Jo Shimoda on Southwick Broken Collarbone: “I truly feel disgusted on how Saturday went”

Absolute bummer of a day for Jo Shimoda at the Southwick National. After his huge charge in the second moto at the RedBud National where he caught and passed championship rival Cole Davies, Shimoda came into Massachusetts with the championship lead. Unfortunately, his day would end before the gate even dropped on the points-paying motos. A crash in the second qualifying session left Shimoda with a concussion and an expected broken collarbone. He did not even get to race with the championship lead!
This afternoon, Honda confirmed it is a fractured left collarbone for Shimoda.
Shimoda said the following in the team’s post-race recap:
"I truly feel disgusted on how Saturday went. Coming in with the points lead, it was really unfortunate to end up with a small crash and a small injury that’s enough to get me out of the series. But one thing that we can take away is that I feel really confident in myself to find my way back to the top level, no matter where the starting point is or under any circumstance."
Said Lars Lindstrom, Honda HRC Progressive Team Manager:
"Jo’s injury is a huge punch to the stomach when you’re trying to battle for a title. We haven’t won a 250 Motocross championship since Hunter did it in 2023, and we really wanted to give Jo that opportunity. He was on his way, so it’s a setback, but we’ll keep moving forward. Over the last couple races, we’ve made some progress in the 250 class, especially with starts, and we saw Chance take another step forward today, which was awesome. Hopefully we can continue building in that direction. Even though the team was bummed for Jo, everyone still had a job to do, and it certainly helps when you see the 450 guys go out and finish 1-2.”
Shimoda entered the Southwick National with a four-point advantage over Cole Davies and a nine-point advantage over Levi Kitchen, but now he sits behind both riders. There is no timetable on Shimoda's expected return to racing.
250 Class Pro Motocross Standings
| Position | Rider | Hometown | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cole Davies | Waitoki, New Zealand | 227 |
| 2 | Levi Kitchen | Washougal, WA | 225 |
| 3 | Jo Shimoda | Suzuka, Japan | 194 |
| 4 | Julien Beaumer | Lake Havasu City, AZ | 194 |
| 5 | Ryder DiFrancesco | Bakersfield, CA | 167 |
Big picture, Shimoda sits fifth in the 250SMX standings when we combine the AMA Supercross and Motocross points together. If he is within the top 20 by the end of Pro Motocross, then he will have an automatic spot in the points-paying motos (remember, 21st through 30 will go to the Wild Card LCQ race at each playoff round). Shimoda is the defending 250SMX Champion from last fall, so even with his Pro Motocross title hopes now gone, Shimoda could still return for the playoffs and look to back up his #1 SMX Championship.
250SMX Playoff Standings
| Position | Rider | Hometown | Qualifying Points | Projected Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cole Davies | Waitoki, New Zealand | 458 | 25 |
| 2 | Levi Kitchen | Washougal, WA | 402 | 22 |
| 3 | Ryder DiFrancesco | Bakersfield, CA | 331 | 20 |
| 4 | Seth Hammaker | Bainbridge, PA | 314 | 18 |
| 5 | Jo Shimoda | Suzuka, Japan | 294 | 17 |


