Jo Shimoda had huge shoes to fill in 2024. A year earlier, the Honda HRC team swept the Supercross Championship with Hunter Lawrence winning in the 250 East division, Jett Lawrence winning in the West and Chase Sexton taking the 450 name. Literally not There is a way. for the team to improve; the only thing they can hope to fit into the historic feat of 2023.
The bike and equipment were capable, so expectations were high. They were high, not only because of the Lawrence brothers’ good luck in the 250 division, but also because Shimoda was coming off a wonderful 2023 season.
MORE: Jo Shimoda’s first 250 Supercross win
In 2023, Shimoda Honda’s biggest rival as he competes with the tough Pro Circuit team Kaaki. He finished third in Pro Motocross editions that year and second in the inaugural SuperMotocross World Championship after winning the series opener at zMax Dragway in Concord, North Carolina, and finishing second in the other two rounds. Haiden Deegan won the name in five issues, but many would say Shimoda is just as strong.
The difference between first, second and third (the podium positions) was the deciding factor. Shimoda scored 3 podiums in six motos in 2023 compared to Deegan’s four. In the end, the championship was in complicated matters: Shimoda had the merit in In terms of consistency, he had the worst result, a fourth place, but it was deserved three times. Deegan finished fifth twice.
It took a few laps in the Monster Energy Supercross series for Shimoda to feel comfortable. He narrowly missed the podium on the first lap at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, finishing two-tenths of a second behind Levi Kitchen in third. He crashed and couldn’t. He finished the second moto in the muddy situations that marred San Francisco, and then recorded two more fourth-place finishes.
By most measures, Shimoda was riding well — but he was still being compared with the Lawrence brothers. As Shimoda settled into his rhythm and the pressure lessened, his results improved. He finished third in Glendale, Arizona, and Seattle, Washington. He stepped up one position more in St. Louis, Missouri, and Nashville, Tennessee, to finish second.
Only one position remains. In the penultimate loop of the 250 West division, Shimoda beat Kitchen by one position and won his first Supercross race. A final fourth position followed, which put Shimoda almost in the top five.
Shimoda showed the same progression in Pro Motocross. He was sixth at Fox Raceway in Pala, California, in the season opener and then fifth in the next round in the Hangtown Motocross Classic. Shimoda finished fourth in the following two rounds, and then scored third-place finishes in three of his next four starts.
Not even an early crash in Moto 2 of the Spring Creek Nationals could slow him down. Another crash in the second race at Unadilla MX Park in New Berlin, New York, plus the realization that he needed to heal for the SuperMotocross World Championship finally forced reality to settle in. He missed the final two Motocross rounds.
Still feeling the effects of his two crashes, Shimoda wasn’t 100 percent in the heats, but he still got a podium finish (at Texas Motor Speedway) and finished fourth in the other two rounds, which was smart enough to finish fourth overall.
Expectations remain high in 2025. The key to Shimoda’s success will be standing on the podium early in both the Supercross and Motocross divisions. If he can do that and avoid injury, Shimoda will contend for the championships.
2024 StatisticsFeature starts: 22Average feature finish: 5.14Wins: 1Podiums: 9Top-fives: 18Top-10s: 19Best finish: Won (Denver SX)SMX Standings/payout: Fourth/$100,000
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450 countdown5. Aaron Plessinger6. Hunter Lawrence7. Jason Anderson8. Ken Roczen9. Justin Cooper10. Justin Barcia11. Malcolm Stewart12. Dylan Ferrandis13. Christian Craig14. Shane McElrath15. Dean Wilson
250 Countdown6. Jordon Smith7. Pierce Brown8. Cameron McAdoo9. Ty Masterpool10. Chance Hymas11. Garrett Marchbanks12. Max Anstie13. Julien Beaumer14. Coty Schock15. Ryder DiFrancesco
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