In retirement, Cianciarulo's all about finding new ways to contribute to the moto world

As a key cog of the moto media, an integral part of Race Day Live on Peacock and NBCSN, and part of the dynamic duo in flanking Justin Brayton in the AC & JB Show podcast, Adam Cianciarulo provides the U.S. fanbase with extraordinary insight and information.

And he does all of this after stringing together an extraordinary 11-year AMA Pro Racing career which ran from 2013 through 2024. The 2019 AMA Pro Motocross 250 champion and 2020 450 Pro Motocross second-place finisher, the racer from Port Orange, Florida also won 20 races along the way, 11 races in 250SX, seven races in 250MX and two races in in 450MX before calling time on his career.

A champion, a winner and partnered with the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki and Monster Energy Kawasaki factory team throughout his entire professional tenure, Cianciarulo took everything he learned from the sport along the way and carried it into the broadcast booth.

This weekend, he'll be in Southern California for the SMX World Championship Playoff round from Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles.  

“Just stoked to be going back to work here with the SMX Playoffs," he said.

"I always enjoy doing that, so it was nice to get back to work this past weekend in Columbus and knock one of those out. We had a little weather roll through. Live TV is always ever changing, and it is very stimulating for me in that way. This past weekend when we started the show, we really didn’t know what the schedule was going to be or how we were going to go about it, so we kind of just had to figure it out in real time. Had a blast doing that and the preshow and the post show.

"And then during the week for me it‘s just all of our production meetings, and just making sure everything is sorted and thatwe have a good plan going into round two. I actually got out and played some golf this morning. I only have one day during the week when I’m working where I can go out and play, so I always try to get it in when I can.”

In an interview Cianciarulo and this writer did earlier this summer, Adam spoke about dedicating his life to the sport and where else he might want to go with it, stating, “I’m just figuring out how I can contribute the best I can to the sport and the industry that I love so much. I have a lifetime worth of experience in the sport. I think I have a lot to offer there. It’s really just trying to figure out where exactly that fits in. I’m pretty busy these days.”

After reading this quote back to himself, Cianciarulo weighed in.

“Of course when you’re young and in the sport as a rider, it’s all about you,” he explained. “It’s all obviously about working hard and trying to perform and win championships and win races.

"I think one of the things I had looked forward to in retirement is that it’s a very selfish type of lifestyle as an athlete. You're focused on yourself and the way that you feel and the way that you feel on the bike quite often. I think that shift for me has been instead of, ‘How can I promote myself or do these things for myself?’ I now look at it more from a standpoint of, ‘At the end of the day, when it’s all said and done and I’m at the end of my life, I just want to be able to say that I contributed to the industry and to the sport.’ I just want to have a small footnote in the sport’s history.

"My motivation is to see the sport continue to grow. It’s in a great spot right now. It’s just being more focused on the community over my own selfish desires.

“To me, racing is the best job in the world. It’s incredibly difficult and taxing, but it’s very rewarding because you’re always trying to get the absolute best out of yourself. When you put everything on the line like that and you work towards it, it’s a very simple way to live.

"The closest I get to those feelings now are before go we live on TV. It’s more excitement than nerves or pressure, but you always want to perform well on TV and represent the sport to the best of your ability. I definitely don’t take that lightly, and I’m glad I get a little excited and a little nervous before we go on. That’s the kind of stuff that makes you feel alive.

"I try to take the same mindset that I had about racing. I didn’t want to just take the same mindset that I had about racing. I didn’t want to just coast along. I worked really hard my whole life and I wanted to apply the things that I’ve learned in racing and in life to what I’m doing now. I think if I was just kind of ghosting through it and not putting much effort into it, it probably wouldn’t be as fun, but I genuinely take it serious to represent the sport and to try and give people the best information I can.

"That is my responsibility, so I take it serious. I work really hard at it. We have an amazing crew. Everybody on Race Day Live. Justin Brayton. The crew I get to work with is awesome. Everybody just brings each other up. Everybody wants to work in an environment like that.”

After an 11-year professional career, the 2019 AMA Pro Motocross 250 champion and a winner of 20 professional races, what does Cianciarulo think when he looks back at his body of racing work?

“Honestly, it depends on the day,” he said. “I think there are a lot of times where I can look at what I did and be very proud of what I did. I think the odds of winning a championship, winning races, riding for a factory team and making a lot of money in the sport is not high. That is reserved for the elite.

"I’m glad I got to that level, but of course and as a perfectionist and as someone that had a lot of talent on the motorcycle, there is a sense that I did leave things on the table due to some injuries and stuff like that. A lot of those things were outside of my control, and I think we can all play that game sometimes when we have certain goals and we don’t reach them.

"At the end of the day, the life that I have right now, I’m so happy with what I’m doing that even some of those results that I wish I could go back and change, it’s a little easier to take because it’s put me in this exact position in my life and I’m very happy where I’m at. You know you always want more. Of course I wanted to win more races, but ultimately, I’m happy with my body of work. I’m happy with my attitude through it all and just always trying to be the best I could.”

What does Cianciarulo make of the current day racers he's around in 2026?

“You know, I was actually just talking about this with Justin Brayton when we were walking around the track just this past Friday," he said.

"One of the things that I love is the brotherhood between ourselves and the other riders. If you’ve been at that level and you’ve won at the highest level, there is a certain respect that you get from the other riders. We all know how difficult it is. It’s such a difficult way to make a living.

"At the same time, it is so rewarding. We all have such a passion for it. Just being on this side of the microphone now and being able to talk in a more relaxed way with the other riders and try to get to know them a little bit more, I really enjoy that aspect of it. Ultimately, my job now is to try to let the fans know just how difficult it is to do what these guys are doing on the weekend. I have so much respect for all the talent that we have on track right now. That’s why I take my job so seriously. Those guys derive to be praised for what they’re doing.”

A number of years back and at the then Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship, Cianciraulo, still racing at the time, came walking into the Kawasaki pits of Angel Stadium early that morning. Upon doing so, this writer asked him if he still felt the rush of race day. I asked Adam if he remembered that, and how he feels now in 2026.

“Oh yeah!” he replied. “I remember that as clear as day. I think I have a more relaxed vibe at the races now because the pressure to perform is less. Even though it is still there, it is less than it was, but there is something to be said, too, of the experiencing the races and the industry for a different perspective, you know? I love it just as much, but just in a different way. I’m just so grateful that I’m in this spot now where I can be still a part of the traveling circus.”