Cole Davies reclaims the red leader’s plate with a 1-3 in the mud at Budds Creek. The second overall performance puts Davies 14 points clear of Levi Kitchen as the championship heads to the final round at Ironman Raceway next weekend.
The opening moto began when conditions were at their worst. Cole Davies #37 emerged with the win while Levi Kitchen #47 was penalized for going off track off the start at Budds Creek for Round 10 of the 11-Round 250SMX Pro Motocross Championship sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. Photo: SMX
For the first time all season Mother Nature played a central role in the outcome of the action at the penultimate race of the Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, from Budds Creek Motocross Park. Heavy morning rains set the tone for a challenging afternoon that remained free from rainfall at Round 27 of the 2026 Monster Energy SMX World Championship, where a wet and muddy track eventually transitioned into a competitive racing surface as the sun emerged later in the day.
In the premier 450SMX Class, Honda HRC Progressive’s Hunter Lawrence #96 put forth a dominant performance to capture his sixth win of the season and reclaim control of the points lead, setting up a winner-take-all showdown at the season finale with his teammate and brother, Jett Lawrence #1.
In the 250SMX Class, a day that saw a dramatic shift atop the point standings also welcomed the summer’s seventh different winner as Honda HRC Progressive’s Chance Hymas #29 prevailed to set a new record of parity in the smaller displacement and give Honda a sweep of the day’s victories. Davies meanwhile, happy to bank some points.
“It’s not over ’til it’s over,” Davies said afterward. “I just need to focus on getting two good starts next weekend and see how it plays out. Another good day and we’ll try to do it again next weekend.”
The first qualifying session proved to be faster for the 250SMX field as the final session was greeted with the early stages of a steady storm that altered the course of the day. For the second week in a row, points leader and Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki rider Levi Kitchen #47 paced the field with a time of 1:56.283, which placed him three tenths ahead of his championship rival, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cole Davies #37 and his time of 1:56.596. Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing’s Ryder DiFrancesco #34 rounded out the top three with his 1:56.944.
The first moto of the afternoon saw Kitchen take advantage of his first gate pick with his first holeshot of the summer ahead of Davies and Hymas. The Honda rider went on the attack early and made a pass on Davies. Then, as he pressured Kitchen for the lead, the Kawasaki rider went down and reentered the race in 17th place. Hymas took advantage of the opportunity to lead the field and assert his hold of first. However, Davies closed in and snuck through to seize control of the moto. After one lap, Davies’ lead sat at 3.5 seconds. Behind them, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Landen Gordon #180 moved into third.
As Davies started to pull away from the field, Kitchen was in the midst of a recovery effort, fighting his way back into the top 10 with 23 minutes remaining on the race clock. However, as the moto wore on, Kitchen’s vision was compromised as he ran out of tear-offs, which forced him to remove his goggles with 18 minutes to go. As a result, he slowly started to lose positions and dropped outside the top 10 with about 10 minutes to go.
The top three settled in through the heart of the moto. On the final lap, Hymas was able to get Davies in his sights, but it was too little too late. Davies closed out his eighth moto win of the season by 2.2 seconds, with Gordon in third. AEO Powersports KTM’s Carson Mumford #71 was fourth, with Australian and Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Kayden Minear #99 fifth. Kitchen made a late push and salvaged 10th but was ultimately penalized for going beyond the track limits as the field emerged from the starting gate. As a result, Kitchen was docked four positions and was credited with 14th place.
Cole Davies played a cool hand with a 1-3 at Budds Creek for Round 10 of the 11-Round 250SMX Pro Motocross Championship sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. Photo: SMX
With the sun shining and an improving racetrack for Moto 2, Hymas got out front with the holeshot ahead of Toyota Redlands BarX Yamaha’s Parker Ross #40 and Davies, with Gordon in fourth. Kitchen slotted into sixth. Davies was able to make the move around Ross before the end of the opening lap. Hymas established a lead of 2.4 seconds over Davies as Kitchen put in a charge to break into the top three. The Kawasaki rider closed in on Ross and made the pass, giving him 25 minutes to try and track down the top two.
