5

Track Maintenance

Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo needed a little help from his friends on the infield when he went down in timed qualifying at the Twisted Tea RedBud National and bent the perch of his clutch. After AC banged at it a few times with his hand with no success, Gear Race Services’ John Ayers Jr., who just happened to have a sledgehammer on him, jumped over the banners and offered to help. (The session was over, so this was not considered outside assistance.) Adam warned Ayers, “Don’t hit my fingers!”—probably not realizing that Ayers practically grew up with a sledgehammer in his hands working on motocross tracks all over the country. Before any fingers or factory parts were knocked back into place and/or smashed to bits, some Kawasaki team personnel arrived to take care of things—and not with a sledgehammer!