the 45-day formula. He’s tied for fourth in the championship points with Ken Roczen, who sits sixth in the rankings below. It’s important to be the rider “best in class” with Webb, Tomac and Sexton stealing the show.
The 250 West riders were back in action in Seattle and that gave Jett Lawrence the opportunity to break out of a tie with his brother Hunter Lawrence on the all-time wins list. It also provided Jett the opportunity to take back the top spot in the NBC SuperMotocross Power Rankings after Seattle.
Jett Lawrence regained the top spot overall in the NBC SuperMotocross Power Rankings with a near-perfect race in Seattle. – Feld Motor Sports
Jett has stood on the podium in every race this year with the exception of the second Triple Crown race at Anaheim 2 and that level of perfection gives him bragging rights. Rest assured that while the two brothers have a bond that is unapparelled in motorsports, there is no one they would rather beat. Neither has been particularly successful in Triple Crown rounds this year, however, and Jett could lose his advantage in two weeks in Glendale, Arizona under that format.
A rivalry is developing between Lawrence and Cameron McAdoo. Tired of losing to the affable Australian, McAdoo pushed the envelope last week in Seattle. He crowded Lawrence in the whoops during their heat race and sent both to the ground. That frustration could bubble over with four rounds remaining. One thing is certain, when these two riders are in proximity on the track, the cameras will be aimed in their direction.
A little means a lot this season. Finishing second to Lawrence in four of five rounds, RJ Hampshire would be losing ground to the leader no matter what, but an 11th-place finish in the overall at Anaheim 2 places him eighth on the chart below behind two of the 250 West riders and five 250 East competitors.
In the mains, Levi Kitchen has been all over the board with a win, one more top-five, two results on the high side of the single digits and a crash-induced 21st at San Diego. He’s really shown his speed in the heats, however, with a perfect record of top-fives and a win.
Mitchell Oldenburg makes the top five list among West riders with a perfect record of top-10 finishes. He’s heading in the wrong direction, however, falling from ninth overall to 11th after finishing outside the top five in both his heat and the Main last week.
250 Rankings
This
Week
Rider
Power
Avg.
Last
Week
Diff,
1.
Jett Lawrence – W
90.75
2
1
2.
Hunter Lawrence – E
90.43
1
-1
3.
Nate Thrasher – E
84.00
3
0
4.
Cameron McAdoo – W
80.50
4
0
5.
Haiden Deegan – E
78.21
5
0
6.
Jeremy Martin – E
78.00
6
0
7.
Jordon Smith – E
76.77
7
0
8.
RJ Hampshire – W
76.75
10
2
9.
Levi Kitchen – W
76.67
8
-1
10.
Max Anstie – E
74.43
11
1
11.
Mitchell Oldenburg – W
73.67
9
-2
12.
Max Vohland – W
72.55
13
1
13.
Tom Vialle – E
72.07
12
-1
14.
Pierce Brown – W
68.64
19
5
15.
Enzo Lopes – W
67.83
17
2
16.
Chris Blose – E
67.43
15
-1
17.
Chance Hymas – E
67.10
16
-1
18.
Michael Mosiman – E
65.80
18
0
19.
Stilez Robertson – W
64.45
14
-5
20.
Phil Nicoletti – W
59.25
20
0
* The NBC Power Rankings assign 100 points to a Main event winner and 90 points for each Heat and Triple Crown win, (Triple Crown wins are included with heat wins below the rider’s name). The points decrement by a percentage equal to the number of riders in the field until the last place rider in each event receives five points. The Power Ranking is the average of these percentage points over the past 45 days for the 450 class and last 90 days for 250s (because of the split nature of their season).
