Rookie Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider Adam Cianciarulo, fought off pressure like a true veteran to lead 13 laps and extend his points lead with his third win of the season. Joining him on the podium was Daytona Supercross winner Blake Baggett in third place. Martin Davalos grabbed the holeshot on his KX250F and had the early lead until a crash left him to finish in sixth. Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Ryan Villopoto was the fastest qualifier on his KX450F and finished second to further extend his championship lead. Dean Wilson continued to sharpen his skills in the 450SX class finishing 12th.
After finishing second at his hometown race in Daytona one week ago, Cianciarulo was looking to make a statement in Detroit. He dominated each qualifying session but could not put an end to his team-mates heat race streak and finished second. In the main event Cianciarulo rounded the first corner in second and inherited the lead after two laps. From there the 17-year old rider withstood the pressure of his competitors to take his third career win and help extend Kawasaki’s win streak to seven in the 250SX class.
“Tonight was probably the toughest win to get so far,” said Cianciarulo. “Once I got into the lead I knew I had to try and build as big of a gap as possible. I had pressure on me for most of the 15-laps but was able to stay confident and focused. Each weekend is a new race and I just want to tackle each individually.”
Villopoto felt so comfortable with his Daytona set-up that he carried those changes into his regular supercross set-up for Detroit. As he has done countless times, the champ laid down a lap time that was insurmountable by the rest of the field. Villopoto pushed the limits all night long on the slippery Ford Field surface and although he did not stand on top of the podium, he was able to extend his championship lead over his closest competitors.
“I’m happy with another podium,” said Villopoto. “We would have liked to get the win, but this track was tough and if you started to push too much you could end up on the ground quick. We gained a lot of points on some guys tonight. We’re getting towards the homestretch.”
Last week’s winner struggled at first to find his groove in the cold of Detroit. In the main event Baggett got off than a less than ideal start but quickly started moving forward from outside the top-10. Never faltering, he climbed his way into a podium position and with a third place finish also moved back into third in the points standings
“This was no easy track,” said Baggett. “It was completely different from last week’s track but gnarly in it’s own means. I’m happy we were able to rebound from a bad start and still get on the podium.”
Each week Davalos takes turns holding the fastest lap time throughout qualifying. While throwing down a fast lap side by side with Cianciarulo, Davalos mistimed a rhythm section and crashed hard. Although sore, the Ecuadorian did not let the get-off interfere with his championship run. Davalos won his heat race to make it five in a row. In the main he got the holeshot but a mistake on the slippery and rough track put him on the ground. He fought back to sixth place and remains second overall in the championship.
“We had a big get off today,” said Davalos. “I came back out and won the heat, but in the main event I started to tighten up and it cost me. We’ll rest up this week and be back at it in Toronto.”
After Davalos’ crash in qualifying the pressure turned from the rider to the mechanic. Dave Feeney, Davalos’ mechanic, immediately started repairing the damage that occurred from hitting the ground. With limited time, Feeney got the bike together in time for the night show and for Davalos to take it to another heat race win earning Feeney the Top Technician Award.