Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Shimoda Masterful at Pro Motocross Season Finale with Overall Victory
Ironman Raceway Highlights:
- Shimoda earns his third career overall victory with two moto wins
- DiFrancseco grabbed both holeshots
- DiFrancseco earned his season-best finish in sixth overall
- Hammaker scored his fifth top-10 in seven races with ninth
- Forkner came out with a great Moto 1 ride in fourth, but didn’t finish Moto 2 and was scored 11th overall
CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. (August 27, 2023) – Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Jo Shimoda put two great starts to work to claim his first overall of the season on two moto victories at the Pro Motocross season finale at Ironman Raceway. He had some good competition at each start, with Ryder DiFrancesco claiming both holeshots on the day, earning his best finish of the season in sixth with a 9-6 moto score. Seth Hammaker had a great start to the day with a sixth in Moto 1 and, paired with his 12th in Moto 2, scored ninth overall. Austin Forkner was picking up where he left off last weekend as he finished just off the podium in Moto 1 in fourth, but as he pushed through the pack in Moto 2, he went down and scored 35th for 11th overall.
Shimoda had confidence on his side coming into the event at Ironman Raceway after finishing on the podium last weekend and being a consistent podium visitor in Indiana. He started the day qualifying fifth, but what really made his day stand out were his starts. Shimoda got out to a great start in the first moto in fourth and went to work in the opening laps, slotting in behind the leader after five laps. He quickly got around and stretched his lead out to 7.6 seconds by the end of the moto. The second moto was very similar to the first as he found the front early, but this time, he had pressure from his teammate DiFrancesco for the lead. After five laps were in the books, Shimoda made a pass and led until the checkered flag to claim his first victory of the season.
“It’s funny because this victory comes at a great time this year,” said Shimoda. “We normally are finishing out the year when the Pro Motocross season comes to an end, but now I’m excited to see three more races in the playoffs. I feel great and I think we’ve found something to bring to Charlotte in a few weeks. I’m so happy to give this win to the team. They’ve worked really hard and never gave up.”
DiFrancesco enjoyed one of his better qualifying sessions, and that seemed to boost his confidence to shoot his No. 75 out to the front of Moto 1. He held onto the lead for a few laps before shuffling back to fifth. The young rider was solid in fifth, but a mistake pushed him back to ninth, where he would end the moto. The next moto’s start was just as perfect as the first and DiFrancesco collected his third holeshot of the season. He was even more confident out front in Moto 2 and held off pressure to lead for the opening five laps before his teammate got by. This time, he was more composed and earned sixth for the moto, giving him sixth overall and his best result this season.
“It felt so good to lead the pack around the first turn not just once but twice,” said DiFrancesco. “I kind of knew my biggest competition to the front were my teammates but I felt good and made it stick. I had a few small things that cost me, but overall I was really happy with my day and excited to move forward to the playoffs.”
Hammaker once again led the team in qualifying with third overall to start the day. Along with his teammates, he found himself in the front pack at the start and came around the first lap in third. Hammaker stayed in the top five for half of the race before settling into sixth where he would finish. The second moto start wasn’t quite as good as the first but he still was inside the top 10. He moved back just outside the top-10 bubble after a few mistakes and ultimately ended the moto 12th. Hammaker’s 6-12 moto score tallied him ninth overall and his fifth top-10 in just seven races.
“It was a decent way to end the season, but I felt like I had more and it just didn’t come out on the track,” said Hammaker. “I am thankful that the consistency I was able to put in got me into the playoffs and I still have another few races to showcase my speed.”
After a successful penultimate round at Budds Creek, Forkner was eager to put in another solid weekend. Like his teammates in the opening moto, Forkner found himself in good position in eighth and climbed the leaderboard to finish fourth to start the day. He didn’t have as fortunate of a start in Moto 2 and had to push through the pack from 22nd. Forkner was up to 12th when he went down and was unable to continue, being counted in 35th on the moto, giving him 11th for the day.
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250MX Class Overall Results – Ironman
- Jo Shimoda (Kawasaki), 1-1
- Haiden Deegan (Yamaha), 2-3
- Tom Vialle (KTM), 3-4
- Justin Cooper (Yamaha), 13-2
- Hunter Lawrence (Honda), 5-9
- Ryder DiFrancesco (Kawasaki), 9-6
- Jalek Swoll (Husqvarna), 11-5
- Max Vohland (KTM), 8-8
- Seth Hammaker (Kawasaki), 6-12
- Stilez Robertson (Husqvarna), 12-11
- Austin Forkner (Kawasaki), 4-35
250MX Class Points Standings
- Hunter Lawrence (Honda), 419
- Justin Cooper (Yamaha), 399
- Jo Shimoda (Kawasaki), 393
- Haiden Deegan (Yamaha), 371
- Levi Kitchen (Yamaha), 322
- Tom Vialle (KTM), 302
- Max Vohland (KTM), 295
- RJ Hampshire (Husqvarna), 288
- Jalek Swoll (Husqvarna), 221
- Ryder DiFrancesco (Kawasaki), 208
- Seth Hammaker (Kawasaki), 157
17. Austin Forkner (Kawasaki), 98
Team Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki uses WRP titanium fasteners
