On Saturday, it appeared it was going to be Cole Davies’ night. The Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider appeared to be firing on all cylinders as he took the race win in the first Triple Crown in the three-race format. Championship leader Julien Beaumer had a mistake on the opening lap of the first race and Davies snuck by without getting hit/tangled up/slowed down and rode a perfect race to take the checkered flag in his first Triple Crown race ever.
Then, another mistake by Beaumer and another clean slip by from Davies and the #100 had the lead in the second race. Again, the New Zealand rookie rode smooth—but fast—and took the checkered flag.
The 17-year-old started to break out of his shell both as a racer and as he let some personality show when the helmet came off after the post-race interview with TV reporter Jason Thomas.
“I learned two things from Juju on the first one: one, don’t follow him. And two, I seen that jump. We replayed the race, and I was like, ‘I ain’t about that life’ but I pulled it out. I don’t know, just felt like it. and yeah, man, I felt good. One-one, what else can you ask for? Another one!”
We could get used to these Cole Davies interviews 😂#SMX #SupercrossLIVE #Yamaha pic.twitter.com/08TG9kYaGh
— Supercross LIVE! (@SupercrossLIVE) February 2, 2025
Things were looking good for Davies to earn his first professional win in just his fourth pro start. His 1-1 race finishes had him set up so where a third or better in the final race and the overall win would be his. Haiden Deegan’s 3-2 finishes and Jordon Smith’s 2-3 finishes were tied at five apiece for second overall heading into the third and final race.
Well, the gates dropped and Davies—fifth inside-most gate—got pinched off and was about last exiting the first turn. Then, things went from bad to worse when he doubled the supercross triple but landed on a stray Tuff Block. Just like that, he was dead last, looking at 1-1-22 scores. Davies managed an impressive come back to eighth, with his 1-1-8 final scores landing him on the overall podium somehow, but damn, what could have been! This kid had said just a few weeks ago he was mad about qualifying eighth. You know he was pissed to let this race get away.
He said the following in a post-race release from Yamaha:
“My first ever Triple Crown and I’m stoked with how I rode. I went 1-1-8 for third overall. I got unlucky, landing on a tuff block on the first lap of the last race. But I came back to eighth with some good riding. I’m going to work hard during the break and come out swinging in Arlington.”
Watch the extended highlights below.
In his post-race Weege Show walk and talk video, our own Jason Weigandt caught up with Jordon Smith at the end of the night. Smith, who took the race win in the third and final race AND the overall win (Triumph's first supercross victory), admitted he cut off Davies on purpose in the start.
“Obviously, Cole was riding really good, and he was getting really good starts," he said. "But I knew that if he finished fourth and I won, that I would get it [the overall win]. …I lined up right outside of Cole and as soon I got a pretty good jump, I just came over pretty hard left—”
“You’re admitting this?!” Weigandt interrupted.
“Yeah, and shut down the inside," Smith continued. "That’s just what you gotta do. I think anyone would do the same thing. I was trying to check the board and see where he was at, but I couldn’t get a good look. So, I thought I had him, but I wasn’t sure.”
Watch Smith talk with Weigandt around the 17:14 mark below:
The last time a rider won two of the three 250SX Triple Crown races but did not win the overall that night? The 2022 Glendale SX in the very same building, Christian Craig went 1-4-1 for second overall. If you recall, in the second race that night Craig had a first-lap incident with one Vince Friese, that sent Craig flying off the track. Hunter Lawrence’s 2-1-2 took the overall win that night.
So, instead of his first win, Davies left with a third-place trophy for the second week in a row but proved a lot even though things did not go his way for the overall win. In our Fly Racing Racer X Podcast reviewing the Glendale SX, special guest Phil Nicoletti had high praise for the New Zealand native.
“What that kid does, I mean, the whoop speed, the timing, I mean, the kid doesn’t ever hang a f$#@ing wheel. The kid is a little bad ass. Three times a lap, I say [to myself] the kid is unbelievable."
While it seems one slipped away from Davies' grasp on Saturday night, with heat race and now Triple Crown race wins under his belt, it appears he is ready for the next step—a main event win. Could it come as soon as the next 250SX West Region race in Arlington, Texas, on February 22?
Glendale - 250SX West
February 1, 2025| Rider | Hometown | Motos | Bike | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Jordon Smith | Belmont, NC  | 2 - 3 - 1 | Triumph |
| 2 |  Haiden Deegan | Temecula, CA | 3 - 2 - 4 | Yamaha |
| 3 |  Cole Davies | Waitoki, New Zealand  | 1 - 1 - 8 | Yamaha |
| 4 |  Julien Beaumer | Lake Havasu City, AZ | 4 - 7 - 2 | KTM |
| 5 |  Michael Mosiman | Sebastopol, CA | 6 - 4 - 3 | Yamaha |
