Fans of SuperMotocross sure got their money’s worth at the finale in Las Vegas over the weekend. Rewind to 2023, just before the inaugural SMX Playoffs, when no one (riders, teams, and fans included) knew what to expect as far as the tracks were concerned. Mostly, no expected the lengths these riders, especially in the 250 class, would go for a half of a million dollars and another title on the line.
For the 2025 SuperMotocross final, Jo Shimoda entered with a ten-point lead over two-time SMX Champion Haiden Deegan after Deegan had a run in with Levi Kitchen in St. Louis. Kitchen admitted the draw of the money led him to get extra aggressive last weekend. With triple points on the line, this meant even if Deegan won and Jo got second, the title would go to Jo. This set up for the perfect storm named Hurricane Haiden.
In the first moto Shimoda was able to get into the lead early, while Deegan had to recover from a poor start and a crash. Even though Deegan was able to charge hard to get to second, Shimoda was safe out front. The second moto was an entirely different story though as Haiden chose the gate just to the inside of Jo and the games started immediately when he squeezed Jo off going down the first straight away. A few turns later Haiden took a shot at Jo before setting his sights on the lead. The antics didn’t stop there though for once he got to the lead, Haiden slowed down to allow Shimoda, who had made his way to second, to catch up to him and again tried multiple times to put Jo on the ground. Eventually Haiden was successful, at least in knocking Jo down, but unsuccessful in the fact that he broke his own collarbone in the process.
![“He [Deegan] said, ‘You're never going to know what's about to come’ and I said, ‘I don't speak English.” -Jo Shimoda on his pre-race exchange with Haiden Deegan.](http://rxi.iscdn.net/2025/09/315178_shimodaalignmediasmx25las-vegas193.jpg)
After the crash, Seth Hammaker took over the lead and it looked like he would get the overall win until Jo made the pass on Tom Vialle in the last turn, going 1-2 for the overall win, and the championship. Jo did not need to win the overall to win the title, but he said in the post-race press conference: “I kind of knew already, but honestly, I kind of just wanted to win. That was my goal. Like I said, I need to work on my speed a little bit more to make the quicker passes and stuff. Yeah, I already knew what position I was in, but today we just wanted to go and try to win the motos.”
As for the rough riding from Deegan, Jo did not seem too worked up about it, in fact he expected it: “I think everyone, and myself, we all knew what was going to be there. Honestly, I was just ready for it. Today he had better pace. All these three rounds, he was fast. If I start in front of him or behind him, like I knew we're going to end up finding each other at some point. So, I was just ready. But I'm not mad about it. I understand his situation. It's a little sketchy but like I said, glad it's over. It was really stressful.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever been more relieved to have the weekend be over," said Honda HRC Progressive Team Manager Lars Lindstrom. "We were handed an opportunity going into the weekend that didn’t seem possible before, and we were determined to make the most of it. Obviously, we weren’t naïve, as we expected the unexpected in the 250 race, and we planned as well as we possibly could. I’m so proud of Jo for dealing with the crazy pressure and performing the way he did. I think it was a big turning point in his career!"
Deegan, who loves to trash talk his competition, may have met his match in Jo Shimoda. Jo, who moved to the US from Japan as a teenager without being able to speak the English language, had members of the media cracking up as he described his exchange with Deegan before the race: “He [Deegan] said, ‘You're never going to know what's about to come’ and I said, ‘I don't speak English.”
This SuperMotocross World Championship is Shimoda’s first title as a professional. And despite all of the drama, it does not take away from the fact that Jo held strong and rode great to win it. “For me it's the same kind of pressure. I know it's only a three-race series. But in my case, I just needed to -- I just wanted to accomplish something, just have the number 1 plate. It doesn't matter what series am I in, I just needed to finish it off, and today I was able to do it. So, I'm really stoked on this. It means a lot to me.”
Not only is Jo Shimoda’s name forever in the record books as an SMX World Champion, but the way he won it, staying calm in the face of adversity, will be talked about for years to come.
| Position | Rider | Hometown | Qualifying Points | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Jo Shimoda | Suzuka, Japan  | 617 | 167 |
| 2 |  Seth Hammaker | Bainbridge, PA  | 408 | 144 |
| 3 |  Tom Vialle | Avignon, France  | 468 | 127 |
| 4 |  Nate Thrasher | Livingston, TN | 307 | 118 |
| 5 |  Haiden Deegan | Temecula, CA | 723 | 116 |
