Cole Davies Stays in the 250SMX Title Fight with Moto 2 Victory at SMX Playoff 1
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cole Davies rebounds from Moto 1 heartbreak to score a commanding Moto 2 victory, while Caden Dudney and Landen Gordon enjoy a strong SMX postseason pro debut, finishing inside the top-10 overall in Ohio / Sep 15, 2026 /
It was an eventful start to the SMX World Championship postseason for the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 250 squad in Columbus, Ohio. After an unlucky first moto that saw his commanding race lead evaporate with an unfortunate DNF, Cole Davies answered back with an emphatic victory in Moto 2. Already a two-time champion this season, the 19-year-old came through with a clutch ride when he needed it, securing 10th overall with the second moto win and salvaging valuable points to keep himself firmly in the SMX title fight.
The team’s young guns also continued to impress, with Caden Dudney and Landen Gordon putting in strong rides in their first postseason appearances in the pro ranks, finishing sixth and eighth overall, respectively, to give the team three riders inside the top 10.
It was an up-and-down day for the rest of the 250 squad at Historic Crew Stadium, with Nate Thrasher rallying back from crashes in the mud to finish 12th overall. The conditions took their toll, with unlucky motos seeing Kayden Minear finish 15th overall and Pierce Brown 16th. Unfortunately, Michael Mosiman’s weekend ended early with an injury sustained in a crash during Friday’s Free Practice. And in SMX Next, a tough main event in the mud saw Carson Wood finish 19th.
After dry conditions on Friday, weather arrived on race day, wreaking havoc on the track and the schedule. With over an inch of rain on Saturday plus lightning in the area from the thunderstorms, the pro classes’ qualifying sessions were canceled and the moto lengths shortened. So the gate picks were set by the combined championship points from Supercross and Pro Motocross.
Cole Davies’ Moto 2 Victory Keeps Him in the 250SMX Title Fight
Fresh off his 250MX title, Davies entered the postseason as the top seed with 25 points and was looking to continue his championship-winning form. The New Zealander was well on his way, showing strength from the start by grabbing the holeshot in Moto 1 and quickly building a gap up front. Davies continued to set the pace in the tricky conditions, amassing a 19-second lead and lapping the field up to eighth. Then, with less than three minutes on the clock, misfortune struck. Something became lodged in his rear brake, causing a technical issue that ended his race early and left him with a 22nd-place finish.
Despite the adversity, Davies answered back with authority in Moto 2. In second after the start, he wasted no time, quickly claiming the lead and setting the pace up front in the punishing conditions. He went on to lead every lap, securing the victory by a commanding 16.5-second margin. His first SMX postseason moto win secured 10th overall and salvaged valuable points. With double the points on the line at the second playoff round, Davies is still firmly in the fight, trailing the leader by 10 points.
“Yeah, it was kind of a weird one for me today,” said Davies. “I was leading the first one by quite a bit, and unfortunately had a rock or something stuck in my rear brake, and I just fried my bike. So I DNFed that one, but I reset for Moto 2. I had the last gate pick on the far outside, but got a great start and the win in the second one. It was a good reset, and we were able to salvage what we could today. If you're going to have something go wrong, this is the one to do it at. So we’ll reset. We have two good weekends coming up.”
Caden Dudney and Landen Gordon Earn Top-10 Finishes in SMX Playoff Debuts
A year ago, Dudney was racing SMX Next in the playoffs. This year, he was fighting for a podium finish in the pro ranks. The young rider from Texas had a strong start to the day. He was fourth after the start of Moto 1, and although he was shuffled back to sixth on the opening lap, he fought his way back through to third by the halfway mark and was in the fight for a podium finish. Unfortunately on the last lap, the rookie had a tip-over and crossed the line fifth. Then in Moto 2, Dudney found himself on the ground after the start, but showed grit and determination to charge back to eighth by the end of the 12-minute moto, securing sixth overall with his 5-8 score.
“It was a weird day, but I feel like I made the best of it,” said Dudney. “The first moto, I was up there in third and then went down on the last lap because I was trying to be cautious and just stay in third, but it ended up being worse. Then in the second moto, I was up there on the start as well, and then (Levi) Kitchen kind of hit my front tire, and I couldn't see. I tucked the front and was dead last, but made it up to eighth and ended up sixth overall, so it was still a solid day.”
