(1) Amateur phenom. Most riders’ careers begin when they turn Pro, but this wasn’t the case for Adam Cianciarulo. He was courted by sponsors and teams from a very young age. Adam was famous for his speed and desire to win from the early age of 5 years old.
(2) Pro debut. Adam Cianciarulo made his AMA debut at Budds Creek in 2013 after salmonella poisoning delayed his debut until the fifth race of the season. He didn’t light the world on fire right away. His best finish came in round 11 in Utah when he went 3-9 for fourth overall behind Tomac, Baggett, and Roczen.
(3) Supercross debut. Adam’s Supercross debut was much more exciting. He won his first-ever 250 Supercross main event at Arlington. He was second in Atlanta, first again at Indianapolis and second at Daytona, his hometown race. He was first again in Detroit, but his five-race podium streak stopped at round six in Toronto, Canada. Adam was running second in the main event when he crashed and dislocated his shoulder. In true Cianciarulo fashion, he had the medics pop it back in, and he got back on the bike to rejoin the race. Sadly, it proved to be too much pain, and he was forced to take a DNF and miss the rest of the 2014 season.
(4) Villopoto. Seventeen-year-old Ryan Villopoto was quoted in an MXA interview talking about Adam Cianciarulo’s impressive speed and potential in 2006 when Adam was only 10 years old on a KX65. Both Adam and Ryan were longtime Kawasaki riders. Adam followed in Ryan’s footsteps and trained with him at the Baker’s Factory before Aldon signed an exclusive deal to only train KTM, Husky and GasGas riders.
(5) Team Green. Adam Cianciarulo has only ridden two brands of motorcycles. He rode Cobra 50s and then signed a contract with Team Green to ride the KX65 at 7 years old. Amazingly, Adam stayed on Team Green for his entire 20-year career. Another Villopoto connection is the fact that Ryan did the same, only Ryan didn’t move to Team Green until later in his 85cc days, and he’s now an ambassador for Yamaha.
(6) Heartbreak. Adam joined the Pro ranks as the most highly anticipated rider to date, and he lived up to expectations immediately when he won his first 250 Supercross. Unfortunately, it wasn’t so easy from there. Adam finished runner-up in the 250 Supercross Regional Championships three years in a row. In his last season eligible for the 250 class, Adam lost the 250SX East Coast Supercross title in a late-race crash at the Las Vegas finale. He entered the race with an eight-point lead over Dylan Ferrandis, but his crash bent the bike up too much to continue. Adam redeemed himself from his Las Vegas crash when he won the 2019 AMA 250 National Championship over Dylan Ferrandis and a stacked 250 class. This was a major milestone for Cianciarulo. He was finally able to get the Championship monkey off his back before moving to the 450 ranks.
(7) Monster Cup. Adam’s 450 career started much like his 250 journey. He won straight away at the 2019 Monster Energy Cup, beating his new teammate, Eli Tomac, with 2-2-1 moto scores in the Triple Crown race. Adam will forever be the final Monster Cup Champion, as the race didn’t return in 2020 due to COVID, and now the SMX playoffs have taken its place.
(8) 450 career. Adam’s 250 and 450 careers have both been riddled with injury, but Kawasaki has stayed loyal to the fan favorite from Florida. Adam’s best Premier-class Supercross season came in 2023 when he scored ninth overall in the season points with 12 top 10s, two top fives and a podium finish in Denver. His best 450 outdoor season came in 2020 when he scored two overall wins and was the series runner-up, only seven points behind Zach Osborne in the Championship.
(9) Rivalry. What makes a rider memorable are the rivalries. Adam and Cooper Webb have battled since they were on 65s. When Adam announced his retirement, Cooper posted, “Fifteen-plus years spent trying to figure out how to beat this guy. Lots of sleepless nights and battles were had, but looking back, it helped shape me into the racer I am.”
(10) Injury. Unfortunately, a nerve injury in his left arm cut Adam’s career short. He has undergone over 10 surgeries to try to repair the ulnar nerve that is causing his left hand to lose strength, but no procedure has cured it. Adam admits that he still loves racing and training, but this lingering injury unfortunately caused Adam to retire after the 2024 Supercross season.
TEN THINGS ABOUT ADAM CIANCIARULO’S 20-YEAR CAREER Motocross Action Magazine.
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