Jo Shimoda had a fair amount of success throughout the seven years that he competed at the Loretta Lynn Amateur National Motocross Championship, but no other year matched the heights that he achieved in 2016. The Japanese native was competing in both the Supermini 1 and Supermini 2 classes and he consistently fought for moto victories all week long. Shimoda finished 2nd place in the Supermini 1 class with 3-7-1 moto finishes while he fought his way to the title in the Supermini 2 division with a trio of moto victories. He could’ve been on for two championships but his individual race came in the second moto of the Supermini 1 class where the track conditions were treacherous and muddy, but he still managed to come back for 2nd place overall at the end of the day. Ultimately, Shimoda’s results in the Supermini classes that year earned him an opportunity to represent the AMSOIL Factory Connection Honda squad the following season which led to the professional contract with the Geico Honda team that he has now.