Slaw
Monster Energy/Yamaha Star Racing’s Cole Davies appeared to have all the momentum in the 250 title chase entering Spring Creek.
After Jo Shimoda suffered a concussion and fractured collarbone in a qualifying crash at Southwick, Davies arrived at Round 7 with the red plate for the first time this season. While he was only two points clear of Levi Kitchen, momentum was shifting his way, as he won the overall at High Point and RedBud and finished third at Southwick.
Then everything unraveled.
Davies was caught in the first-turn pileup in Moto 1, and what initially looked like another charge through the field ended prematurely with a mechanical DNF. In Moto 2, more crashes left him 13th in the moto and 16th overall, turning what could have been a title-defining weekend into one of damage control.
So what happened in the opening moto?
Speaking after the race, Davies explained that the first-turn crash punched a hole in his fuel tank, causing the bike to run out of gas. The New Zealander also reflected on the difficult day and the mistakes that compounded an uncharacteristically rough weekend that now sees him 25 points back of Kitchen entering Washougal this weekend.
Can you talk to us about your day as a whole?
Cole Davies: It was a struggle today, but we’re going to reset, get back to the drawing board this week and come out swinging for the next four. I was 24 points down before High Point, so I know what I’m capable of. Come out swinging for the next four and don’t back down.
In the first moto, you almost got the start and then it ends up just exploding. Talk me through what you? Did you get banged up at all from the crash?
Teammates got sketched, cleaned me out. I don’t know if it was someone’s foot peg or something, but there was a hole in my carbon gas tank. I ran out of fuel. I don’t know how that happened, but bike ran out of fuel. Moto 2 was a struggle, but we’ll be back next week. I expect nothing from myself other than to win.
After your final crash in Moto 2, you got passed by a couple other guys after that so your pace seemed a little bit off. Were you hurt? Was the bike tweaked?
Just the struggle of a day. I’ll be back next weekend.
Champions are made on these tough days like this. So, what can you be doing mentally to just recover and then come back out next week swinging?
Go back to the drawing board this week, work on some things and I’ll be ready next weekend. Like I said, I was 24 points down before High Point. Just going to come back swinging for these next four and don’t back down.
Considering how great you’ve been all season, it’s easy for us to forget that these are new tracks for you. What has it been like, especially coming to say Spring Creek and learning the track? How quickly can you adapt to a track like this?
I feel like I can get the track down pretty quick. I don’t know. Today was a struggle though, but we’ll be back next weekend and not backing down.
