Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Shimoda and Hammaker Collect Top-10 Finishes at RedBud
RedBud MX Highlights:
- Shimoda finished seventh overall (8-5)
- Hammaker made his return to racing to finish eighth overall (5-10)
- DiFrancesco finished 13th overall (14-14)
- Reynolds was 16th overall (11-20) after coming back in Moto 2 from a first turn crash
BUCHANAN, Michigan (July 2, 2023) – Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Jo Shimoda and Seth Hammaker both enjoyed top-10 finishes at RedBud MX as the series celebrated the Fourth of July at the legendary track in Michigan. Shimoda rode well and ended the day seventh (8-5), while Hammaker made his return to racing for the first time this year and impressed with an eighth overall (5-10). Teammates Ryder DiFrancesco and Jett Reynolds’s results didn’t showcase their speed as they had some issues that pushed them down the leaderboard, finishing 13th (14-14) and 16th (11-20), respectively.
The return to RedBud wasn’t what Shimoda hoped, but he still enjoyed some competitive racing around the historic track. He got a solid start in Moto 1 in sixth and quickly moved into fourth after just one lap. Shimoda rode strong but went down just after halfway and raced hard to come back to eighth. The second moto start was even better than the first, where he came around in fourth. He kept the front runners in sight but was pushed back to fifth by the end of the race, giving him seventh overall. Shimoda maintained his fourth place overall in the championship standings.
“I really didn’t gel with the track like I did last year,” said Shimoda. “I struggled in a few places and it was where some guys got by. I had two decent motos, but again the results didn’t show it. The class is very competitive. I need to step up and make each lap count. I like Southwick a lot and can’t wait to go after it again next week.”
The return to racing for Hammaker was solid, with the rider out of Pennsylvania happy to line up for the first time after a month back on the motorcycle. He managed to grab a strong start in Moto 1 just in front of his teammate in fifth, and after moving up and back throughout the race finished where he started – a great result for his first race of 2023. The second moto once again saw the No. 35 come around the first turn in the top five, but a mistake on the opening lap pushed him back to 20th. Hammaker was climbing the leaderboard and made it up to 10th when he went off the track. He got back up in 13th and made another charge forward, finishing Moto 2 in 10th for eighth overall.
“It was great to shake off the cobwebs after not racing for over eight months,” said Hammaker. “Some of the mistakes showed, and I know what I can work on to clean those up this week. I’m excited to get back out there again next weekend at Southwick and continue to build on what we started at RedBud.”
It was an up-and-down day for DiFrancesco as his results did not match the young racer’s speed. In the opening moto, DiFrancesco got a great start in third and was defending a line when he and another rider came together, resulting in DiFranceaco going down. He got up outside the top 20 and made a hard charge to the front, eventually crossing the finish line in 14th. DiFrancesco launched out to another great start in Moto 2, coming around the first lap in sixth. He maintained the position for the first half of the moto but fell back to eighth. Then a mistake near the end of the race cost him several positions, ending the moto 14th for 13th overall.
“It wasn’t the result I was looking for after getting some great starts,” said DiFrancesco. “I’ll be working on a few things between now and Southwick so we can start capitalizing on the starts and get back into the top 10. I haven’t been to Southwick before, but I’m looking forward to it.”
After sitting out the last round at High Point due to an injury, Reynolds returned to the lineup at RedBud. He got a top-10 start in the opening moto and rode strong the whole race to finish the 30 minutes plus two laps in 11th. In the second moto, Reynolds proved his grit and determination after going down hard in the first turn with several other riders. With his motorcycle slightly tweaked from the crash and his body very sore, Reynolds got going in 38th place and almost a lap down. As the race continued, Reynolds picked off as many riders as he could, making it up to 20th place, giving him 16th overall.
“The day started out really well and I felt good in the first moto,” said Reynolds. “The crash happened so fast at the start of the second moto and I didn’t really think I would be able to go back out. The team got my motorcycle as good as it could have been and I just put my head down. It was one of the toughest motos, but thankful it wasn’t worse.”
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250MX Class Overall Results – RedBud MX
- Haiden Deegan (Yamaha), 2-3
- Levi Kitchen (Yamaha), 7-1
- Justin Cooper (Yamaha), 4-4
- Tom Vialle (KTM), 9-2
- RJ Hampshire (Husqvarna), 3-7
- Max Vohland (KTM), 6-6
- Jo Shimoda (Kawasaki), 8-5
- Seth Hammaker (Kawasaki), 5-10
- Hunter Lawrence (Honda), 1-40
- Daxton Bennick (Yamaha), 10-9
13. Ryder DiFrancesco (Kawasaki), 14-14
16. Jett Reynolds (Kawasaki), 11-20
250MX Class Points Standings
- Hunter Lawrence (Honda), 200
- Haiden Deegan (Yamaha), 189
- RJ Hampshire (Husqvarna), 167
- Jo Shimoda (Kawasaki), 158
- Justin Cooper (Yamaha), 157
- Levi Kitchen (Yamaha), 154
- Max Vohland (KTM), 137
- Tom Vialle (KTM), 134
- Ryder DiFrancesco (Kawasaki), 106
- Chance Hymas (Honda), 92
18. Jett Reynolds (Kawasaki), 29
20. Seth Hammaker (Kawasaki), 27
Team Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki uses WRP titanium fasteners
