JO SHIMODA - GRIT 238 250SX

JO SHIMODA | GRIT-238 | 250 SX

Seeking to rebound following the problematic mud races that were previously embarked on, Honda's Jo Shimoda surveyed the track for qualification with unwavering focus. Every line seem to be magnified and his precision with the throttle amongst the transitions seemed to be a catalyst for monstrous leaps of tripling combination(s) in various rhythm sections...leaving many of his foe in disbelief while they watched from afar. His surrounding team members of the Honda assembly could only applaud and cheer as he rolled into the night show with tremendous self belief; battling amongst turn number one and fighting in the opening minutes of the first main event to reside around the twelfth-place standing. Though a crash in the moments thereafter would deter him well outside the top-fifteen, where it seems as if Shimoda couldn't regain his rhythm fast enough. Though continuously marching forward, he would be finalized in ninth just behind Anthony Bourdon. His start to the second moto wasn't necessarily the most desired either, but Shimoda's standing in the latter half of the top-ten would eventually be dismissed as he made his way by opponents like Ryder DiFrancesco. Seeing the likes of Carson Mumford and Julien Beaumer just ahead, with less than two minutes remaining on the clock, he would pass both opponents simultaneously (by forcing them wide) and then move into fifth with little time to spare! Passing Anthony Bourdon not long thereafter, the race to capture third (i.e. by taking over Phil Nicoletti) seemed tangible and one that Shimoda aspired for. And with two corners to go, the Honda rider pushed the veteran to the outside; stamping his approval on the third place position, where he definitively resided upon exiting the raceway. The fight for a top-five standing was one of pure grit, as Shimoda, Hampshire, Marchbanks, and Jordon Smith were alongside one another in the early going of moto three. However, Shimoda's brilliant passes enabled him to move into the top-three rather decisively as the halfway point was toppled. Levi Kitchen was then the next target to try and overtake, and as Jo zeroed-in, this distance between he and the Kawasaki rider condensed. Eventually passing the number forty-seven on the eleventh circuit, Shimoda's second-place in this main event was enough to propel him to fourth overall in the final record book; which was a strong finish, to conclude the Triple Crown sequence.

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