MXA INTERVIEW: ADAM CIANCIARULO ON THE PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE

Adam Cianciarulo has been consistent and fast during outdoors which has earned him a 23-point lead over second place. 

By Jim Kimball

WE SHOULD BEGIN WITH YOU WINNING 5 OUT OF THE 6 AMA 250 NATIONALS SO FAR. THOUGHTS? I think I have exceeded my expectations so far this season. I had high expectations, and I have exceeded them. But as far as my formula to keep the momentum rolling, I am really not thinking about it too much. I have not been like, “Oh man, I have won this many.” I just do my best every weekend. When I am on the track at all times, first moto, second moto, practice, everything, that is my thing. I am not really thinking about the streak or anything, as it was broken anyways. I am going to do my best every time, if it is third this weekend or fifth or tenth or first, it is what it is, and that is my whole mentality for the whole season. I am just going to get everything I can out of each day.

Adam Cianciarulo’s 1-2 moto scores at Southwick earned him the overall win ahead of Dylan Ferrandis and Justin Cooper.

YOU KNOW WHO YOUR MAIN COMPETITORS ARE, BUT DO YOU THINK SOMEBODY COULD POP OUT OF NO WHERE? There is always the chance that somebody can sneak a moto in here or there, or even sneak a couple of motos. Every once in a while, some guys really excel on certain tracks, but I think for the most part we know who the players are. I have a suspicion that some guys are going to get stronger as the season goes on, and maybe some guys might fade a little bit. Time will tell. My hope, honestly, is that everyone does their best. I am going to do my best and hopefully that is better.

Up-close on the red plated Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki.

WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON STAR YAMAHA PROTESTING YOUR WIN AT LAKEWOOD? I respect that team, and I respect Justin as a racer. I have talked to him a few times, and I’m a big fan of him. I love the way he rides and I learn a lot from watching him ride. He has pushed me and, ultimately, made me better. I would like to think that it would be the same for him. As far as Lakewood goes, I felt I was in the right. Obviously, it is for a win, so they are going to do everything they can, but I don’t hold anything against anybody. I just try to be as professional as possible in all scenarios. It was just an unfortunate circumstance with how it went down in Lakewood, but I felt I was in the right, and I haven’t thought about it since.

Even though he’s only 22 years old, Adam Cianciarulo can already be considered somewhat of a veteran because he has been racing professionally for six years. 

MOTOCROSS IS A MENTAL SPORT AND IT’S NOT JUST WHO IS THE FASTEST, BUT WHO IS THE STRONGEST MENTALLY. I think to be at the level that we are at, with everybody battling for wins, and proving themselves, you have to be pretty mentally strong to even go off the gate of a Pro National. It is pretty gnarly. When I was a rookie, it was pretty scary up there. I think I am more of a veteran in the class now. I have a few seasons under my belt, and this plays to my strength in terms of I knowing what I am going to get. It just comes back to believing in myself, and having the confidence, which creates mental strength.

YOU TRAIN WITH HONDA’S KEN ROCZEN AND CHASE SEXTON, WHAT IS THAT LIKE? It is awesome training with guys like that. It holds you to a high standard every day. You are never going out there and slacking off. It is just different when you are with guys that go fast. You are able to push to a level that you would normally not be tough enough do by yourself. So, I use that to my advantage, and I think that none of us are ever really content. We are always trying to get better, and that is infectious. I think if you get a group of people together that are all like-minded and want to get better, you tend to get better together.

At High Point Adam crossed the holeshot line side-by-side with his training partner Chase Sexton.

HOW IS IT RACING AGAINST YOUR FRIENDS? It is good. Chase Sexton is a friend of mine and we ride together a lot, but at the same time, I want to beat him just as bad as I want to beat everybody else. When we are out there, if I was racing Kenny or Chase, I would want to beat those two guys just as bad as guys that I never talked to in my life. We are all that way.

YOU HAVE THE 250 POINTS LEAD, HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT TRYING TO MANAGE THE POINTS? No, absolutely not. We have so many motos left. We are only at the halfway point. My immediate goal is to go after every win, every week. The first time you get on the podium you think, “Man, this is awesome, this is sweet.” Then you get a win, and suddenly when you get second or third, it is not that cool. You have to make smart decisions throughout the series, but from my point of view, I am going to do the best I can every weekend.

Adam launches down one of the many steep hills at High Point.

YOU WERE THE BEST GUY IN THE 250 WEST SUPERCROSS SERIES UNTIL YOUR CRASH AT THE LAS VEGAS FINALE. Obviously, a championship is the goal. I have made a lot of improvements this year. I had a great Supercross season, even though it did not end well. I have used that for motivation.

YOU ARE GOING TO THE 450 CLASS FOR KAWASAKI IN 2020, ALTHOUGH IT HASN’T BEEN ANNOUNCED. ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT THE 450 CLASS? My immediate focus is right now. It would be a disservice to everybody I have around me if I start talking about what is going to happen in the future. I don’t think about what happened in the past and I try not to think about what will happen in the future.

Adam is focused on the task at hand as he is still looking for his first Championship in the Pros. 

DO YOU THINK IT’S CRAZY THAT SO MANY PEOPLE ARE OBSESSED WITH WHERE YOU WILL END UP FOR 2020? It is natural, and I get it. I am a fan of other sports, and always like to know who is going where. You just have to let people talk, do what they do, and then things will come when they come. Ultimately, motocross is a form of entertainment and they are going to talk about it. Obviously, there are a lot of leak things before they are done, so people are going to have a field day with it, but that’s cool for the sport. Everybody can talk about it, even MXA, but I am not talking.