New Zealand’s Cole Davies made it two wins in a row with a composed ride in the East-West 250SX Showdown at round 13 of the 2025 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championships at the weekend.
And it all happened in front of a packed crowd at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia
Despite some rain early in the day, the track shaped up well for the night program, and with just four rounds to go in the championship, every point and every pass carried added weight.
Qualifying saw a West Coast sweep at the top as Julien Beaumer set the benchmark in combined times with a 49.205. Garrett Marchbanks was second at 49.865, with Waitoki’s Davies close behind at 50.193. Haiden Deegan was fourth despite a crash late in the final session, and Seth Hammaker was the fastest East rider in fifth, just edging out French former world champion Tom Vialle.
In the 250SX West heat, it was Davies who grabbed the early lead ahead of Beaumer and Deegan.
Deegan was flying – he passed Beaumer, then tracked down Davies and made a slick move to the inside across the start straight to take over the lead.
Deegan claimed the win, with Davies second, Beaumer third, Marchbanks fourth, and Japan’s Jo Shimoda rounding out the top five. Michael Mosiman, Gavin Towers and Avery Long all hit the deck in separate incidents and were sent to the LCQ.
In the East heat, Hammaker nailed the holeshot ahead of Vialle, RJ Hampshire, and Chance Hymas.
But Vialle’s night turned ugly when he got cross-rutted and landed on a Tuff Block alongside the track, slamming hard into the ground.
He remounted but went the wrong way alongside the track and retired from the race. Hammaker capitalised and cruised to victory in front of his home crowd, followed by Hampshire and Hymas. Vialle bounced back to take second behind Towers in the LCQ and secure a spot in the main.
The 250SX Showdown main event saw Hammaker take the lead on the original start, but a crash in the whoops brought out the red flag and triggered a complete restart.
On the second go, Hampshire jumped into the lead ahead of Hammaker and Deegan, with Davies running fourth.
Davies didn’t wait long. The young Kiwi methodically picked off the leaders one by one, using better lines in the rutted corners to move past Hammaker, Hampshire, and finally Deegan to take the lead.
Deegan mounted a strong late charge and closed to within 1.5 seconds in the final minutes, but couldn’t break Davies’ rhythm. The 17-year-old took his second win in a row and his first in a combined East-West Showdown.
“I literally grew up watching all the guys that I’m racing right now. It’s a big stage out here, a lot of people watching, but I just focus on myself. Two in a row, I’m stoked, Davies enthused.
“It’s been a long journey to get where I am. I’m stoked, big thanks to the whole Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha team and my mechanic Lach [Lachlan Mills]. We’ve been putting in the work … The whole group around me is just very, very good and striving to be the best they can. So, I’m just stoked for everyone around me.”
Davies jumps to second in the West standings, 17 points behind Deegan, with momentum clearly on his side as the series heads toward its final two rounds.
Meanwhile, we can also share with you as In Focus takes you on a behind-the-scenes look at THOR team riders with individual stories of what makes them tick, their mindset, overcoming adversity, and everyday life … today featuring Cole Davies.
In this third episode of In Focus, the crew sits down with young Davies to discuss his journey from grom in New Zealand to the pro ranks, racing in the States and ultimately getting his first American SX win.
Photo courtesy AMA Supercross
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