JO SHIMODA

Fans from Colorado, and the surrounding mountainous region would flock to the hillside of the Lakewood area. Many had come to watch stars emerge within the 250cc class, with the landscape full of newfound competitors along with established veterans. Jo Shimoda was ready to combat whomever, and whatever, stood in his way though — with the speed showcased at Hangtown ready to be unveiled again as the green flag waved for practice. Many of the usual contenders were residing at the highest tier of the leaderboard, but Kawasaki’s Ty Masterpool seemed to be a competitor who had this track figured out better than anyone...at least initially. However, the Honda athlete knew that once moto’s began, the chess match of sorts, would promote the racer with best race-craft to the pinnacle of the leaderboard — not necessarily the competitor who was the outright quickest on a one-lap showcase. As the green flag was waved for the opening endeavor, he and Pierce Brown seemed to be on a paralleled trajectory. It was a battle for mere feet of race-track when diving into the deepest downhill(ed) corners, where ruts were rather acute, but not nearly as expanded as last year. Shimoda would use the abundance of cushion on the outside as a means to gain time on Ty Masterpool who was within a close proximity...and approaching rather quickly as the twenty-minute mark transpired. Once the running order had been established, it was then a battle of will-power between he and the aforementioned Utah native to see who could override the feeling of fatigue...and push their elevated heart rate and lactic acid levels to the wayside. Though the separation was categorized as minimal with the checkered flag then nearing, it was the attrition of Shimoda that led him to capture fifth at the checkered flag. The second portion of the two-half sequence was critical, and It was evident that riders like Tom Vialle, Jalek Swoll, and Jo Shimoda were adamant about moving to the front of the field as quickly as possible. The tie-breaker was pivotal and most important, with the second moto’s implications becoming greater than what had occurred in the opening bout. Which made sense, when seeing Honda’s Shimoda attack the raceway. Running high-caliber lap-times while blitzing through switchback sections at the height of third gear, his motor was being used to its maximal capacity while elevation changes attempt to suppress the height of the RPM range. The fight for third was a contest between, and the aforementioned opponents of Swoll and Vialle —but he remained a standout competitor amongst the trio. As laps began to dwindle, his speed seemed solidified... and slight miscues wouldn’t turn into larger mistakes. Once into the third-place registry (on the seventh circuit) Shimoda’s talented prowess would flourish...where he kept the French rider, and the athlete out of Florida at bay, after passing the Triumph athlete once and for all. Through the fifteenth circuit, the true talent of the rider out of Japan would be present — eventually leading to a well-deserved third-place finish in the moto, for fourth overall on the day.