Jo Shimoda survived multiple instances of contact with Haiden Deegan to score the 250 divisional overall win at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada, and secure his first SuperMotocross World Championship title. Shimoda is the first Japanese-born rider to win a championship in SuperMotocross.
Shimoda entered the round as the championship leader with a 10-point advantage over Haiden Deegan. The advantage was obtained one week previously when Levi Kitchen crashed Deegan in the second moto of Round 2 in St. Louis. In Vegas, Shimoda knew he was in for a battle when Deegan leaned over to tell him, “You’re never going to know what’s about to come.” Shimoda replied, “I don’t speak English,” and then let his bike do the talking.
Winning the first moto, Shimoda needed to finish only third or better in the second race to be scored second overall in the round and take the title. Deegan raced Shimoda roughly in the second moto with the apparent intent of crashing his opponent. Still, after getting put on the ground, Shimoda remounted to finish second in the moto with a dramatic last-lap pass on Tom Vialle. Shimoda’s second-place finish secured him the overall Vegas win and 250 championship title.
Shimoda swept the podium during the SMX playoffs with a third-place finish at zMax Dragway and a victory at St. Louis. The championship paid $500,000 in bonus prize money.
Click here for a recap of Las Vegas
Seth Hammaker entered Vegas third in points and an underdog for the title. As Deegan bedeviled Shimoda, Hammaker was in a position to score the overall victory. At one point, he even had enough points as they ran to win the championship, but once Deegan crashed and Shimoda could ride unimpaired, he lost that advantage. Hammaker won the second moto after finishing third in the first race and was scored second overall. Hammaker finished second in all three SMX rounds this year.
Tom Vialle finished fourth in the first moto and had an opportunity to play the role of spoiler for the overall win. When Deegan wrecked Shimoda, it took several laps for the eventual champion to regain his momentum, and Vialle rode into second. Shimoda’s last lap pass relegated him to third in the race. Vialle was scored third overall.
Relive Moto 1
Nate Thrasher quietly finished fourth overall with results of fifth in Moto 1 and fourth in Moto 2. That was his second top-five during the playoffs, which elevated him to fourth in the championship. Thrasher collected $100,000 in bonus prize money.
Ty Masterpool rounded out the top five, but must have questioned whether that would happen after finishing 11th in the first moto. The chaos that erupted in the second race contributed to a sixth-place finish, elevating Masterpool to fifth overall in the round.
As for Deegan, his actions on the track backfired. He broke his collarbone in the wreck with Shimoda, dropping him to 20th in Moto 2. His second-place finish in the first race was insufficient to keep him in the top five for the round, and Deegan was scored ninth overall. After the race, Deegan was docked another five championship points by the American Motorcycle Association for rough riding, which dropped him from fourth to fifth in the championship standings. The difference in prize money was $50,000.
@smxnation Jo shimoda gets funnier by the day #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #dirtbikeracing #motocross
♬ original sound - SMXNation
Here are the 250 Motocross results, lap times, and points standings after Round 3 at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada:
Results
Moto 1
Results
Fastest Sector Times
Individual Lap Times
Detailed Lap Times
Moto 2
Results
Fastest Sector Times
Individual Lap Times
Detailed Lap Times
250 SuperMotocross Points
Manufacturer Points
Here is the finishing order of Round 3 in Las Vegas:
1. Jo Shimoda, Honda [1-2]
2. Seth Hammaker, [3-1]
3. Tom Vialle, KTM [4-3]
4. Nate Thrasher, Yamaha [5-4]
5. Ty Masterpool, Kawasaki [11-6]
6. Jordon Smith, Triumph [10-7]
7. Garrett Marchbanks, Kawasaki [7-11]
8. Lux Turner, KTM [8-13]
9. Haiden Deegan, Yamaha [2-20]
10. Dilan Schwartz, Yamaha [18-5]
11. Cullin Park, Honda [15-8]
12. Daxton Bennick, Yamaha [9-14]
13. Parker Ross, Yamaha [14-10]
14. Levi Kitchen, Kawasaki [6-21]
15. Gage Linville, KTM [13-15]
16. Drew Adams, Kawasaki [20-9]
17. Max Anstie, Yamaha [17-12]
18. Henry Miller, Yamaha [12-19]
19. Cole Thompson, Yamaha [16-16]
20. Justin Rodbell, Honda [19-18]
21. Hunter Yoder, Kawasaki [23-17]
22. Ryder DiFrancesco, GasGas [21-22]
23. Cole Davies, Yamaha [22-23]
SuperMotocross Results
St. Louis 450 Results | 250 Results
zMax Dragway 450 Results | 250 Results
Motocross Results
Pala 450 Results | 250 Results
Hangtown 450 Results | 250 Results
Thunder Valley 450 Results | 250 Results
High Point 450 Results | 250 Results
Southwick 450 Results | 250 Results
RedBud 450 Results | 250 Results
Spring Creek 450 Results | 250 Results
Washougal 450 Results | 250 Results
Ironman 450 Results | 250 Results
Unadilla 450 Results | 250 Results
Budds Creek 450 Results | 250 Results
Supercross Results
Anaheim 1 450 Results | 250W Results
San Diego 450 Results | 250W Results
Anaheim 2 450 Results | 250W Results
Glendale 450 Results | 250W Results
Tampa 450 Results | 250E Results
Detroit 450 Results | 250E Results
Arlington 450 Results | 250W Results
Daytona 450 Results | 250E Results
Indianapolis 450 Results | 250 E/W Results
Birmingham 450 Results | 250E Results
Seattle 450 Results | 250W Results
Foxborough 450 Results | 250E Results
Philadelphia 450 Results | 250 E/W Results
New Jersey 450 Results | 250E Results
Pittsburgh 450 Results | 250E Results
Denver 450 Results | 250W Results
Salt Lake City 450 Results | 250 E/W Results
More SuperMotocross News
Haiden Deegan breaks collarbone Las Vegas crash at Las Vegas
Jett Lawrence wins 450 SMX Championship for third time
Jo Shimoda wins Las Vegas, SMX 250 championship
Jett Lawrence remains perfect with Las Vegas Moto 1 win
Jo Shimoda wins Las Vegas Moto 1
Jett Lawrence survives Q1 Las Vegas mistakes, lands on top of 450 sheet
Third-ranked Seth Hammaker sweeps Las Vegas SMX finale 250 qualification
Hunter Lawrence beats Jett in Las Vegas finale 450 practice
Seth Hammaker sweeps Las Vegas finale 250 practice
Levi Kitchen defends contact with Haiden Deegan
