JO SHIMODA

Jo Shimoda’s talent on the motorcycle was certainly noticed by all in the industry, as well as fans from around the world, as the 250MX championship progressed this year. Among a variety of layouts and track conditions, the Honda athlete flourished — which was the case in Washington as well. Once through practice, and the first moto had begun, he contended inside the highest tier of the field, while acquiring the fifth-place standing after five minutes of action. Athletes like Ryder DiFrancesco, Jordon Smith, and Haiden Deegan were just in front of him, and as Smith eventually made a mistake, as two-thirds of the moto had passed, Shimoda would move into a fourth-place residency. It was then a process of working his way around the aforementioned GasGas athlete. He would do so, as twenty-three minutes of competition had passed, and an opportunity to steal the third-place residency appeared, just before the whoop section. A solid, block-pass maneuver was then conducted — where he secured the bronze, while en route to the eventual checkered flag. The Honda athlete would crest the finish line once and for all, earning a solid showing (of third), before moving ahead to the latter stage of the afternoon program. Jo would obtain a seventh-place standing for the initial moments of round two, before quickly moving into fifth after passing Mark Fineis and Jalek Swoll. He (Shimoda) was hounding the rear wheel of Kitchen, just before the seventh minute of competition...when he passed Levi over the finish-line jump, to secure fourth. Ryder DiFrancesco was next to be overtaken, where the Honda athlete would make his way around on the seventh circuit. From that point onward, it was a process of trying to strive for the rear wheel(s) of both, Haiden Deegan and Tom Vialle. But both of those athletes were riding extremely well on their own behalf, and Shimoda knew that they may be a bit out of reach, when entering into the final stages of the moto. Though he continuously charged forward, earning notable lap-times while also remaining mistake-free as the track had significantly deteriorated...and with the checkered flag being thrown, a third-place standing for this round (as well) would propel him into third overall on the final podium. It was a much needed feat to achieve before the two-week break, where Shimoda is set to return to action while contending future race wins!