Honda: Broken Collarbone for Jo Shimoda After Unadilla National Crash
After charging to a fourth-place finish in Saturdays first 250 Class moto at the Unadilla National, Jo Shimoda was battling for the race lead early in the second moto. The Honda HRC rider was behind Levi Kitchen fighting for first place until he suffered a crash off the side of the track. Although not a high-speed crash, Shimoda did fall over the edge of the track. He was helped to his feet and eventually carted off the track with his left arm in a shoulder sling. This afternoon, Honda confirmed the initial report from the track Saturday, that Shimoda had in fact broke his left collarbone in the crash.
Shimoda, who has had his typical late season surge this summer, is fourth after nine rounds of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship and also sits fourth in the SuperMotocross World Championship 250SMX qualifying standings with two rounds to go before the playoffs start. There is no return date yet for Shimoda. Note, the first SMX playoff round is set for September 7 at zMAX Dragway in North Carolina.
Shimoda said the following in Honda’s release:
“It felt great to be up front and battling for the lead, but unfortunately the battle didn’t end the way we wanted it to. I ended up with a broken collarbone, and I’ll have to get a plate put in. Obviously, that’s not how we wanted the day to go, but we’ll come back stronger once I’m healed.”
Team manager Lars Lindstrom had the following quote on Shimoda:
“I’m really bummed for Jo; he was riding really good, and I have no doubt he was going to win that second moto. On a positive note, his break is relatively simple, and he should be able to heal relatively quickly.”
Watch Shimoda's crash around the 2:50 mark in the highlight video below.
Also note that Honda's other 250 rider, Chance Hymas, was the fastest overall 250 qualifier on the day and was leading the first moto until a huge crash resulted in a 32nd place finish. Hymas was reportedly cleared from the Alpinestars medical crew and lined up for the second moto, although he only completed four laps before pulling off. It was a tough blow for Hymas, who was looking like the best we have seen him all year.
