JO SHIMODA GRIT-221 250MX

JO SHIMODA | GRIT-221 | SX 250

The challenge of pushing into the top-ten, in this stacked 250cc classification, would be one that appealed to competitiveness of Kawasaki's Jo Shimoda. He wanted to race against the best riders from around the world, and with newfound competition like Tom Vialle lining up beside him, there would be little to speculate about in regard gauging his speed on a world-class level, by the time all was said and done at Fox Raceway. He would storm through each practice session with a means of establishing a dominant presence amongst his competitors aspiration(s); which translated into moto number one where he initially dove to the inside of the opening corner. He was just behind Jalek Swoll while occupying the second-place position, knowing that he could move forward (rather quickly)...and would do so before the end of the first full lap. It would be he and RJ Hampshire (at that point) going back in forth in a series of valiant battles, where they swapped lines and moved from inside to outside without ever letting go of the throttle. Shimoda's will to win couldn't have been higher, but Hampshire was able to make a pass on the beginning the third lap with a brilliant inside move...leaving the Kawasaki rider to second, where he continued to charge forward with aggression. However, his aspirations of returning to the lead would come to a screeching halt when a high-speed front end washout in the roller section on lap number five slammed him to the ground! Luckily he was okay, and proceeded to regain as much time as possible, while in the fifth-place residency. In the laps that followed, he would pass his teammate Ryder DiFrancesco while striving toward the checkered flag; relentless with speeds while flying through ruts and berms alike. Ultimately finalized in fourth, he would be eager for another aggressive moto in the following hours. For the second moto of the day, the track would be substantially drier than the first outing; and he had to be mindful of rear-wheel spin as he leapt atop the multitude of step-ups furthest from the starting gate. Jagged edges were now appearing before each one-eighty degree turn, where hundreds of bikes had passed and created a rigid taper (atop the braking bumps) that caused countless machines to swap from side to side. His vision would allow him to flourish, where he dodged many entry points (that were filled with the aforementioned bumps) and would veer to the inside(s) of particular corners at the last minute in order to remain efficient while safeguarding a position inside the top-ten, after beginning in fifteenth. The opportunity to strike (on behalf of Yamaha's Levi Kitchen who was behind him) would narrow as they neared the checkered flag, and the charge from the Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider (from his original starting position) would be applauded by all in his supporting cast. After making countless passes through the field, he eventually stormed to a final position of sixth to conclude all action at Fox Raceway - which was strong enough for seventh overall.

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