Image: Octopi Media.

2021 250SX West class champion Colt Nichols’ second-place finish in his championship-clinching ride on Saturday saw him become the first rider since 2015 to score podiums in every race of a 250SX season.

His long and winding road to his first Supercross championship was a journey that built character and ultimately gave him some unique tools in his toolbox to compete at the highest level, which was on display all season long.

Locked in a battle for much of the season with his teammate Christian Craig, Nichols took it a race at a time, and in the end, it was consistency that paid off as he found the podium in every race of the season, finishing with a second-place at the final round in Utah.

“Jett [Lawrence] was riding really well, but I felt like I was holding my own,” Nichols explained. “I straight-up wanted to win that race, I felt solid, I felt strong. I didn’t honestly know the situation as far as who was on me or what was going on.

You know, my mechanic gave me the board and said to let him by and try to stick with him so I did it, I had no idea what was even going on to be honest but I knew that I was probably in second at that point.

“I tried to make a push there at the end and just came up a little short. I really wanted to win that race and I was a little bummed I didn’t. But big picture it was cool to be on the podium nine times out of nine, that was a cool feeling for this year, to be on the podium every time.”

After turning pro in 2014, Nichols has done everything from race Arenacross to compete in Costa Rica just to make extra money. Eventually signed by Star Racing Yamaha ahead of the 2017 season, his first seasons with the team were marred by injury.

When asked how it felt to cross the finish line and be crowned a champion in Monster Energy Supercross, Nichols reflected on just how far he’s come and looked ahead to his goal of another championship in the future.

“I don’t know if it’s honestly really hit me yet,” he continued. “I’ve been through it you know? [At one point] I was just going to Costa Rica to make 500 bucks a weekend to race and kind of keep me afloat during the week, so it’s been a road.

“It definitely wasn’t the path that I thought I was going to do but it was the path that was meant for me, so it built a little bit of character on me, that’s for sure. It didn’t really hit me until I was kind of rolling through the rhythm there at the end.

“250 East Coast Supercross Champion, it’s a pretty damn cool feeling. Something I don’t want to forget, I want to come back and try to do that again next year so that’s going to be the goal.”