VOL. 51 ISSUE 9 MARCH 4, 2014 P89
ally, this is nothing new, he's always been
that way, long before he ever turned pro.
He's already a great role model and is the
dream rider of every race team manager
and sponsor out there, no wonder he's al-
ready signed a multi-year contract that will
see him riding green for a long, long time.
And his maturity was well evident after his
Dallas SX victory.
After winning your first big race, you'd
think it would be easy to let it all go to your
head, but not with Cianciarulo. He seems
to have a handle on his emotions and cer-
tainly knows how to manage them and
keep everything in check.
"I tried to let it all soak in on Sunday -
getting my first big win - just so I could
have the time to focus on the things that
I needed to later during the week," said
Cianciarulo. "It's hard coming from such a
high, and then you've got to get right back
to work, but that's the sport I'm in, so I just
tried to get back focused on getting ready
for the next race."
Despite his stellar career as an am-
ateur, Cianciarulo's win at Dallas was
definitely a bit of a surprise to most of
us, especially after his mediocre pro
debut in last year's outdoor series.
(Keep in mind, though, Cianciarulo
was still suffering from salmonella poi-
soning that he contracted just days
before he was supposed to compete
in his very first pro race at the Hang-
town National MX in May, 2013. More
than half the series had passed before
he was fully recovered.)
"I think it surprised me how perfectly
everything went [at the Dallas Super-
cross], from my starts to how I con-
nected to the track; everything went re-
ally well, I performed really well under
pressure," said Cianciarulo. "So I don't
think it was a surprise, I knew I could do
it, but I was really surprised how every-
thing came together so well."
(Right) In his first
AMA Supercross race,
Cianciarulo came out
fighting and won.
(Left) Cianciarulo
might have made
some "rookie"
mistakes at the
Atlanta Supercross,
but he didn't let those
mistakes get in his
head. He still rode
well when it counted
and finished second.
