News 17 Mar 2021

Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki Battle Through Tough Weeknight Race in Arlington

Image: Supplied.

Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki press release:

Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Western Regional 250SX riders experienced their first weeknight night race of the year, earning results that left them all hungry for more to end their stint inside AT&T Stadium this weekend. Jordon Smith bounced back from a tough race on Saturday to earn seventh at Round 4, while Cameron McAdoo rounded out the top-10. Rookie Seth Hammaker had a few challenges throughout the race to end the night in 11th.

Smith used the short break between races to rest up from Saturday’s race, hoping Tuesday’s round would be a turning point. The North Carolina native got out to a solid start in the main event in fifth and focused on hitting his lines. He did just that and eventually crossed the finish line in seventh, Smith’s top finish of the season.

“It’s been a tough go to start things off this year,” said Smith. “I’ve had a lot of good moments, but haven’t had the results to show for it. I’m glad this was a bit of a turning point for me and hopefully we can keep moving in this direction with another good race on Saturday.”

Overall, McAdoo’s day in Arlington was filled with positive moments, including qualifying third and taking another heat race win. When the gate dropped for the main event, he didn’t get the jump he was looking for and found himself in seventh. WIth not many places to pass, McAdoo worked to move forward and eventually made it up to fourth. He ended up going down, which pushed him back to 10th. He made his way up to seventh at the end of the race, but race officials took away three positions, arguing he gained positions when reentering the track from his crash. McAdoo now sits second in the championship, just one point out of the lead.

“Obviously we didn’t want to see those positions taken away,” said McAdoo. “At the end of the day, they (the AMA) made their decision and we have to focus on what’s ahead and not what is behind us. I have to put my head down and keep aiming towards the goal of another win and taking back the red plate. Thankfully we won’t have to wait too long.”

Hammaker was coming off his very first win and continued to show speed throughout the night, claiming his second heat-race victory. He got a similar start to McAdoo around eighth and had his work cut out for him during the 15 minutes plus one lap race. A few laps in, he went down and got back up in 15th. As he worked his way forward he had another issue, charging from 15th again. He would keep it on two wheels until the end and finish just outside the top-10 in 11th.

“I’m definitely bummed with how the race went tonight because I felt good and rode well all day,” said Hammaker. “I had the speed, I just needed to prevent rookie mistakes and be patient at the beginning of the race. All I can do is keep learning and put into practice what I learned at the next round.”

**The next race takes place in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday, March 20, and will be broadcast LIVE at 8:00 p.m. ET on Peacock and DELAYED at 10:30 p.m. on NBC Sports.

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