Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Shimoda Sixth and DiFrancesco Breaks Into Top 10 at Hangtown
Hangtown Highlights:
- Shimoda finished 6th (4-10), with a lapper taking him out in Moto 2 causing him to lose a top five opportunity
- DiFrancesco collected first top-10 (8-13)
- Mumford finished 13th (15-9)
- Reynolds had a great Moto 1 start, but caught in Moto 2 first turn crash (22nd OA, 17-35)
RANCHO CORDOVA, California (June 4, 2023) – Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Jo Shimoda and Ryder DiFrancesco collected top-10 finishes at the second Pro Motocross round at Hangtown on Saturday. Shimoda had a good day overall and improved on last weekend’s result despite running into some issues on the track with lappers, posting sixth overall (4-10). DiFrancesco tackled the tacky, rutted track to run well in both motos to finish 10th overall (8-13). Carson Mumford had issues off the start that forced him to push forward both motos, but he still managed a 15-9 moto score to give him 13th overall. Jett Reynolds had an impressive start in Moto 1 but overcame a few circumstances outside his control to end up 22nd overall (17-35).
Shimoda entered Hangtown hoping to bounce back from a tough opening round and started the day fourth overall. In the opening moto, he had to work his way through the pack following a 13th-place start, but found himself in a great battle at the end of the race to propel his Kawasaki KX250 to fourth at the checkered flag. Shimoda got a much better start in Moto 2, filing in around seventh after two laps. He made another solid charge around halfway to come in sight of fourth place, but as Shimoda was coming around a turn, a lapper went down in front of him, causing him to crash. Thankfully he was able to remount in 13th and used the second half of the race to make up ground, finishing 10th for sixth overall.
“It’s been a little frustrating the past two races because I’ve had a mix of bad starts and then bad luck,” said Shimoda. “When I get good starts, something happens, and I know I make it hard on myself when my starts aren’t there. I can’t let this get me down because there is a lot of racing left, and I know the speed is there. I’ll be working on starts and hopefully can be up there challenging for the win next weekend.”
Last season, DiFrancesco logged a top-10 result in one of his select races in 2022, which has given him the confidence to know he could do it again. DiFrancesco seemed to have his starts dialed as he started the opening moto in sixth and kept up a high pace nearly the entire moto to finish eighth. In the second moto, he followed behind Shimoda and was right behind him when he went down, forcing him to go off track and return safely in ninth. DiFrancesco rode slightly more cautiously and eventually crossed the finish line in 13th.
“I’m thankful to break into the top 10 but also feel like I could fix just a few things and be up there,” said DiFrancesco. “Sometimes there are things outside of your control, and sometimes there are areas of improvement. I’m looking forward to heading east and keeping up the top 10 results.”
Mumford came off a solid opening round and was showing good speed in qualifying, where he clocked in a time that was eighth fastest. His Moto 1 start wasn’t what he’d hoped, and he came around the opening lap in 15th. Mumford struggled to move forward, eventually finishing 15th. The second moto was better as Mumford once again started 15th but was able to pick up the pace and find his way inside the top 10 to finish the moto in ninth, giving him 13th overall
“I just didn’t have it in the first moto, but found a little more in the second,” said Mumford. “I’ve actually only raced Hangtown once and it’s definitely brutal. We’ve got a few things to work on, but I feel like we’re not too far off from really making up some ground. I’m looking forward to Thunder Valley.”
Reynolds started the day with a good qualifying session, finishing 11th. In the opening moto, it was the No. 124 that fans saw in the third position, and Reynolds was trying to keep the front runners in sight. On the second lap, he made a small mistake that sent him off the track and returned in 17th. He was having an issue that pushed him back to 23rd, but by the end of the race had broken into the top 20 to finish 17th. Unfortunately, he wasn’t given the opportunity to improve his result after being collected in a first-turn pileup and unable to continue the race.
“It felt amazing to get that first moto start and run up front,” said Reynolds. “That’s what this year is about – getting that kind of experience. I’ve been really happy with my starts and unfortunately I just was on the bad end of the first turn crash. There are still some positives we gained and will continue to learn from.”
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250MX Class Overall Results – Hangtown Classic
- Hunter Lawrence (Honda), 3-1
- Justin Cooper (Yamaha), 2-2
- Haiden Deegan (Yamaha), 1-4
- Tom Vialle (KTM), 7-3
- RJ Hampshire (Husqvarna), 5-5
- Jo Shimoda (Kawasaki), 4-10
- Guillen Farres (Yamaha), 6-8
- Levi Kitchen (Yamaha), 10-7
- Jalek Swoll (Husqvarna), 9-11
- Ryder DiFrancesco (Kawasaki), 8-13
13. Carson Mumford (Kawasaki), 15-9
22. Jett Reynolds (Kawasaki), 17-35
250MX Class Points Standings
- Hunter Lawrence (Honda), 90
- Haiden Deegan (Yamaha), 80
- Justin Cooper (Yamaha), 78
- Tom Vialle (KTM), 68
- RJ Hampshire (Husqvarna), 67
- Jo Shimoda (Kawasaki), 62
- Guillen Farres (Yamaha), 57
- Max Vohland (KTM), 53
- Levi Kitchen (Yamaha), 50
- Carson Mumford (Kawasaki), 41
- Ryder DiFrancesco (Kawasaki), 41
16. Jett Reynolds (Kawasaki), 18
Pro Circuit Kawasaki uses WRP titanium fasteners
