Cole Davies Returns to the Podium and Leaves Southwick with the Red Plate
Cole Davies’ 250MX Championship momentum builds, with the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider finishing third overall and claiming the points lead at the Southwick National / Jul 14, 2026 /
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s young guns continued to shine in Southwick, Massachusetts. At Round 6 of the Pro Motocross Championship, Cole Davies and Kayden Minear bounced back in Moto 2 to podium finishes, ending the day third and fourth overall, respectively. The reward for their efforts at The Wick 338? The red plate that now sits on Davies' YZ250F.
It was a strong start to the day for Davies, who qualified second and grabbed the holeshot in Moto 1. The young New Zealander was shuffled back to second early and rode there before unfortunately going down on Lap 6. Davies rejoined in 10th and found himself in the midst of a battle with his teammates — sandwiched between Thrasher and Minear. Davies passed Thrasher and made his way to sixth with around five laps to go, but in the final laps, he was passed by Minear and finished seventh.
In Moto 2, Davies once again grabbed the holeshot and then maintained the lead for the better part of the first half of the moto. After being passed by Sacha Coenen, he rode on to finish second, securing third overall and the points lead. The 2026 250SX East Champion now heads into the latter half of the season with a two-point lead in the 250MX Championship and also has a 56-point lead in the SMX 250 combined championship standings.
“It was an up-and-down day, but all around it was pretty good,” said Davies. “I came out with the points lead, so I can’t complain. We’ll move on to Millville now and have a good day there. I’m looking forward to it and to keeping this going.”
Minear qualified sixth but did not get the start he was hoping for in the first moto and found himself back in 24th. Undeterred, the young Australian put his head down and charged through to 11th in the opening laps. He then battled with his teammates, passing Nate Thrasher after Davies went through and staying with the New Zealander, eventually passing him with three laps to go to finish sixth. In Moto 2, it was a better start in 13th, with Minear once again charging through and then passing Davies’ title rival, Levi Kitchen, with six laps to go. From there, he rode away to score his second career moto podium, finishing fourth overall with a 6-2 moto score and earning another strong result during his rookie season.
“What a good day,” Minear said. “I felt comfortable on this bike since this morning. The first moto wasn't a great start, but I managed to battle my way through the pack, and I'm proud of myself for that. The second moto was a much better start. I got my way into third for a podium finish in the race, so it was a good day.”
Thrasher had another strong ride in his second race back. Although he qualified 24th, he had a good start to the first moto in ninth. Thrasher dropped back to 10th but continued to fight for a top-10 result, reclaiming ninth after Davies’ crash. Both teammates found their way past him on the following lap, and then he dropped further back to 12th. Thrasher continued to push and ultimately finished 11th. In Moto 2, he got another top-10 start in sixth and moved into fifth, where he rode for the first half of the moto. In the end, he finished sixth, securing another top-10 result.
“It was a solid weekend at Southwick,” said Thrasher. “The track was gnarly, but we were 11-6 on the day for seventh overall. We’ll get better this week and give it another go next weekend.”
Qualifying inside the top 10 in eighth, the day started out well for Mosiman, but after the start of Moto 1 he found himself way back in 32nd. The Californian went to work, putting in an impressive charge to ninth, and fighting to the end. In the final laps, he had eighth in sight, but crashed in the heat of the battle, finishing 12th. In Moto 2, it was another charge from the back, with Mosiman fighting his way through from 35th to another 12th-place finish and ending the day 10th overall.
“Tenth place at Southwick was not what we were hoping for,” said Mosiman. “But the positives are I’m very fast, and I’m very fit, and the improvement opportunities are my starts. I know if I can start up front, I can achieve the results everyone expects from me.”
It was a tough outing for Caden Dudney at The Wick 338, but the young rookie put in a good fight. He qualified 16th and then crashed in the first turn of Moto 1, putting him near the back of the field. The young Texan dug deep and pushed all the way to the finish, coming back from 38th to 14th. In Moto 2, he had a better start in 11th and made his way to eighth in the opening laps, but a crash damaged his bike, ending his day early and resulting in 20th overall with the 14-40 score.
“Qualifying was all right,” said Dudney. “So I need to work on that here. Then in Moto 1, I had a crash in the first turn, and I was almost dead last, and came back up to 14th. In the second moto, I had a better start and was up there in eighth, and then I got cross-jumped, and the throttle cable was cut in half, so I had a DNF.”
Another one of the team’s young rookies, Landen Gordon, also had his day cut short in the sands of Southwick. After qualifying 24th, he was 25th after the start and worked his way up to 14th, but then unfortunately had a crash in the latter half of the moto. Feeling beat up from the crash, Gordon withdrew from the race, scoring 41st.
“Overall, it was a really good day,” said Wil Hahn. “The first moto was a little up and down, for sure, but it was a great second moto. Cole finished second, Kayden got third, and Nate was up in the mix, too. We’re leaving here with the red plate, and we’re pretty stoked about that.”
Next up is the Spring Creek National, with the battle for the 250MX crown continuing at the Spring Creek MX Park in Millville, Minnesota, on July 18.