SMX Playoffs 2 Report: St. Louis Results
St. Louis, Missouri – The second round of the SMX Playoffs delivered pivotal results as Jo Shimoda clinched the overall victory in the 250SMX class with a 2-2 finish aboard his Honda. Following closely were Seth Hammaker (3-3, Kawasaki) and Nate Thrasher (6-4, Yamaha), who rounded out the podium. Notably, two-time 250SMX Champion Haiden Deegan started the day strong with a win in the first moto but faced adversity when he was taken out by Levi Kitchen early in the second moto. Deegan, despite finishing dead last early on, remounted to finish 14th, though his front brake lever appeared damaged. Shimoda now leads the standings heading into the season finale in Las Vegas.
In the 450SMX class, Hunter Lawrence secured the overall victory with a consistent performance of 1-3, placing ahead of his brother Jett Lawrence, who finished 4-1. Jett struggled at the start of the first moto, crossing the holeshot stripe in 21st but battled back to secure fourth place. He dominated the second moto, leading from start to finish. Jett Lawrence maintains the lead in the 450SMX standings as the series approaches its final round.
In the SMX Next World All-Stars race, Ryder Malinoski (Yamaha) emerged victorious; however, Kayden Minear (Yamaha) secured the overall championship with a second-place finish, while Kade Johnson (Yamaha) completed the podium.
As the series progresses, all eyes are on the upcoming finale in Las Vegas, where the championship battles in both classes will reach their climax. Key quotes from the podium finishers highlight their strategies and reflections on the intense competition faced this weekend.
