Shimoda Takes Both Moto Wins at Round 6
Japanese native, Jo Shimoda took advantage of an underwhelming day from Haiden Deegan to secure the overall victory for the Honda HRC Progressive team in the 250 class. Jo has been lurking near the front of the field all season however, he remained unsuccessful at securing a moto win until the first moto at RedBud. After clinching the holeshot, Jo was passed by Tom Vialle but would remain close until lap 10 when he would make the pass and hold onto the lead for the remainder of the moto. Registering in 4th place at the end of lap one in moto two, Jo managed to take the lead by lap five. His pace was much stronger than the competition and took control of the race thereafter. Finishing the moto nearly 18 seconds ahead of second place finisher Haiden Deegan, Jo would secure the moto win and clinch 1-1 moto finishes for the second time in his Pro Motocross career. This marked Jo’s second career overall victory at RedBud, the last win registered with 1-3 moto finishes on July 2, 2022.
Chase Sexton Return From Injury at Redbud
RedBud marked the return of Chase Sexton to his Redbull KTM Factory Racing machine since exiting the series after a crash during moto one at round one. With Chase missing nearly the entirety of the previous five races of the season, there was low expectation put on his return to action. The rest of the 450 class has raced the 10 motos of the championship leading up to RedBud and would be in better racing form than Sexton. Chase started the day registering 8th position in 450 class combined qualifying times, just shy of three seconds off pace of fastest qualifier Jett Lawrence. Poor starting positions on the opening laps would hinder Sexton’s chances at the podium however, he would finish each moto in a better position than he started in. Chase would manage to finish with 5-4 moto scores for 5th overall in his return to Pro Motocross action.
Jett Lawrence Completes Comeback in Moto 2 in Route to Overall Victory
After a stellar performance in moto one, Jett looked to repeat his success in the second moto however, a costly mistake would make his chances of victory slim. In the penultimate corner on lap one, Jett entered the turn off balance from a sequence of bumps and would lose front tire traction, ultimately leading to a minor crash. He picked his bike up and would cross the finish line in 18th position, meanwhile, Jorge Prado would lead the race 14 seconds ahead of Jett. With the overall victory on the line, Jett understood he must register fast lap times and limit mistakes to advanced toward the race leaders. By lap four Jett had secured 5th position and continued to climb the order, reaching first place position on lap 11. He managed to set the fastest lap time of the race (2:07.263) during his pursuit to first place. Jett would hold his lead for six laps and finish 8.309 seconds ahead of second place finisher Justin Cooper. His overall victory at Redbud would mark his sixth of the season and extend his streak of first place overall finishes to six.
