Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Jordon Smith returned to the top step of the podium and claimed the 250SX West Championship lead at yesterday’s Monster Energy AMA Supercross Round 2 in San Francisco, California. It was an emotional first victory with the team in the challenging, muddy conditions at Oracle Park, which also marked the first victory for the all-new 2024 Yamaha YZ250F. Unfortunately, his teammate Nate Thrasher had some crashes in the rain-drenched conditions and ended the night 18th.
With rain soaking the Bay Area leading up to the weekend and on race day, the teams and riders were met with challenging conditions and an abbreviated schedule that ultimately was only one session before the night show. After qualifying 10th, Smith got a great start in his heat race and finished second. He got an even better start in the main event, grabbing the holeshot and leading from start to finish to score his first win since Daytona Supercross in 2018. It was also Smith’s first victory with the team aboard the all-new YZ250F which was made even sweeter by conquering the muddy conditions and moving into the championship lead.
Thrasher got the day off to a great start, qualifying runner-up despite very little time on track with just one session. The conditions continued to worsen, making for a challenging night for the Tennessee rider. He bounced back from a tough heat race in 10th and went on to win his LCQ. With a less-than-ideal gate pick for the main event, Thrasher had a good start around the top 10 but went down on the first lap and rejoined at the back of the field. He kept pushing and made his way back to 13th, but unfortunately had another tip-over around the halfway mark in the thick mud, where he lost time recovering his bike. Thrasher didn’t give up and rejoined the race, crossing the line 18th.
The Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 250 team heads back south to San Diego, California, with the red plate for Round 3 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship and the SuperMotocross World Series at Snapdragon Stadium on January 20.
Jordon Smith
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing
“It feels incredible to get this win. I’m going to soak this in for a couple of days, for sure. I felt like I was all alone out there for a little while. I came through the second or third lap, and I couldn’t really see anyone behind me. Then the halfway flag came out, and I was like, ‘Man, I’ve got to do that again?’ It was a shortened race, but it felt longer. I was so pumped to get the win. Especially with it being a mudder, and with the situation that I feel like I’m in this year – being a title guy and needing to put myself in that position every week. So I think to be able to pull it off tonight and to make it work when I’m not the best in the mud, not as confident in the mud, was huge.”
Nate Thrasher
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing
“The day started out well, but it was another tough night for me. It was pretty tough conditions out there, and we struggled a bit. I had to go through the LCQ, which we won, but unfortunately, it was another tough main event with a couple of tip-overs in the mud. We’ll keep fighting, go back to work, and come back stronger in San Diego.”
Words: Press Release
Image: Yamaha Racing
