Image: Octopi Media.

For the first time in 2024, Jo Shimoda raced to victory in the 250SX main event on Saturday night in Denver. The Team Honda HRC rider holeshot the main event and had pressure nearly the whole way but was able to lead all 18 laps en route to his second career victory.

With Shimoda leading the whole main event, focus turned to the battle behind him between 250SX West title combatants Levi Kitchen and RJ Hampshire. Kitchen aboard his Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki got into second place early on and hung with Shimoda in the lead while Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Hampshire was battling it out inside the top five.

Hampshire was hit by Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Nate Thrasher on the opening lap in a battle for fourth and Hampshire just barely stayed up. He then went forward to pass Thrasher’s teammate Jordon Smith for third and the trio out front took off.

In the closing laps, Kitchen closed up on Shimoda while Hampshire closed on Kitchen, but the positions remained status quo. Kitchen’s second place finish was enough to pull the championship to a dead head on points heading into the final round next week as Hampshire held on for third.

Thrasher would ride to a lonely fourth place after Smith crashed around the halfway mark of the race and slipped back to fifth. The leaders lapped all the way up to eighth place as the field behind the front group was quite spread out.

Sixth place on the night would go to Muc-Off FXR ClubMX Yamaha’s Phil Nicoletti who outlasted Heartbeat Hot Sauce Solitaire Yamaha’s Cole Thompson. Thompson’s teammate Robbie Wageman would finish up in eighth place ahead of AEO Powersports KTM’s Talon Hawkins and Red Bull KTM’s Julien Beaumer who rounded out the top 10.

Now we will see two red plates in the 250SX West class next week in Salt Lake City as the title decider really will come down to who beats who between Kitchen and Hampshire.

Detailed results