JO SHIMODA GRIT-225 250MX

JO SHIMODA | GRIT-225 | 250MX

Kawasaki's Jo Shimoda had generated immense success at the Red Bud National in year's past, and would look to do much the same for the 2023 event on Saturday. After qualifying ninth, Shimoda would accelerate into the first moto with tangible momentum, completing the first full lap in sixth prior to battling with his teammate Seth Hammaker. He and the Pennsylvanian would battle for every inch of racetrack they could find, where Shimoda stormed passed in the corners before LaRocco's Leap, but Hammaker would somehow find his way back around! The resiliency of Shimoda was then on display however, where he fought past the number thirty-five in just a lap or so thereafter; prior to making an unfortunate mistake, that would have him descending to the eighth position. With little time to waste, Shimoda would charge as hard as possible while looking to overtake riders like Max Vohland; but Jo couldn't seem to make a definitive pass on Vohland, and was then overtaken by Levi Kitchen as the checkered flag waved in the distance. Eventually finalized in eighth (after being docked one position for a brief off-track incident in the rollers), Shimoda would seek redemption when the next moto would arise. As the green flag waved for the latter afternoon competition, Shimoda would hover inside the top-five, battling with the likes of Tom Vialle, Haiden Deegan, and Justin Cooper as the moto began to progress. Shimoda and Cooper seemed to be on the same page as the manual(ed) through the roller section, with Shimoda toggling between the inside and outside section(s) of the two-way(ed) corner before the finish-line. He remained steadfast though pursued by riders in the latter half of the top-ten, including Max Vohland and Jalek Swoll; who were two (of many) competitors that sought to overtake him as the final laps were on the horizon. It was a game of attrition for Shimoda, who had fought through many injuries up until this point in the series; but the tenacity of the number thirty was evident as he plowed through a multitude of braking bumps and pot-holes, while pinning the throttle on a path to the final tabletop. Following that of Justin Cooper across the final jump, it was Shimoda who claimed a stellar standing of fifth for the moto; which granted him seventh overall, and just one point behind KTM's Max Vohland. With Southwick now around the corner, look for the Monster Energy Pro Circuit rider to flourish amongst demanding conditions in Massachusetts.

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