Three rounds into the 2026 Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX East Division Championship, Cole Davies lands his first win of the season. The pre-season title favorite did not get good starts in the first two rounds in Texas and Florida but got three good starts in the three-race Triple Crown format that rewards consistency. Oh, plus he was absolutely crushing the whoops once again.
For Davies, it was redemption from last year's Glendale SX Triple Crown when he had two race wins going into the third and final race of the night. He would get a bad start be buried in the field, ruining his shot at the overall win. However, Davies was able to get the damn thing done in the third race this time around.
I asked him after the race about that Glendale race and if it was in the back of his mind this go-round to really nail down that third race.
"Yeah, I would say I learned from last year from that," he said. "Last year, I kind of, I would say almost like I got the first two wins, and I was almost too overconfident going to the last race. So, I kind of just tried to stay a little grounded, a little humble going into the last race [tonight] and just celebrate after. So, it's not over till it's over. So, yeah, learned from last year and got some redemption this year."
The second-year pro was frustrated with his first two races of the season not resulting in a win. With two race wins in 11 main event starts entering today, his stats are pretty dang good, but he has high expectations for himself that he was not yet meeting.
"Yeah, I'd say it's a bit of a relief to get this win," he said afterward. "You know, I've been kind of like, I would say, too antsy, like the first couple rounds. I've kind of settled in now, and everything's kind of a bit calmer. And just letting the race come to me. So, that's been better. But, yeah, I'm just happy with my riding. So, yeah, it was a good weekend."
He was third off the start of the first two races and fourth in the final race, but he got to the lead and took the race win in all three races to grab the 1-1-1 sweep and land his first win of '26.
"Not really," he said when asked if he changed anything on his starts for today's race. "I just say it's more executing. I feel like this first two starts of the season were a little weird. Like the start straights. I mean like, very short. Daytona had big holes in it. Like the first round had, like a double apex turn. It was kind of weird. Like first two rounds starts were just...I feel like the starts weren't really very good. I felt like this was a bit of a more normal start, other than the drop, but, yeah, it was a good night."
"I'll just say just executing my starts was like the main focus and then just riding my race from there, letting it come to me," he added. "I'd say first two rounds, I kind of, you know, I didn't get a good start. And then, I mean, I went down, like, just being too antsy, just wanting to go, wanting to get it done. So, I just kind of calmed down a bit and just let the race come to me. And I felt like that was a lot better for me."
He feels he has been able to improve even though his first win came in round three.
"I just say everything," he said on what he wanted to clean up this year. "Just confidence, experience, just learning from last year and putting it all into this year. So yeah, I feel like I'm doing that."
By doing so, Davies' 5-2-1 finishes now put him in the championship lead as we head into the weekend off before the March 21 Birmingham SX 250SX East/West Showdown. Davies (64 points) is up one point on Seth Hammaker (63 points) and two points on his Yamaha teammate Pierce Brown and Jo Shimoda (62 points each).
The stats now read three wins (six total podiums) in 12 main event starts.
Remember, one of Davies' two wins last year as a rookie came in an East/West Showdown (Philadelphia SX). He was already going to have a lot of eyes on him, but now he has an extra red target on his YZ250F as well.
Indianapolis - 250SX East
March 7, 2026| Rider | Hometown | Motos | Bike | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Cole Davies | Waitoki, New Zealand  | 1 - 1 - 1 | Yamaha YZ250F |
| 2 |  Jo Shimoda | Suzuka, Japan  | 2 - 2 - 3 | Honda CRF250R Works Edition |
| 3 |  Seth Hammaker | Bainbridge, PA  | 3 - 9 - 2 | Kawasaki KX250 |
