ADAM CIANCIARULO - 224 450MX

ADAM CIANCIARULO | GRIT-224 | 450MX

The comeback of Adam Cianciarulo would be a narrative that was applauded and respected by all in the sport; as the Kawasaki rider had overcome tremendous adversity over the past few years, and looked to continue climbing toward the top as the 2023 AMA Pro Motocross Championship progressed. And by all means did he seem ready for action in Pennsylvania, where he gathered a fifth-place position to conclude practice; seeking to attack the racecourse as quickly as possible as moto one began. As the gate(s) fell, it would be Cianciarulo who immediately contended for a top-five position. `Where he even passed the likes of Ty Masterpool (and almost Ken Roczen) in the opening segments, proving that he was racing with explosiveness and a will to climb to the top! The battles within the top five were fierce though, and a series of shuffle(s) were then cast on behalf of he, Masterpool, Cooper Webb, and Aaron Plessinger; as they all strove for the fourth place position. Cianciarulo wasn't going to ride over his head though, and proceeded to maintain the mantra of remaining calculated and garnering experience (which is what got him to this point in 2023). "AC" was thriving amongst the deep ruts, proving that even with his native Florida roots (where sand was paramount), he could adapt to the muddy, Pennsylvania clay that was beneath him on this June weekend. He held steady within the top-five for the duration of the moto, but in the final moments, an all-out charge on Masterpool would lead to him moving around the fellow Kawasaki rider...along with gaining a position with Ken Roczen's crash! This would ultimately generate fourth in the final standing(s), giving him a solid platform to work from in the moto thereafter. He would nearly pull the hole-shot in the following race of the afternoon, while battling with Ken Roczen and Aaron Plessinger. But the number nine was able to solidify his claim for second on the following lap of action, which had only the Suzuki in front of him as minutes continued to pass. This created a flow, of sorts, which mimicked the German rider; and allowed Cianciarulo to put quite the amount of distance between he and the fellow members of the top five (other than Jett Lawrence, who had been caught in a small pile-up). Lawrence would take his time in working around "AC" though, where a pass was made on behalf of the Australian with around nineteen minutes of action completed. This occurred before the legendary "Carmichael Jump" that initiated the roller section, where Adam was now forced into third. Adam would fight forward though, with courage, which allowed him to nearly clench third for the moto until Dylan Ferrandis would make his way by with just over three minutes remaining on the clock...upon the last uphill jump, before the wooded area. Now into fourth, Adam would reside here through the checkered flag - granting him third overall on the day, with hard-earned four-four moto scores!

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