The second and final gathering of the 2024 MX Sports Pro Racing Scouting Moto Combine took place alongside the AMA Pro Motocross Championship finale at Ironman over the weekend. The invited group of racers partook in classroom-style sessions that provided insights into various aspects of the sport, including training, nutrition, and media engagement. Additionally, the prospects were divided into five groups, with each rider assigned to one of five Rider Coaches – Michael Byrne, Broc Glover, Ezra Lusk, Chad Reed, and Kevin Windham – who provided guidance and mentorship to the aspiring young athletes.
The summer centrepiece of SMX Next welcomed 25 of the top A & B class prospects in amateur motocross to Ironman Raceway, where New Zealand-born Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider Cole Davies added another accolade to his SMX Next resume with a triumphant outing. Davies also recorded the fastest lap of the race in both motos.
Finishing second overall to make it an ANZAC 1-2 was Western Australian Kayden Minear.
The opening moto on Friday afternoon got underway with a trio of KTM Orange Brigade riders out front, led by Australian Kayden Minear, who was pursued by team-mates Seth Dennis and Luke Fauser. Davies, meanwhile, was well back in 15th place.
With a clear track, Minear was able to sprint away from the field while Dennis encountered misfortune early and allowed Fauser and Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green’s Krystian Janik to move into second and third, respectively.
Janik then applied pressure on Fauser for second and brought fellow Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green rider Caden Dudney along with him. Both Kawasaki-mounted riders were able to make the move and take control of second and third before engaging in a spirited battle of their own for second place that Dudney eventually came out on top of.
While Minear checked out on the field, the fight between the Team Green team-mates allowed a hard-charging Davies to get into the mix from fourth, improving 11 spots from the opening lap. The focus then centred on this three-rider battle for the final podium spots. Davies was patient and bided his time with persistent pressure on the Kawasaki riders. Davies made his move around Janik to slot into podium position and then took advantage of a crash by Dudney with two laps to go to move up to second.
Minear went unchallenged out front and posted a wire-to-wire moto victory finishing 15-seconds ahead of Davies, who in turn, was 20-seconds ahead of Janik.
Monster Energy Kawasaki Team Green’s Landen Gordon was fourth, while Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Amateur Team rider Landon Gibson rounded out the top five.
The second moto began with the Kawasaki of Landon Gordon leading the field to the holeshot, with Cole Davies and Caden Dudney in tow.
Dudney went down early, which allowed NSA Factory Yamaha’s Avery Long to move into third, with Minear fourth. Janik slotted in just a couple spots behind in sixth.
Davies sensed the moment and went on the attack, applying heavy pressure on Gordon. The Kawasaki rider kept the Yamaha mounted Kiwi at bay for nearly half the moto, but Davies’ persistence paid off as he took over the moto lead. Long was then able to follow through past Gordon into second.
From there the battle was on between the Yamaha-mounted duo, as Long was able to keep the pressure on Davies throughout the remainder of the moto. The pair traded fast laps at a torrid pace and eventually distanced themselves from the rest of the field.
Despite his best efforts, Long was unable to get enough of a run to make a move on Davies, as the Kiwi rider withstood the threat and brought home a well-earned moto win by a slim half-second margin over Long. Gordon maintained his hold of third through to the finish to round out the rostrum ahead of Kayden Minear.
When the moto results were combined, the New Zealander’s 2-1 finishes landed him atop the overall classification to give him the Combine victory. It’s the latest high-profile accolade for the promising young talent, who this past spring captured the Supercross Futures AMA National Championship in Salt Lake City.
While he wasn’t a factor for the win in Moto 2, Minear earned 1-4 moto finishes to secure runner-up.
Gordon’s consistent 4-3 effort was enough to equal his third-place result from the RedBud Combine.
Davies’ victory marks a strong start to his professional career and shows that he is a serious contender for the future of motocross. It will be interesting to see how he performs in the coming years.
