Foothill Ranch, Calif. (August 25, 2019) – The final round of the 2019 AMA Pro Motocross Championship saw Monster Energy®/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider Adam Cianciarulo capture his first AMA Pro Motocross 250 title aboard his KX™250 this weekend in Crawfordsville, Indiana. The title is the 15th 250 class motocross championship for Kawasaki, the most 250 class motocross championships of any manufacturer and confirmed the Kawasaki sweep as both teams secured the title in the 250 and 450 classes. Monster Energy® Kawasaki rider Eli Tomac finished the season strong as he went on to capture another overall victory (3-1).
Cianciarulo kicked off the day with a 30-point advantage and lined up for the first moto of the 250 class poised and prepared to fight for the title. As the gate dropped, Cianciarulo positioned himself in fourth around Turn 1. Cianciarulo quickly made his way into third and patiently waited to make his move into second; he knew he needed to finish second in order to clinch the championship and with only three laps remaining, he did just that.
Without the stress of the ultimate goal, Cianciarulo had the luxury of coasting through the final moto but in typical fashion, he charged through the field after the gate dropped on Moto 2. Once again, Cianciarulo sat comfortably in third for the majority of the moto before dropping back into fourth to finish and going on to celebrate the championship with the entire team on the podium. Cianciarulo finished the day with 2-4 moto scores for third overall meaning he never finished off the overall podium this season with 12 straight podiums.
Although the championships was the focus, teammates Garrett Marchbanks and Martin Davalos both had the goal to close out the season on a high note as well. Marchbanks managed to finish 11th in Moto 1, after having to make his way up from 23rd on the first lap. Unfortunately, Davalos was unable to complete the first moto after running into a mechanical issue early on in the race.
Both riders were able to bounce back in Moto 2 as Marchbanks raced to his best finish of the season in seventh, going 11-7 for ninth overall and Davalos captured a top-10 finish for his last 250 class moto, going 39-10 for 16th overall. Marchbanks and Davalos finished 14th and 18th in the 250 class championship points standings, respectively.
“The road to this championship has been a journey. I grew up in the Team Green program and many people had such high expectations but because of injuries, I’ve been unable to fulfill those expectations until now. I wouldn’t change a thing though. I have learned so much, grown as a person and appreciate this moment more than I could have imagined. I’m just so emotional thinking about this accomplishment my entire Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki team and I have achieved; we have worked so hard for this and I really put my mind to it. I wanted this title so badly, now it’s time to celebrate!” – Adam Cianciarulo
“It’s been a challenging season, but I’m proud to have officially wrapped up my second Pro Motocross season. I continue to learn and grow as a person and an athlete, and I look forward to continue working with the team to find even more success.” – Garrett Marchbanks
“There have been a lot of ups and downs and a few challenges I’ve had to overcome this year. I wanted to make sure and give it my all today for my last 250 class ride. I can’t thank Mitch and the team enough for everything they do to support me. They are and have always been in my corner and now I’m just looking forward to what‘s next.” – Martin Davalos
After securing the 450 class championship at the penultimate round last week, Tomac arrived with a relaxed demeanor to take on the final round of the season. As the gate dropped, Tomac and teammate Joey Savatgy launched out the gate aboard their KX™450 motorcycles in front of the 40-rider field. Savatgy nearly grabbed the holeshot and remained in second for the first two opening laps before Tomac made his way around him on Lap 3. Nearly halfway through the moto, Savatgy was passed once more but was determined to hold on to his position from there, crossing the finish line with his best moto finish of the season in fourth. Tomac battled for the lead throughout the moto to ultimately finish third.
Moto 2 in the 450 class saw both KX™ motorcycles out front once again but it was the No. 17 machine of Savatgy who grabbed the holeshot to lead the opening lap. Halfway through the moto, Savatgy was passed by Tomac and four other contenders to drop to sixth, where he went on to finish. However, around that same time Tomac had maneuvered his way to the front to lead the remaining laps of the moto. The newly crowned champion took the checkered flag to capture the last moto win of the season, going 3-1 for his sixth overall victory of the season.
Savatgy returned for the final round after taking the weekend off to celebrate the birth of his first child determined to finish the season strong by riding up front all day and earning his best finish of the season with fourth place overall (4-6). Savatgy finished 11th in the 450 class championship points standings.
The success didn’t end at the track as MX Sports and NBC Sports hosted an end of season banquet, where Kawasaki was awarded multiple awards as well, including the coveted Manufacturer of the Year award and Monster Energy Kawasaki named Team of the Year. Tomac and Cianciarulo’s mechanics were each awarded Mechanic of the Year in the respective classes in addition to Mitch Payton receiving Team Manager of the Year.
“What an incredible day and season it’s been. I came here this weekend feeling fortunate we were able to secure the championship already; that really took all the weight off my shoulders. My goal was to run my race, finish strong and remain healthy, it was just icing on the cake to finish the last round with the overall win. I’m still on cloud nine and can’t thank the entire Monster Energy Kawasaki team enough for everything they have provided me with this year in order to bring home our third championship.“ – Eli Tomac
“Today was an incredible feeling. I finally feel like I was where I’m supposed to be, running up front. I’ve been able to put together decent motos in the last couple of rounds, but I was just feeling it today and the team set me up with an excellent bike to match it.” – Joey Savatgy
