Cole Davies clinches first 250SMX title in Philadelphia

18-year-old New Zealander overcame crashes, rain, and a red-flagged Main Event to earn his fifth win of the season and secure the Eastern Divisional championship

The final East Coast stop of the 2026 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship became the biggest wild card of an already captivating season as Mother Nature became the great equalizer for Round 15 of the Monster Energy SMX World Championship inside Lincoln Financial Field. An afternoon of clear conditions and cool temperatures gave way to intermittent showers for the night show, which saturated the racetrack and made both track position and a patient approach the key to victory. Amidst the most difficult and treacherous conditions of the season, the Eastern Divisional 250SMX Class turned into a championship celebration as 18-year-old New Zealander Cole Davies navigated a chaotic Main Event to secure his fifth victory of the year and clinch his first professional title.

As a young kid in New Zealand, Cole Davies dreamed of becoming a Monster Energy AMA Supercross Champion. Together, he and his family dedicated everything to that goal, making the long trek to the United States. In just his second year in the championship, the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider made that dream a reality. In a chaotic, twice-started 250SX Main Event, Davies rose to the occasion, earning a commanding victory to clinch the 2026 250SX East Championship a round early.

“I’ve dreamed of this moment since I was a little kid,” said Davies. “I’ve worked my whole life to get here, and to see it all pay off is really cool. We set a plan, and we’ve followed it through.”

It hasn’t been an easy road. After a standout debut season in 2025 that saw him contend for the 250SX West title and earn Rookie of the Year honors, Davies was sidelined by injuries. And while his 2026 campaign didn’t start as planned with a fifth-place finish in Arlington, the 18-year-old never finished off the podium from that point forward, scoring six wins and eight total podiums.

That sixth victory came on a night where anything could go wrong – a mud race. The night show didn’t start as planned, with Davies buried in 13th after the start of his heat race. He quickly charged forward, climbing to seventh on the opening lap and continuing his push to finish third.

In the main event, he got a much better start and took over the lead on Lap 2, building a comfortable gap out front. Then the red flag came out. Despite losing that advantage in the staggered restart, Davies went back out and did it again, pulling away to cross the line with nearly a 13-second margin of victory.

“It honestly felt like the longest main event of my entire life,” said Davies. “The conditions were brutal – a full-on mud race, red flag while leading, staggered restart with seven minutes to go – but we got it done. I can’t thank the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team enough for believing in me and giving me the tools to make this happen. And thank you to my family for everything they’ve sacrificed to get me here. This is only the beginning.”

“It’s special,” said Wil Hahn, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s 250 Team General Manager. “It was a long time coming for Cole. We set out a plan a long time ago, and for him to wrap it up a couple of rounds early in just his second year – I can’t put it into words.”

Nate Thrasher also got a great start to the night show, grabbing the holeshot in that first heat race. Running second, he was closing in on Nick Romano, but unfortunately went down and finished fourth. In the main event, he started inside the top 10 and worked his way up to fifth before dropping back to 18th prior to the red flag. After the restart, he charged from near the back of the field to finish fifth, delivering another impressive comeback ride.

“It was a solid night, I just needed to stay off the ground,” said Thrasher. “I was 19th on the restart and ended up fifth. The track was super gnarly tonight. I can’t wait for Salt Lake.”

Landen Gordon continued to show promise in his third pro Supercross round. He started third in his heat race and, after being shuffled back to seventh early, worked his way up to sixth. In the main event, he was 14th off the start and charged forward to eighth. Running ninth before the red flag, the rookie was making a move to the top-five after the restart until a tipover unfortunately dropped him back to 21st, where he would finish.

“It was a tricky day in Philadelphia,” said Gordon. “I felt alright in the mud. I did not have a great start in the main, but I worked my way up to fifth after the restart. Then I had a tip over, and it was tricky trying to get my bike up and get going again. Onto the next one!”

Next weekend, the Western Divisional 250 class returns to action for its penultimate round of the season, on May 2 at the Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado. It’s been a standout year for the team in both divisional 250 class championships, securing both the West and East titles early, and scoring a total of 14 victories with two rounds remaining.

“It’s very special for our race team to have both championships wrapped up early,” said Hahn. “We’re going into these last two with no pressure. We’re ready for the outdoors.”

EASTERN DIVISIONAL 250SMX RESULTS – PHILADELPHIA