As the moto reached its halfway point, Hymas’ lead grew to nearly four seconds over Davies, with Kitchen able to make small gains in his pursuit from third. In response to Kitchen’s push, Davies also picked up the pace and started to close in on Hymas. As the fastest rider on the track, Kitchen moved within striking distance of Davies with a little more than 10 minutes remaining on the race clock. The Kawasaki rider continued to close in and was able to take advantage of a miscue by Davies to take control of second. Kitchen faced a 3.2 second deficit to Hymas with just under seven minutes to go and soon got within striking distance of making a challenge for the lead, but Hymas kept him at bay over the last laps to hold on for his second moto win of the season by 2.5 seconds over Kitchen, with Davies nearly a half minute behind in third.
Hymas’ 2-1 effort allowed him to break through for the third overall win of his career. With it, he became the seventh different rider to capture a 250SMX Class victory this summer, which set a new record for race winners in a single season. Davies grabbed his third straight podium result in second (1-3) and now has seven top three finishes this summer, which has ultimately moved him in control of his own destiny in the championship. A 15-point swing in the championship moves Davies back atop the point standings heading into the final round, where he’ll hold a 14-point lead over Kitchen going into the last two motos of the season.
Additionally Cole Davies has now secured the SMX World Championship Regular Season title.
Tauranga’s Brodie Connolly went 38-34 in 250SMX – for a tough day in the office at the Creek.
Cole Davies settles for second at Budds Creek, with Chance Hymas taking the win and Landen Gordon in third for Round 10 of the 11-Round 250SMX Pro Motocross Championship sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. Photo: SMX
Watch: Budds Creek – 250SMX Highlights
250SMX Class Overall Results (Moto Finishes // Points)
1 Chance Hymas, Pocatello, Idaho, Honda (2-1 // 47)
2 Cole Davies, Waitoki, New Zealand, Yamaha (1-3 // 45)
3 Landen Gordon, Atascadero, Calif., Yamaha (3-7 // 35)
4 Julien Beaumer, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., KTM (8-4 // 32)
5 Levi Kitchen, Washougal, Wash., Kawasaki (14-2 // 30)
6 Kayden Minear, Perth, WA, Australia, Yamaha (5-10 // 29)
7 Lux Turner, Gardnerville, Nev., Yamaha (7-9 // 28)
8 Caden Dudney, Des Moines, Iowa, Yamaha (10-8 // 26)
9 Daxton Bennick, Morganton, N.C., Husqvarna (9-11 // 24)
10 Drew Adams, Chattanooga, Tenn., Kawasaki (17-5 // 22)
250SMX Class Championship Standings (Race 10 of 11)
1 Cole Davies, Waitoki, New Zealand, Yamaha – 378
2 Levi Kitchen, Washougal, Wash., Kawasaki – 364
3 Julien Beaumer, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., KTM – 322
4 Chance Hymas, Pocatello, Idaho, Honda – 317
5 Ryder DiFrancesco, Bakersfield, Calif., Husqvarna – 291
6 Kayden Minear, Perth, WA, Australia, Yamaha – 269
7 Carson Mumford, Simi Valley, Calif., KTM – 244
8 Jo Shimoda, Suzuka, Japan, Honda – 194
9 Casey Cochran, Portsmouth, Va., Husqvarna – 166
10 Michael Mosiman, Sebastopol, Calif., Yamaha – 162
SMX World Championship Regular Season Standings (Round 27 of 28)
1 Cole Davies, Waitoki, New Zealand, Yamaha – 609
2 Levi Kitchen, Washougal, Wash., Kawasaki – 541
3 Ryder DiFrancesco, Bakersfield, Calif., Husqvarna – 455
4 Chance Hymas, Pocatello, Idaho, Honda – 355
5 Julien Beaumer, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., KTM – 322
6 Seth Hammaker, Bainbridge, Pa., Kawasaki – 314
7 Carson Mumford, Simi Valley, Calif., KTM – 314
8 Kayden Minear, Perth, WA, Australia, Yamaha – 296
9 Jo Shimoda, Suzuka, Japan, Honda – 294
10 Nate Thrasher, Livingston, Tenn., Yamaha – 291
