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Davies is literally from the penguin capital of the world. I get what you're saying, and I also have grace and understanding for why Davies could have struggles in the heat.
Jo is winning this title. The Summer is only getting hotter and Jo is ready for it and Cole isn’t. Obviously Cole trains in the heat, but he doesn’t have the Outdoor Nationals experience that Shimoda has and clearly Jo has more stamina. Shimoda looked like he could have rode another 10 minutes if he had to and Davies looked like he needs to race with a Camelbak next weekend. Jo def can still improve his starts and make things easier tor himself and I expect him to do so.
This is what I'm thinking. Over the course of the series, outside of a crazy injury, he can/should prevail.
shimoda is strongest at the end of the season historically. Davies is only going to get better. On their ON days i think outright speed is a wash. this is going to be a dog fight to the end
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In a perfect scenario, The JO'show wins this 250 outdoor title. Then Suzuki scoops him up for a multi year 450 contract to roll-out the new RMZ450 with the best MX rider Japan has produced since Akira Watanabe; maybe ever.
Cole will be a double champion next year anyway.
I like Davies for any given moto win, but I like Shimoda for points consistency. Jo Shimoda, 2026 #1.
Interesting note to add on Davies, he apparently threw up / puked about 5 times after moto 2 according to JT in the Racer X review pod.
And Red Bud wasn’t even that hot at about low to mid 80s and a bit of cloud cover.
However, we only have a few hot rounds left.
Southwick is looking pretty overcast, but could be mid 80s if sunny. Spring Creek will be somewhat mellow. Same with Washougal, Unadilla, and Ironman.
Which really only leaves Budds Creek as a true warm race
It's only going to get hotter and rougher and Jo thrives on that. Plus, he got the monkey off his back with that win coming off his neck injury. He's going to start believing now. And last year he wasn't even inconsistent, he just got second to Deegan a lot, but he strraight up worked Deegan at Unadilla. It's Jo time.
Heat wrecked Tomac's 2010 season. I've had heat stress multiple times from working on chillers poorly located in courtyards. No real airflow except the condensers recirculating 140° air. Now it seems like I get sick sooner and I sweat all the time, even when it's cold out. It doesn't seem like something you get and just recover, fucks you up for awhile.
Why would spring creek be mellow? It’s been hot and humid in WI/MN the last week, we had a nice day yesterday and today but then it’s back to 90-100 heat index. Very likely to be hot and humid race weekend
I bet a lot of people did when they saw Katie dive into the pisswater.
Hopefully he is good to go though
Jo better win this title
Impossible. According to the one guy on here these guys should have no problem racing in the heat and humidity.
#Sarcasm
7 years - still a rookie! If Martin Davalos' career (2006-2019) has taught me anything it is that there is always next year. 🤪
I think Cole takes it. He has the speed, and now the starts and consistency to back the speed up.
Jo is two yrs older than Jett and will be a 250 lifer... Davies will win and be in the 450 class for 2028... there is a reason jo hasn't already won an sx or outdoor title, he's good, but not elite...
Camelbak!! That shit's funny 😂😂
Plus that valley holds humidity !
Pit Row
Yep, Jo can be somewhat consistent but he could start in 18th next week and I wouldn’t be surprised at all
Weird way to criticize a guy who dropped Davies in moto 2.
Wait, what?!
Katie what?
What's interesting is that Jo, Levi, and Seth are all older than Haiden and Jett:
Per Racer X:
Seth Hammaker 25 years, 9 months, 7 days (Sep 29, 2000)
Levi Kitchen 25 years, 4 months, 20 days (Feb 16, 2001)
Jo Shimoda 24 years, 1 month, 20 days (May 16, 2002)
Hunter Lawrence 26 years, 11 months, 5 days (Aug 1, 1999)
Jett Lawrence 22 years, 10 months, 29 days (Aug 7, 2003)
Haiden Deegan 20 years, 5 months, 26 days (Jan 10, 2006)
However, I don't necessarily think it's fair to hyper-criticize Seth, Levi, or Jo for their age.
Yes, Haiden and Jett moved up earlier, but they are also generational talents.
It's hard to blame or expect Seth, Levi, or Jo to have been able to beat either Jett or Haiden when they were in 250s.
Rather, I think what it shows is that you shouldn't need to win a 250 title to prove your worth for a factory 450 ride, in particular when racing against generational talents.
Take, AP, Malcolm, RJ, and Justin Cooper. All of them got and "deserved" factory rides because they won a 250 title, but look at their competition for those titles: AP beat Alex Martin in 2018 MX, RJ beat Levi in 24 (after Levi got taken out by McAdoo in Nashville), Malcolm beat AP in 2016 SX (who was only in his 2nd year), Cooper beat Hunter (only in his 2nd year of SX).
I don't think any of them would have won had they had to race against Jett or Deegan.
So, I think it's a unfair comparison to hold Jo, Seth, or Levi to the same standard.
The perfect case in point is RJ and Garrett who are currently 4th and 5th in 450s and both of them are arguably less talented / fast than all 3 of Jo, Seth, and Levi.
And, look at Jo in MXON 2025 (he was quite competitive and finished 2-6, beating RJ Hampshire, and Maxime Renaux, and finishing only 2-8 seconds behind Febvre and Gajser in moto 3 after having no break compared to the MXGP class).
All this to say, think those 3 are fast and ready to compete in 450s. I honestly, don't want to see any of them keep delaying their 450 debut if they lose to Davies. It's time for them to move up before they get too old.
Probably end up being decided on how good their starts are.
Training in those conditions is sensible to acclimatise but it doesn’t change the underlying physiological differences between individuals.
If Cole can deliver 1-2 scores in what is supposed to be his weakest conditions then he’s doing OK.
Interesting to note: We've seen Jo's best, he's been at it a long time now.
How much higher is Davies ceiling? This is his first outdoor season, no? Missed most of last year. According to Racer X vault he's never even raced any of these tracks, except 'Dilla & Buds (+ Red Bud Combine maybe??)
Cole Davies Supercross & Motocross Results - Racer X
I’m a big Davies fan. I think the kid is just scratching the surface on his potential and he could spend the next decade truly competing for titles in either class.
But any race that Shimoda is in, he’s my favorite. Not sure why, but I just can’t help but root for him to win every time that there’s a glimmer of hope for him. When he gets injured it just makes me mad at the universe for that happening to such a good guy as him.
In a perfect world, Shimoda wins this year in the final moto against Davies, moves to the 450, and Davies then dominates next year before moving up himself.
Has Shimoda been in this position before? I like both Davies and Shimoda, but I think Davies is a tick faster than Jo. Jo defends pretty well in a race when he’s up front, which isn’t very often. If Jo can get to the front quickly throughout the next races, he will win the championship. If he hesitates on passing, then Davies will take it.
This is a good take. I think Jo will manage the championship better, but if he fails to execute in too many motos, Davies will take too many points away from him. Jo riding at his best every moto will be enough. Is that what we'll see, though?
How are you feeling Pro?
Say all you want, they are old for the 250 class and are wildly inconsistant. If they were in MX2 they would have aged out.
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