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I was doomscrolling the other day, doing my part to absolutely destroy my attention span, when I ran across some pure slander. The kind of reckless, factually questionable statement that simply could not go unanswered. Unfortunately, because I apparently have zero instincts when it matters, I forgot to screenshot the tweet. I didn’t bookmark it. I didn’t copy the link. I have no evidence this ever happened. So you’re just going to have to trust me.
But someone said something to the effect of: No one had Cole Davies doing this well in Pro Motocross…. UMMM, yes, someone did. That someone was yours truly.
In MY pre-season 250 Power Rankings, I had Davies THIRD and wrote the following:
Two. Two rounds of Pro Motocross is all Cole Davies has done. That’s not a lot. BUT…. this kid is special. Getting used to the tracks, the heat, etc. will be a challenge for the SX champ, but you can’t not have him high on the any list due to his pure speed. It may be too much to ask for a title in his first full year, but I wouldn’t count it out.
Please make note of this AMA when decided media member of the year.
What a year it was for Davies. He won his first 250SX title in just his second year and leaves his rookie Pro Motocross campaign as a champion, with a permanent national number waiting, a championship check to spend and one more title still on the table in the SMX Playoffs.
After wrapping up the championship, Davies talked about handling the pressure, the advice he received from Ben Townley, what comes next and, perhaps most importantly, which number he wants to run for the rest of his career.
What an incredible season. Can you tell us how this feels? I know we heard a little bit from you on the podium, but really what does this mean to you?
Cole Davies: It’s unreal, and especially to wrap it up on my birthday. It’s definitely a cool feeling. It’s my first full Pro Motocross season, so to accomplish this I feel like it’s pretty big. I feel like there’s more to come. I want to break some records and I just want to keep working at that and keep coming and just be good.
Ben Townley has been very influential in your career and he of course had experience like, you did earlier this year, winning the 250 Supercross title and then going into outdoors. He had that battle with [Ryan] Villopoto in 2007. Was there any advice that he gave you throughout the season to help you stay focused and really keep you focused for that championship and the bigger picture?
There’s been advice after some rounds, after some bad rounds, telling me to pretty much lock in. I listened. I listened and from there it’s been a hell of a season, lots of ups and downs. I’ve learned a lot, but that’s going to come with your first full Pro Motocross season. A lot of learning to be done and hopefully next year we can limit the mistakes.
You had a decent-sized points league coming in today, but anything can always happen. How nervous were you coming into today? How did you sleep last night? How were you this morning?
The week up to it is probably the worst part, just thinking about the race. And then you get to the race and you’re locked in. I feel like I don’t really get super nervous. Obviously there’s nerves, but I don’t feel like I get super nervous. Under pressure, I feel like I ride better. I feel like kind of saw that in the second moto, I had no motivation, honestly. I was just cruising around. I feel like I ride better under pressure, so I live for that moment.
There’s one more series to go. If you don’t get that series as well, does this make it a little bit less as impressive for yourself or are you locked in on that too?
That’s the plan to go win that too. So, stay locked in and do everything in my power to do that, but I’m just going to enjoy it, get back to training next week and lock in on that. But for now, we celebrate.
I know this is probably something you didn’t really think about during the day, but you have the chance to pick a national number for the rest of your career. And now you have the opportunity to pick a single-digit number after you won your 250 Motocross title. Is there anything that you’re really looking at that says, “I want to pick this and run this the rest of my career?”
I’ve grown up with number 17 and it’s been my number forever, but I’m not able to get that. And obviously having this motocross championship now, I can pick a single digit. So I’m thinking five or 10, but I don’t know. I’m thinking. Let me know in the comment section.
Do you have any big spending plans now that you’ve got this championship check?
I just bought my first house, so I moved into that a couple weeks ago now. So honestly, I think I’m going to buy another house off my parents, the one that I was living in originally. And then I also have a Raptor R coming, so I’m going to make that thing look sick.
Speaking of championship check, we haven’t asked [Joey] Savatgy yet how much to give up the 17 or is he just no go?
Hit me up in the comment section also. We’ll see.
Joey, hit him with your bid.
We’ll see. I don’t know. I mean, single digit’s tough though. I don’t know. I don’t know.
Editors note: Joey has laid out his terms, so we’ll see…
Photos: octopi.media
