Kiwi supercross sensation Cole Davies goes 5-4-1 braving rain showers, cold temperatures, and swirling winds as the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship visited the shores of Lake Erie, Cleveland, for Round 14 of the 2026 Monster Energy SMX World Championship.
Challenging weather conditions as the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship took over Huntington Bank Field on the shores of Lake Erie, Cleveland. Photo: SMX World Championship
After a string of crashes in challenging conditions, Davies digs deep to make the top three.
“It was a rough day, but we still managed a podium,” Davies said after the race. “I didn’t give up and fought through. Just reset for the last [race] and got the win. It is what it is. Congrats to my teammates, they were riding good.”
The first of three 10 Minutes + 1 Lap Eastern Divisional 250SMX Class races began with points leader Cole Davies alongside his Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing teammate Nate Thrasher exiting the first turn. While Davies earned the holeshot, he gave way to Thrasher and soon dropped to third behind Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Seth Hammaker, Davies’ championship rival. Davies regrouped and found a rhythm that allowed him to reclaim second from Hammaker and close in on Thrasher for the race lead. The teammates engaged in an exciting battle until Davies went down. The New Zealander remounted quickly and resumed in sixth place. Out front, Thrasher came under fire from Hammaker, who bided his time and made the pass. With the lead in hand, the Kawasaki rider pulled away to grab the Race 1 victory by 4.2 seconds over Thrasher. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Daxton Bennick finished third, followed by Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Landen Gordon in fourth. Davies overcame another near crash and made a last lap pass for fifth.
A rain shower made for more challenging track conditions for Race 2, which was halted by a red flag following a crash initiated by Davies on the opening lap and resulted in a restart. As racing got underway once again it was Gordon who emerged with his first career holeshot. He led briefly but gave way to Thrasher, while Davies charged up to third to position to put himself a couple spots ahead of Hammaker. The championship rivals soon battled for third, as Hammaker made an easy pass for the position but was later repassed by Davies. The pair duked it out once more, late in the race, as Hammaker reclaimed the position just before the final lap. Back out front, Thrasher easily controlled the race and cruised to victory by a margin of 3.7 seconds over Gordon. Hammaker held off Davies for third, while Bennick completed the top five.
The third and final race got underway with Davies at the head of the pack for the holeshot ahead of Gordon. Behind them, Thrasher started deep in the top 10 while Hammaker made contact with his Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki teammate Nick Romano, went down, and was forced to start at the tail end of the field. Davies seized the moment with his premium track position and quickly established a multi-second lead on the field as Gordron settled into second. Thrasher was able to make early passes and claw his way up to third but dropped to fourth as Bennick moved into podium position. Hammaker, meanwhile, broke into the top 10 a few minutes into the race and continued to move forward. Davies managed his advantage through the slippery conditions to end the day on a high note with a winning margin of 2.6 seconds over Gordon, with Bennick third and Thrasher in fourth. ClubMX Yamaha’s Devin Simonson was fifth, while Hammaker battled back for sixth.
Thrasher’s 2-1-4 finishes put him atop the overall standings with a combined score of seven points for the seventh win of his career. He also extended a personal streak of at least one Supercross victory each year of his professional career, which dates back to the 2021 season. Thrasher is the fifth different Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider to win in the 250SMX Class this season for a combined total of 13 victories, which is one shy of the class record for a manufacturer. The runner-up spot went to Gordon, who finished one point behind his teammate for the win following 4-2-2 finishes, while Davies completed a podium sweep for Star Racing in third after the Race 3 victory gave him 10 points with 5-4-1 finishes. Hammaker (1-3-6) finished tied with Davies but settled for fourth by virtue of the Race 3 tiebreaker.
With his podium finish, Davies added to his lead in the Eastern Divisional Championship and now holds a 21-point lead over Hammaker with just two races remaining. Bennick, who finished fifth with 11 points on 3-5-5 finishes, strengthened his grip on third and sits 43 points out of the lead.
Cole Davies’ 5-4-1 result in Cleveland was enough for P3 overall and to extend his championship lead. Photo: SMX World Championship
