250SX Class
The day got off to a strong start for Monster Energy in qualifying, with four of five riders inside the top 10 fastest times posted across both regions. No one as faster than Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Joey Savatgy, who edged out Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star/Yamaha’s Aaron Plessinger to put West Coast riders 1-2 on the charts. In fact, West Region riders posted the top four times of qualifying.
Each respective reason had its own heat race and Monster Energy starred in each. In the West heat Cianciarulo hounded Shane McElrath for most of the race and made the winning pass in the waning stages. Behind him, Plessinger and Savatagy – the top two riders in the championship – enjoyed a heated battle for third, poised to make some noise in the Main Event. In the East heat, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Austin Forkner seized control of the lead early and maintained it through to the finish.
With success all around in the heats Monster Energy carried favorable odds for victory in the Main Event. As the combined field of East and West region riders stormed to the first turn it was Savatgy, Cianciarulo, and Forkner who carried the edge to the inside. As they jockeyed for the preferred line Savatgy and Cianciarulo came together, which stalled their momentum and allowed Jeremy Martin to secure the holeshot. In the traffic jam that ensued from Savatgy and Cianciarulo’s contact several of the top riders were mired in the field. Plessinger and his points-leading counterpart Zach Osborne suffered the worst of it and started the race at the tail end of the field.
Savatgy, Cianciarulo, and Forkner were each able to slot into the top 10, with Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star/Yamaha’s Thomas Ramette not far behind. The aggression displayed by Cianciarulo in his heat race carried over into the Main Event and he soon moved into fourth. While he gave chase of his teammate Savatgy unfortunately crashed out of contention for a podium, but quickly remounted just outside the top 10. Cianciarulo continued his pursuit of third and eventually Forkner moved into fifth. Behind them Plessinger was on a tear through the field in his home race. He broke into the top 10 on Lap 4 and blew by riders all the way into sixth on Lap 8, right behind Forkner.
Cianciarulo methodically closed in on Smith for third and applied pressure for the position just past the halfway point. On Lap 14 he made his move and ensured his spot on the podium, but his charge wasn’t finished. That same lap Plessinger’s comeback moved him past Forkner into fifth. On the final lap Cianciarulo’s relentless pursuit of second culminated with an impressive pass on Luke Renzland. Plessinger came close to a pass for fourth, but settled for fifth. Forkner was sixth while Savatagy recovered to finish 10th. Ramette finished in 19th. Martin was later docked seven points for jumping through a red cross flag, but retained the victory.
Plessinger’s resilience helped maintain his spot atop the West Region standings and he now holds a nine-point lead over Savatgy. Cianciarulo closed in on his teammate in third and is now just three points out of second and 12 points out of the lead.
In the East Region, Osborne maintained his points lead with a seventh-place finish, but Forkner’s sixth-place effort allowed him to gain a point on his rival. Just seven points sit between the pair.
250SX East-West Shootout Results
• Jeremy Martin, Honda
• Adam Cianciarulo, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki
• Luke Renzland, Yamaha
• Jordon Smith, KTM
• Aaron Plessinger, Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star/Yamaha
• Austin Forkner, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki
10. Joey Savatgy, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki
19. Thomas Ramette, Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star/Yamaha
West Region 250SX Class Standings
• Aaron Plessinger, Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star/Yamaha – 151
• Joey Savatgy, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki – 142
• Adam Cianciarulo, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki – 139
• Shane McElrath, KTM – 127
• Chase Sexton, Honda – 109
19. Mitchell Oldenburg, Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star/Yamaha – 58
29. Justin Cooper, Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star/Yamaha – 14
East Region 250SX Class Standings
• Zach Osborne, Husqvarna – 131
• Austin Forkner, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki – 124
• Jordon Smith, KTM – 121
• Jeremy Martin, Honda – 112
• Luke Renzland, Yamaha – 92
10. Colt Nichols, Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star/Yamaha – 54
11. Martin Davalos, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki – 53
15. Dylan Ferrandis, Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star/Yamaha – 34
25. Thomas Ramette, Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star/Yamaha – 17