Gordon also made his pro postseason debut in Columbus, Ohio, putting in a good fight to end the day eighth overall. The Californian was 13th after the start of Moto 1 but made his way into the top five on Lap 5. Although he was shuffled back to ninth as the race wore on, Gordon kept pushing and moved up to seventh with three laps to go, where he would finish. In Moto 2, he had a good start in sixth, but a mistake dropped him back to 13th on the opening lap. He put his head down and once again worked his way forward, ultimately finishing ninth to earn a top-10 overall finish with his 7-9 score.
“It was a mediocre day in Columbus,” said Gordon. “I had a bunch of mistakes in the mud, but overall, I’m glad to come out with a few points. We’re ready for the home race next weekend!”
Challenging Conditions Make for an Eventful SMX Playoff 1 in Ohio
After getting a good start in sixth, Thrasher had a challenging first moto at SMX Playoff #1. A crash on the second lap dropped him to the back of the field and cost him time, but he rejoined the race and did what he could to work his way back through to 15th. Thrasher got another good start in Moto 2 and was eighth early. He moved into sixth in the opening laps and continued to battle but ultimately dropped back to 10th, ending the day 12th overall with a 15-10 score.
“It was a tough weekend in the mud,” said Thrasher. “There were a lot of ups and downs. I feel like my riding was okay, but I just couldn't stay off the ground. We’ll regroup and be back next week. We're still in the fight. We just have to bring everything we’ve got and come out swinging in LA.”
It was also an up-and-down day for Minear, who was making his postseason pro debut. The 2025 SMX Next World All-Stars Champion was 16th after the start of Moto 1 but put his head down and steadily made his way through the field, finishing eighth. Minear got a much better start in Moto 2 and was fourth on the opening lap, but a crash early in the race dropped him to the back of the field. With three laps to go, he was back through to 11th, but a technical issue in the punishing conditions ended his race, resulting in 15th overall.
“Round 1 of the SMX Playoffs was an exciting one with very hard conditions after the skies opened,” said Minear. “In the first moto, I charged from the back and got into the top 10. In the second moto, I got off to a really good start and unfortunately went down on the first lap and got stuck under the bike. I got back up and going, and the bike unfortunately had a problem, and I couldn’t finish the race.”
After being sidelined for most of the season with injury, Brown had to qualify through the 250 Wildcard LCQ, where he had a strong runner-up finish. Then, with the less-than-ideal gate pick for the first moto in the mud, he was 19th after the start of Moto 1. The Utah rider quickly made his way to 10th on the opening lap and continued to fight all moto, but ultimately finished 13th. It was a tough Moto 2, with Brown 18th after the start. Then a tip-over dropped him to the back of the field, but he worked his way back to 17th to end the day 16th overall.
“It was a tough day with two bad starts and a bunch of mistakes,” said Brown. “I don't have much to say for the day. I had some bike issues in Moto 2, and it was a struggle, but we're going to put our best foot forward and really put our best effort into the last two. We’ve got double and triple points coming up.”
Unfortunately, Mosiman’s weekend ended early with a broken collarbone from a crash in Friday’s free practice. The Californian will undergo further evaluation, with an update to follow.
In SMX Next, Carson Wood qualified third, but after a bad start, it was a challenging main event for the young rider in the muddy conditions, and he ultimately finished 19th.
“Qualifying was fun while it was raining, and when it stopped, the track got gnarly for sure,” said Wood. “I had one too many dirt samples, but there’s no such thing as a bad day. There’s always something to learn. We’ll see you in LA.”
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing leaves the opening playoff round with four riders inside the top 10 of the 250SMX Championship standings. Davies sits third in the points, with Thrasher sixth, and Dudney and Minear following in succession, sitting seventh and eighth, respectively.
“Overall, we’re pretty happy with the first round of the SMX Playoffs,” said Jensen Hendler, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s 250 Team Manager. “It’s pretty clear Cole Davies was the best guy. It was sad to see him have a rough Moto 1, but to come back out and win Moto 2 was amazing. And to leave here with three guys in the top 10 overall was awesome.
“Coming from a team that’s used to winning these races regularly, we know that the points structure in the playoff series makes it most important to be strong at the end. So to leave the first one with four guys in the top 10, we’re pretty happy.”
The Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team heads west this weekend looking to make the most of double points on the line at SMX Playoff #2 held at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, on September 19.