Davies Bounces Back with Moto 2 Win at Hangtown
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cole Davies rebounds from adversity in Moto 1 to score a dominant Moto 2 victory at Hangtown / Jun 9, 2026 /
It was a roller coaster day for the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing squad at the Hangtown Motocross Classic in Rancho Cordova, California. In just his fourth start outdoors, Cole Davies continued to build momentum, with the reigning 250SX East Champion answering back from a tough first moto with a dominant victory in Moto 2.
He kicked off Round 2 of the Pro Motocross 250 Championship with a strong qualifying effort in fourth and backed it up with a good start in Moto 1, slotting into the runner-up spot. Unfortunately, the race took a turn on the opening lap, with the young New Zealander crashing and rejoining in ninth. He continued to fight but ultimately crossed the line 11th. In Moto 2, the Davies found redemption. The Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider got another great start and quickly claimed the lead, riding away to score his second career moto victory by a healthy 9.3-second margin. Davies leaves California fourth in the standings and 15 points from the leader.
“I have mixed feelings about Hangtown,” said Davies. “Moto 2 was about as close to a perfect moto as I've had – fastest lap, fastest average, and the biggest margin of victory in the class this season. My bike was working incredible. But in Moto 1, I went down early and finished 11th, which cost us the podium. The speed is clearly there. It's just about keeping it clean across both motos. On to Thunder Valley.”
After finishing 12th at the opening round, Kayden Minear continued to make forward strides with more seat time in the Pro Motocross Championship. Although he qualified 17th and did not have an ideal gate pick, the young Australian was 11th after the start and fought his way through to sixth for a career-best moto result. In the second moto, he unfortunately got caught up in a big first-turn pile-up and found himself back in 17th on the opening lap. Undeterred, Minear put his head down and made his way through to 13th to end the day 10th overall for another career-best result in the class.
“It was a really good step in the right direction this weekend,” said Minear. “I battled through the pack in the first moto to get myself a sixth-place finish, and in the second moto, I unfortunately got stuck in a first-corner incident and battled my way through to 13th. Will get back to work this week and move on to Denver!”
In his second round back from injury, Michael Mosiman continued to make progress as the day went on. He qualified 11th and was 12th after the start, but then found himself at the back of the field on the opening lap. Mosiman continued to fight his way through the pack, making it as far as 26th before ultimately crossing the line 28th. Moto 2 was a much different story for the Northern Californian, who was seventh after the start. Although he dropped back to 10th early in the moto, he kept pushing to finish seventh and end the day 14th overall.
“Hangtown was a mixed bag,” said Mosiman. “We’ve been working really hard as a team to get me comfortable, and I think we found a good direction for Moto 2. I’m proud I was able to be resilient and turn around a tough first moto, and I was pleased with my fitness down the stretch. I have lots more in the tank. I’m looking forward to Thunder Valley.”
It was another tough round in California for Nate Thrasher. After qualifying 16th, he had a solid first moto, battling throughout the race and making his way to 14th after starting 17th. Unfortunately, his day would end early in Moto 2, with the Tennessee rider getting caught up in the first-turn pile-up and ultimately finishing 17th overall despite being unable to continue.
His rookie teammate, Landen Gordon, also faced adversity at Prairie City SVRA. The Californian had a strong start to the day, qualifying ninth and getting a good start to Moto 1 in third. He held a top-five spot through the opening laps before a tip-over dropped him back to 19th. In the second moto, Gordon also got caught up in the first-turn pile-up involving multiple riders and found himself 31st on the opening lap. He continued to push, crossing the line 22nd to end the day 24th overall.
“It was a rough day to say the least,” said Gordon. “I was ninth in qualifying and got off to a good start in the first moto. I was running fifth for a while, and then had a tip over and struggled to regroup. Then in the second moto, I got caught up in the crash after the start. I’m looking forward to getting a bit more comfy on the bike and coming out swinging next weekend.”
After earning his first-career podium at the opening round in Pala, Caden Dudney struggled to find his flow at the iconic motocross venue outside Sacramento. After qualifying 14th, Dudney got a solid start to Moto 1 and found himself 13th early. Unfortunately, a tip-over dropped him to the back of the field. He continued to fight throughout the moto, steadily working his way up to 22nd. Dudney got another great start in Moto 2, running third early before fading through the field and finishing 20th to end the day 25th overall.
“I was feeling kind of meh all day and was just trying to make the best of my day,” said Dudney. “In the first moto, I got a decent start and fell over and was last, and I got back up there a ways. In the second moto, I felt like I hit a brick wall a few laps into the race and had no energy or anything left in my body. I’ll be back for next weekend.”
“There were definitely some mixed emotions today,” said Wil Hahn, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s 250 Team General Manager. “Our first moto didn't go really that well, but for Cole to come out that second moto and rebound like he did – to get the start and just control the race – was really cool to see and for everyone to see his real potential outdoors. We’ll get back to work and come back swinging next week at Thunder Valley.”
Next weekend is the Thunder Valley National, Round 3 of the Pro Motocross Championship and Round 20 of the Monster Energy SuperMotocross World Championship, at Thunder Valley Motocross Park in Lakewood, Colorado, on June 13.