There was a silver lining to a dark cloud for New Zealand’s Cole Davies, even as he was forced to end his Unityed States campaign in a hospital bed.
The young man from Waitoki was sidelined following a violent crash during the opening 250 West qualifying session at the final round of the 2025 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship in Salt Lake City on May 10.
Although his weekend ended prematurely, the young New Zealander was still honoured with the 2025 250 Rookie of the Year award.
The crash occurred during the first 250 West qualifying session when Davies, who had been topping the time sheets, made a mistake in a rhythm lane and opted to roll through the remainder of the section.
Jordon Smith, already committed to a fast lap and mid-air on a quad jump, had no way of avoiding the slowing Davies and collided directly into the back of his bike, sending both riders crashing violently to the ground. The session was red-flagged while medics rushed in to assist.
Smith was able to walk away from the incident but sustained a hematoma on his hip and rib soreness and withdrew from the night’s racing. He explained at the time, “I’m relatively okay, thankfully. I hope Cole is okay.
“That was just a terrible situation. We were both on fast laps, and I was already committed to the quad by the time he started rolling. I’m resting up and will be a game time decision for tonight.”
Davies remained down for several minutes before being carefully transported to a local hospital. While initially reported as an arm injury, he later confirmed via social media that he had suffered both a broken arm and a broken nose.
“A tough way to end the Supercross season, but looking at the positives — it’s been one hell of a rookie year. I’m stoked on how it went and truly grateful for everyone who supported me along the way, especially the entire Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha team.
“As for my current condition: I’ve got a broken arm and a broken nose. It definitely could’ve been a lot worse, and I’m thankful to walk away somewhat okay after such a gnarly crash. Massive thanks to the Alpinestars Medical Crew for taking great care of me.
“Surgery is set. I’ll be back stronger than ever. Appreciate all the love – see you soon.”
While Davies was already out of the title race, he wrapped up his 250 West campaign with two main event wins and a third-place finish in the championship standings, despite missing the final round. His consistency and maturity throughout the season earned him the coveted AMA Rookie of the Year award.
Accepting the honour on Davies’ behalf, his mechanic Lachlan Mills said, “I think Cole is so stoked. He’s had a good season until today. But I feel like he’d want to give it up to the whole Monster Energy Star Yamaha team. The whole team has backed him for the whole year. We just hope we get him back.”
No further updates have been provided regarding Davies’ expected return, although he was scheduled to race in the upcoming Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, starting this weekend at Fox Raceway.
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