TORRANCE, Calif. (October 18, 2023) — Team Honda HRC announced today that Jo Shimoda will race a CRF250R for Honda’s factory squad during the 2024 and ’25 seasons. The Japanese native will race alongside teammates Jett Lawrence, Hunter Lawrence and Chance Hymas.
Born and raised in Suzuka, Japan, Shimoda began riding dirt bikes when he was 4 years old. After earning early success as an amateur racer in his home country, he sought out stiffer competition internationally. He competed in Europe (even racing against Jett Lawrence on occasion) and in the U.S., earning the 2016 Supermini 2 AMA Amateur National Championship at Loretta Lynn Ranch, at age 14. He signed with the Honda-supported Factory Connection team’s amateur program in 2017, then turned pro near the end of the 2019 season. In 2020 (Shimoda’s first full year as a professional), he finished third in the AMA 250SX East Region final standings, earning the AMA Supercross Rookie of the Year Award. With the Factory Connection team closing before the following season, Shimoda signed with Pro Circuit Kawasaki. In 2021 he became the first Japanese rider to win an AMA 250SX main event, finishing second in the East Region final standings. Last year saw him become the first Japanese rider to score an AMA Pro Motocross overall win, earning second in the 250 final standings. He was third in the same series earlier this year, also taking second in the inaugural SuperMotocross 250 class. So far in his career, Shimoda has collected three 250 overall wins in AMA Pro Motocross, one 250 Regional win in AMA Supercross and one 250 win in SuperMotocross.
“I’m super-stoked to join Honda’s factory team,” Shimoda said. “I feel like I’ve progressed a lot since I was with Factory Connection, and I hope that I can take the next step in my career, to win an AMA championship. I’m friends with the Lawrence brothers since we were teammates at Factory Connection, and they’ve shown that the bikes are capable of winning at the highest level. We’ve already started testing for 2024, and I can’t wait for the season to start.”
Shimoda is the first Japanese rider to sign a factory contract with American Honda, although Honda has fielded top Japanese racers in MotoGP, World Trials and even Formula 1.
“We’re really pleased to welcome Jo back to the Honda family,” said Brandon Wilson, Manager of Racing and Experiential Marketing at American Honda. “We hated losing him ahead of 2021, so it feels like a reunion. He has made great progress in the last few years, firmly establishing himself as one of the top riders in the 250 class. Rider-signing news is always exciting, but this one is particularly meaningful for our management and many of our associates, given the Japanese connection. That said, although he’s already the most successful Japanese motocrosser to race fulltime in the U.S., Jo has his sights set on bigger goals, and we look forward to helping him achieve them.”
2 more full years on 250 …..?
Jo is only 21, it’ll be his fifth and six seasons as a professional, and Honda HRC just moved both Lawrences up. They need Jo in that class for at least two years. He hasn’t won a title and Honda has two more years on this 250 platform and the investement they’ve made into it.
Nice, there it is. Fox from head to toe it seems. Looks like he signed he new Monster Deal aswell? Good for him. Hope he can win a title next year.
Awesome for Jo! Mirtl needs to work on getting Jo a more specialized number font like he did for the Lawrence bros.
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This font would be badass for JO! Number 30, also looks like his name JO, and gives it a Japanese feel! Make it happen Mirtl!
Hopefully, he can win titles this year.
I had heard they went out to the secret spot for this shoot. That place is a BLAST to ride.
Huge Shimoda fans in our family! Jo is awesome....
Is that somewhere near Santa Paula?
Yep.
Man I wish we had some legal riding in the area.
Wow Tate517, did you make that? That looks amazing and would really suit Jo!
That looks insanely good! I don't think I have seen something that would fit a rider so well than that. Somebody needs to make this happen ASAP!
Hate to see him tied to a 250 for 2 more years.
Scott goggles.
HRC has good vibes. It seems like Jett and Jo are buddies. Has anyone noticed they have matching bird tattoos on the arm wrist area?
Congrats young man. Big fan of Shimoda and hope the best for him.
Word is he LOVES the HONDA, and thinks its the best 250 on the market, bar none. He is riding it faster than any bike he has ever sat on.
Pit Row
Did not see this coming!
“Word is he LOVES the ______________, and thinks its the best ______ on the market, bar none. He is riding it faster than any bike he has ever sat on.”
We can use this quote for virtually every rider / team change ever in history and forever more for one of the early comments after a change….lol
You forgot, 5 seconds a lap faster at the test track.
Word is Chase LOVES the KTM 450, and thinks its the best _450_ on the market, bar none. He is riding it faster than any bike he has ever sat on.
Word is Cooper LOVES the YZF 450, and thinks its the best _450_ on the market, bar none. He is riding it faster than any bike he has ever sat on.
I think that was the joke bro 😉
Cool to see Jo on red, big Kawi fan but hopefully this change will get Jo some championships flowing.
*Edit. Meant to quote shred, my bad, clicked on an ad by accident and by the time I got back things had moved 😂
why are some of you guys so concerned about how many years he stays on a 250… i will never understand that.
I believe one of the reasons he left PC was that they don't have a 450 team. He's thinking long term....
There’s a guy outside of Moorpark that’s let’s people ride his tracks.
Rumor is they're all flying on the test track!
Where's he gonna go? He needs to win some 250 titles first before moving up.
I guess he never rode a Star bike?
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