JORDON SMITH | GRIT-220 | 250SX

JORDON SMITH | GRIT-220 | SX 250

Chosen by many as a legitimate contender to win this 250SX East/West Showdown, Yamaha's Jordon Smith would certainly embody that notion as the green flag waved for practice early in the morning hours of Saturday's event in Salt Lake City, Utah. As expected, his raw speed and attacking nature aboard the 250F would be displayed instantly; where he was striving for the pole position throughout every practice segment he entered. Regardless of how crusted the berm, or deep the rut on this slightly rocky Utah surface, Smith would obliterate it with his wheel set...which would cause even his toughest rivals to notice as the field stormed toward the heat race. He was sanctioned in the 250SX East divisional round, which was a condensed main event amongst all of his usual opposition. And though the challenge was tougher than ever, Smith would rise to the occasion while hanging onto the fifth-place residency; eventually moving past Talon Hawkins to trail Jo Shimoda (while in fourth). Smith was extremely fast when powering through the left-right sequence before the finish-line, sliding his rear wheel amongst the muddy terrain and proceeding to scrub the final double on the circuit with immense control before heading into the whoop section. It was clear that Smith was striving for more, where he attempted to pass Jo Shimoda on the seventh and eighth circuit(s) of action; but it was to no avail, and Smith would have to be finalized in fourth prior to departing to the main event. For the finalé, the process of both fields (i.e. 250cc West and East Coasts) meshing would create quite the scenario in festivities that were playing out on the racetrack; with newfound battles developing in every corner amongst riders who weren't quite familiar with one another. His attacking of the corner after the whoops would allow him to triple onto the plateau that followed, which was a daring leap amongst an absence of traction and ruts that were carved amid every transition! He was throwing caution to the wind, all the while passing Tom Vialle and Chris Blose, to inherit fifth from an initial standing of seventh. Once into fifth, there was little that would deviate in his process of being established in a final overall position; where Shimoda (who was ahead) was in a flow of his own, and the top-three adversaries were riding at a phenomenal pace in their own right. It would be up to him, to limit his mistakes on this rutted and slick racing canvas; where even with his "sending it" riding style, the North Carolina native managed to portray an aptitude that thrived amongst the shiny surface. He ultimately collected a fifth overall standing just ahead of Hunter Lawrence, to conclude the 2023 "SX" season on a strong note!

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