Jo Shimoda used every ounce of his strength Saturday in The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, Missouri, to finish second on both motos and score the overall victory in Round 2 of the SuperMotocross World Championship playoffs. If he finishes second again next week in Las Vegas, he will be the 2025 250 SuperMotocross League champion.
Shimoda was battling illness throughout the evening, but he kept control of his fate by finishing 6.692 seconds behind Haiden Deegan in Moto 1. He bypassed the podium and headed back to his hauler to rest. In Moto 2, he watched Tom Vialle get the holeshot and kept the leader in sight until they crossed under the checkers 3.768 seconds apart. This time, he made an appearance on the box following the 2-2 victory, but kept his remarks brief. He has to rest up for Las Vegas.
Shimoda left the dome 10 points ahead of his principal rival, Deegan, and needs only to finish second next week to earn his first SuperMotocross championship and end Deegan’s streak of two consecutive titles.
Click here for a recap of St. Louis
Seth Hammaker had a shot at the overall victory in the closing laps. Sensing that Shimoda was less than 100 percent, he closed the gap late before Shimoda found the extra bit of energy he needed. Hammaker settled for second overall with results of third in each moto and will be one of the top three candidates battling for the championship.
Hammaker is 14 points behind the leader, Shimoda, and that stings. If not for a five-point penalty for jumping on a red cross flag last week in Concord, North Carolina, he would be within nine and have the opportunity to tie Shimoda with a victory and potentially win with a tiebreaker.
Nate Thrasher finished sixth in the first moto and fourth in Moto 2 to take the final position on the podium. This is Thrasher’s best SMX result by a wide margin, bettering a ninth last week at zMax Dragway. His two SuperMotocross starts in 2024 both landed in the 20s.
Relive Moto 1
Ty Masterpool had to do it the hard way. Forced to advance through the Wild Card (Last Chance Qualifier) race, his gate pick was modest compared to the seeded riders, but Masterpool executed a strong start in Moto 1 to score a top-five finish. His fourth-place finish in that race and a sixth in Moto 2 placed him fourth overall after losing one position to the tiebreaker.
Vialle had a strong start in Moto 1, but lost pace midway through the race and faded to 10th. He got another good jump out of the gate in the second race, and this time he held on for the moto victory. With his 10-1 finish during the evening, he was scored fifth overall.
Deegan earned the holeshot in Moto 1 and walked away from the field despite tipping over halfway through the race. He did not get as strong a jump in Moto 2, but that rarely affects him since Deegan is one of the best at coming through the field.
The adverse effect came from the accumulation of bad will. He trash-talked his way throughout the season and made enemies of several riders. On Lap 1, Levi Kitchen rode across two sets of ruts with his eye on standing Deegan up at the very least. Kitchen cleaned Deegan out and crashed both riders. Deegan broke a brake lever in the accident and recovered only to 14th. With his Moto 1 win, Deegan was credited with sixth and left Missouri with a 10-point gap to the leader. Had Deegan not made a late-race pass on Lux Turner, he would have finished ninth overall after coming out on the losing end of a four-way tie.
Here are the 250 Motocross results, lap times, and points standings after Round 2 at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, Missouri:
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 2 in St. Louis (points earners):
1. Jo Shimoda, Honda [2-2]
2. Seth Hammaker, Kawasaki [3-3]
3. Nate Thrasher, Yamaha [6-4]
4. Ty Masterpool, Kawasaki [4-6]
5. Tom Vialle, KTM [10-1]
6. Haiden Deegan, Yamaha [1-14]
7. Jordon Smith, Triumph [11-5]
8. Daxton Bennick, Yamaha [9-7]
9. Max Anstie, Yamaha [8-8]
10. Levi Kitchen, Kawasaki [5-12]
11. Cole Davies, Yamaha [7-11]
12. Drew Adams, Kawasaki [13-9]
13. Ryder DiFrancesco, GasGas [12-10]
14. Garrett Marchbanks, Kawasaki [14-13]
15. Dilan Schwartz, Yamaha [16-15]
16. Cullin Park, Honda [15-17]
17. Lux Turner, KTM [17-16]
18. Parker Ross, Yamaha [18-18]
19. Hunter Yoder, Kawasaki [20-19]
20. Cole Thompson, KTM [19-21]
21. Gage Linville, KTM [23-20]
22. Justin Rodbell, Honda [21-22]
23. Henry Miller, Yamaha [22-23]
SuperMotocross 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
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