JE Pistons is proud to report the third win in a row with Pro Circuit Racing as well as a podium finish for JGRMX, JE-powered veteran Chad Reed. Check out the full report here.
Official release from JE Pistons.
DETROIT (February 25, 2019) – In a town made famous by hockey legends, it only seemed appropriate for Austin Forkner to turn the hat trick at Ford Field and collect his third-straight Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship, win of the season.
In reality, the rider of the No. 24 JE Pistons-powered Kawasaki KX250 scored a pair of hat tricks by not only winning his third race in a row, but going three-for-three in Saturday night’s triple crown format, collecting the checkered flag in all three Eastern Regional 250SX Class main events.
Triple crown races feature a unique structure where riders compete in three main events and tally the combined effort into an overall score to determine the winner at night’s end.
At the same time, Forkner remained perfect in Eastern Regional 250SX competition where the Richards, Mo., native picked up his third straight win and extended his championship lead to a handsome 13-point margin.
“Three for three, baby,” exclaimed Forkner who became the first rider in either the 250SX or premiere 450SX Class to sweep all three main events at a triple crown race. “I am obviously pumped on how our night in Detroit went and that I was able to continue to extend my points lead. My Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki KX250 was once again a rocketship that got me out of the gate and up front in each main event, which was crucial to winning the races. I am looking forward to having some fun in Atlanta next weekend and mixing it up with the west coast riders, as well.”
Meanwhile, Forkner’s Pro Circuit Racing teammate Martin Davalos turned in a solid performance of his own at Ford Field where the native Ecuadorian parlayed a 5-7-5 outing into a top-five overall finish. Davalos picked up two positions in points and jumped from 10th to eighth in the standings.
“Overall I’m happy with this weekend’s result, but I would have liked to challenge for the podium a little more,” explained Davalos. “We have two back-to-back top-5 finishes, so we are moving in the right direction. We will get back to work this week to clean up a few minor things but it's going to be important to bring our A game next week as we race the west coast guys as well."
Across the paddock in the premier 450SX class pits, JGRMX/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing’s Chad Reed showcased his JE support by notching his best effort of the year with a determined third-place showing to record his 132nd career podium finish.
“It was a fun day,” said Reed. “Right from the beginning, I felt ok. I felt racy. I thought with a good start, I could go. It was fun. The track was challenging and fast paced. The whoops were tough and that suited me. 132 podiums is pretty cool. I’m proud to be up front with some of the greatest Supercross riders in the world. I’m honored to be here and to be able to still do it this late in my career.”
Monster Energy AMA Supercross heads south this weekend for the series traditonal visit to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta where the Eastern Regional and Western Regional 250SX Classes will converge for the first of two scheduled East/West Showdowns.
The ninth of 17 races on the 2019 schedule will be televised live on NBCSN Saturday, March 2 beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, 4 p.m. Pacific.