Image: Supplied.

Japanese standout Jo Shimoda will return to Honda from next season after signing with Team Honda HRC through 2024 and 2025, effectively setting Hunter Lawrence up for his pending transition to the premier class.

Shimoda, 21, will partner Chance Hymas on the factory CRF250Rs next season, while the Lawrence brothers – Jett and Hunter, the latter still to be made official – are set to lead the way in the 450 class.

“I’m super-stoked to join Honda’s factory team,” Shimoda said. “I feel like I’ve progressed a lot since I was with Factory Connection and I hope that I can take the next step in my career, to win an AMA championship.

“I’m friends with the Lawrence brothers since we were teammates at Factory Connection and they’ve shown that the bikes are capable of winning at the highest level. We’ve already started testing for 2024 and I can’t wait for the season to start.”

Shimoda first rode Hondas in the US during 2017 as part of the Factory Connection amateur program, turning professional with the then Geico-backed team at the end of 2019. He switched to Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki in 2021 upon the closure of the Factory Connection team, but now returns to Honda within the factory HRC fold.

In 2021, Shimoda became the first Japanese rider to win a 250SX main event, finishing P2 in the eastern regional standings. Last year saw him become the first rider from Japan to win a Pro Motocross overall on his way to second in the 250 championship. He was third in the same series this year, also runner-up in the inaugural SuperMotocross 250SMX points.

“We’re really pleased to welcome Jo back to the Honda family,” said Brandon Wilson, manager of Racing and Experiential Marketing at American Honda. “We hated losing him ahead of 2021, so it feels like a reunion. He has made great progress in the last few years, firmly establishing himself as one of the top riders in the 250 class.

“Rider signing news is always exciting, but this one is particularly meaningful for our management and many of our associates, given the Japanese connection. That said, although he’s already the most successful Japanese motocrosser to race fulltime in the US, Jo has his sights set on bigger goals and we look forward to helping him achieve them.”