2019 Monster Energy Cup | Adam Cianciarulo GoPro Onboard
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2019 MONSTER ENERGY CUP | COMPLETE COVERAGE
Adam Cianciarulo’s run to the overall win at the 2019 Monster Energy Cup was the perfect debut ride with the Monster Energy Kawasaki team. For a few weeks, we’d heard how quick AC was at the California practice track and he made it clear to us ahead of the event that a victory didn’t seem out of reach. A holeshot and laps led in Moto One indicated that Cianciarulo had the speed to lead the pack, but a small crash put the win out of reach for that particular match. Going into the last race of the night, Cianciarulo’s 2-2 finishes had him tied with Eli Tomac and Malcolm Stewart in the results, which meant that a heads-up duel would determine the overall. By now you know what happened, how Cianciarulo rode a controlled race to take the checkered flag over teammate Tomac and scored a six-figure payout for the efforts. What’d the battle look like from AC’s perspective? See for yourself thanks to footage from the GoPro Hero 8 Black camera that was mounted to the top of his helmet.
Few things to note…
– With two of the three holeshots on the night, it looks like Cianciarulo has worked on starts during the transition to the big bike. Getting into the lead immediately helped him stay clear of the carnage that’s claimed him in the past and he only had to focus on building an advantage over the rest of the field.
– The middle portion of that race was one of the best in the history of the Monster Energy Cup. Dead-even when they exited the stadium, Cianciarulo showed no signs of hesitation against Tomac in the battle for the top spot as he controlled the lines around the course. Cianciarulo rode a wide bike and blocked off some Tomac’s pass attempts with moves that seemed dangerous or cheap, then out-maneuvered the veteran’s lap seven move when he slowed slightly in the flat turn and cut back underneath to retake the lead.
– Riders didn’t seem too stoked on the idea of the track design that allowed the races to be run in different directions, especially when they had to piece together the long rhythm lane. The multiple lines that were carved into the faces of the jumps could have been the thing that helped riders remember the best combinations that would carry them through.
