In the past Jo Shimoda has developed a reputation for finishing a season strong, then going into the next series with high expectations, only to flounder early in the early rounds. That would essentially kill all title hopes, only for him to rally again late in the season and get the hype going again! In 2025 though, Shimoda has put that to rest by starting both Monster Energy Supercross and AMA Pro Motocross strong, with a win at Anaheim 1 and a second at Fox Raceway.
While Shimoda has always had speed, consistency has been lacking until this summer. Jo spoke on his consistency and what he needs to work on for 2026 in the post-race press conference after going 1-1 at Unadilla: “I think in supercross I need to step up my game a little bit, but outdoors now, I feel very comfortable with the motorcycle. And the consistency, that was the part I was looking for, not a top five consistency, more like top three consistency. Honestly, I just need to bring this into next year and I just have to fight for it, right?”
Jo has kept up that top three consistency since RedBud where he has won every other race going 1-3-1-2-1, swapping victories with series leader, Haiden Deegan. This Unadilla race was different, though, as Shimoda won in dominant fashion, winning the first moto by the second largest margin in the 250 class this summer, 39 seconds over Deegan (Shimoda’s teammate, Chance Hymas won the first moto at Thunder Valley by 45 seconds. It's worth noting that Deegan was nursing bike problems in that Thunder Valley moto, and actually might have had issues again at Unadilla, but he chose to downplay it and give Shimoda all the credit on the podium).
Winning by 39 seconds is reminiscent of another era, as Lars Lindstrom, Honda HRC Progressive Team Manager, mentioned in the team’s post-race release:
“I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of some incredible moments in our team’s history, and today was another one of those moments. When you show up to these races with three riders, and they take the top spots possible, it’s something special. Jo was absolutely unreal today. For some reason his riding style and dominance reminded me of James Stewart back in 2002-2003 125 MX; it was awesome to watch, and his new nickname might need to be Jo ‘Bubba’ Shimoda!”
This is Jo’s second overall at Unadilla, his first win coming in 2022. But for Jo, Unadilla is a track that has been very hit or miss, as he said, “I don’t know last year I ended up in hospital (with a broken collarbone). But the more technical it is, it works better for me.” He continued, “It's funny because my dad actually came for this round and we were just talking on the way here how I turned pro here for my first race, it ended really really bad (Jo went 36-35 for 36th at his debut in 2019). And how much we improved to now, it's incomparable. So, we’re getting there but for me my goal is to win a title, so winning overalls and motos is cool but at this point I have a goal set, so I am trying to reach that.”
Sitting 43 points out of the lead, with only one round left, Shimoda’s title hopes are pretty far-fetched for Pro Motocross, though he was able to stop Deegan from wrapping up the title one round early. However, if Jo can match his early race results with his newfound consistency, things may be looking up for Jo for 2026.
Wait, didn't we start this story talking about Jo ending seasons strong and appearing as a title contender for next year? Maybe things will be different, this time. Remember Deegan is headed to the 450 class for Pro Motocross next year.
But first we will see the last round of pro moto and the SMX Finals. Could there be a miracle title ending this weekend? Could Jo stop Deegan from winning three SMX titles in a row? Shimoda has emerged as Deegan's closest threat, and there are still more number-one plates to hand out in 2025.
