Thrasher jumps on Davies for 250 win in Cleveland
SMX Insider recaps the 250 East triple-crown in Cleveland where red plate-holder Cole Davies struggled, opening the door for teammates Nate Thrasher to snag the win and Landen Gordon to get second in his second pro race.
Video Transcript
250 East with three rounds remaining in Cleveland and everybody chasing the New Zealander Cole Davies.
That was the overarching theme coming in to this Triple Crown event, the final one of the year.
Would the championship leader dominate?
Yeah, Cole Davies was looking great all day long, but it was Nate Thrasher able to get the first hole shot in this race and tried his best to get out in front.
You can see Cole being very calm.
I was kind of surprised to see him.
What we saw in that 450 class with Hunter Lawrence, you see Cole make a, a mistake here, allows Seth Hammaker to get up, and Nate, did his best to hold him off, but Seth was a little too much stronger in this first one.
Goes on to get the first victory, in this Triple Crown, and good start for the number 10 on the Kawasaki.
That's what he needed and took points away, most importantly at that stage, from championship leader Cole Davies.
So let's scoot ahead to the second.
Yeah, massive chaos after the start here.
Drew Adams going down with Devon Simonson and of course the 37 of Cole Davies.
They're gonna have a red flag situation.
They couldn't get this man, Drew Adams, off the track.
He was in a very difficult spot in between two lanes, and a near miss right here.
Cole Davies, if he would've exited, he wouldn't have been able to return.
He'd have been disqualified, so he owes that, that nice lady there, several dinners like you talked about, James.
But Nate Thrasher, he had an incredible night overall.
He'll go on to have an incredible finish here in the second.
But check it right here, the number 10 of Seth Hammaker doing the slide job, going up the inside.
He had a bad start, so that's what he was doing, trying to pull himself out of a hole.
The man right here gets a win, moto number two.
Nate Thrasher, that was an omen for what was to come as we go ahead to the third race, and down goes Seth Hammaker as his title rival Cole Davies goes to the front.
Yeah, it's kind of been the story of his season, you know?
Really close, fast, and then just has this incident.
But Cole Davies wasn't having none of this.
He was like, "I'm tired of all you guys winning.
I'm gonna get back up to form."
Pretty, uneventful race for him, but the battle was up here, as you can see.
Nate Thrasher goes up inside of Daston, Daxton Bennett, and that was, gonna be key for him because they lock up the overall there.
Daxton did a great job at, you know, holding him off, fighting, but Cole Davies was able to get this win, but the overall win was, today, was gonna go to Mr. Nate Thrasher.
First one of the year for him.
He's won a race every year since 2021, and again, a ton of potential.
He has always been one of those guys that can win on any given moment.
He's beat some of the best guys around to do that throughout that year, since 2021, and great job.
On the left-hand side of that podium and in second on this graphic is teenager, a rookie, Landon Gordon, and in just his second weekend as a pro, finishes on the podium with a terrific four-two-two result.
Look at who he beats.
He beats the championship leader and his teammate, Cole Davies- Yeah in a wash, a podium sweep, the Monster Energy Star Yamaha.
A Thrasher, Gordon, Davies podium.
It has been Yamaha's year.
I mean, they swept the podium.
Look at that.
I tell you, I don't know what else to say.
They have the- They're, well, they're like the old Alabama Roll Tide back in- Yeah back in the day.
It was Saban.
I mean, they just The lineup is endless.
And that was win number 13 of 14 races this year- Wow for Yamaha.
It has been an extraordinary year.
That brings us to the points, and it is a lot more comfortable in the 250 East Division than it is in the 450 class.
A 21-point advantage for Cole Davies over Seth Hammaker.
Yeah, I mean, Cole's still in a great spot, and you can tell by his riding.
He, that first race was a little uncharacteristic for him, but the second and third one, especially that second one, he just took what he had.
He understands the points lead and has an opportunity to wrap it up next weekend if, Seth ends up third.
If Cole wins, he'll be your champion, but that's why we go racing.
We saw what happened with Eli Tomac in practice.
Anything can go, and, he's gotta stay the, stay the course.
