Steve Cox | March 11, 2017
2017 Daytona 250cc Supercross Results: Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo has had a very rough few years when it comes to supercross. In 2014, Cianciarulo looked like he was destined to fulfill the promise he showed throughout his amazing amateur racing career, winning three of the first five rounds of the 250cc Eastern Regional Supercross Series and leading the points, only to dislocate his shoulder at round six in Toronto, ending his season.
2017 Daytona 250cc Supercross Results
That was the start of things simply not going his way. He missed the 2015 and 2016 supercross series with injuries suffered prior to the start of each of those series, and now he has managed to claw his way back up to where he was in 2014 after winning the 2017 Daytona Supercross with a masterful 15-lap race, leading his teammate Joey Savatgy by the slimmest of margins for the entire 15 laps to take the win.
Savatgy actually got the holeshot in the main event, just in front of Cianciarulo, but Cianciarulo struck quickly by taking the inside in the second set of turns to take the lead. Meanwhile, points leader Zach Osborne (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) started fourth and looked somewhat flustered in the early laps, first struggling to get by Venezuelan phenom Lorenzo Locurcio (Cycle Trader/Rock River Yamaha) for third, then when he finally did get by Locurcio on lap three, Osborne promptly fell down in the sand, remounting seventh. Osborne suffered yet another major bobble a lap later and saw himself sitting eighth with 10 laps to see how far he could fight his way back forward.
But out front, Cianciarulo and Savatgy were holding a clinic. There was no chance for Osborne to catch either of them.
Osborne put up a valiant fight from there, though, stuffing his way by TLD/Red Bull KTM’s Alex Martin for seventh in the sand, then catching Martin’s teammate Jordon Smith not long after that. Just as Osborne began pressuring Smith, Smith found his way by JGR Suzuki’s new hire Kyle Cunningham for fifth. Osborne worked his way by Cunningham just before the finish line for sixth, then again set out after Smith, but Smith was slippery.
Smith then fought his way by Locurcio for fourth, and Osborne followed suit for fifth by taking Locurcio’s line away going up the dragon’s back. Once he caught Smith again, Smith was pressuring Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Dylan Ferrandis for third. With Smith and Ferrandis right in front of him with only two laps to go, Osborne tried to take Smith’s line away up the dragon’s back like he had done to Locurcio, but Smith had none of it and kept the throttle wide, holding Osborne back. And that was it. Osborne had a couple bobbles and couldn’t quite put it together to make anything happen.
At the line it was Cianciarulo and Savatgy with 12 seconds between them and Ferrandis, who achieved his first-ever podium finish in supercross. Then came Smith and Osborne.
Osborne now leads the points by six over Savatgy, with Cianciarulo only three points further back in third, with five rounds left to run in the series.
2017 Daytona 250cc Supercross Results
2017 Daytona 250cc Supercross Results
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