Cole Davies Answers Back with a Perfect Day at Washougal
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cole Davies cuts the 250MX points deficit from 25 to seven with a moto sweep at the Washougal National / Jul 28, 2026 /
After losing the red plate and leaving the Spring Creek National with a double-digit deficit in the 250 Pro Motocross Championship, Cole Davies needed to bounce back with some “W’s” in Washougal. The Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider not only swept both motos to close that gap to seven points, but did so with authority.
Washougal MX Park, in Washougal, Washington, was another new track for the New Zealander. Although it’s considered one of the more challenging tracks on the schedule, Davies showed strength from the start and set the tone for the day aboard his YZ250F. He was the fastest 250MX qualifier and then grabbed the holeshot to Moto 1 en route to a dominant wire-to-wire victory.
It was another great start from the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing squad as a whole, with Landen Gordon, Michael Mosiman and Nate Thrasher slotted in behind him to lock out the top four. Then chaos ensued with Gordon going down in the slick conditions, collecting multiple riders, including three of his teammates.
Clear of the chaos, Davies continued to set the pace up front, clocking the fastest lap on Lap 3 and building a comfortable lead. He remained unchallenged from there, taking his fifth moto victory of the season by 17 seconds. In Moto 2, he was back in seventh after the start but wasted little time moving forward, claiming the lead on Lap 2 and once again setting the fastest lap of the race. From there, he went unchallenged to another commanding victory, extending his moto win tally to six and earning his third overall victory of the season.
“It was a good day today – qualified first and won both motos,” said Davies. “I really feel like I kind of needed this to get back into the championship hunt. I’m not going to back down. We’re ready to fight till the end, and hopefully we’re going to be in a good spot coming down to the last race and last round. It was honestly pretty slick and sketchy out there, but I had fun. It was a good day, and we’re ready to keep this going.”
Thrasher also had a good weekend in Washougal, despite it traditionally being one of his more challenging tracks. After qualifying 15th, he got a great start with his teammates in fourth, then managed to keep it on two wheels in the midst of the second turn pile-up. Shuffled back to sixth on that opening lap, he regained fifth on the next one, and continued to fight for a top-five result, ultimately finishing seventh. In Moto 2, he was 10th on the opening lap and continued to push forward, finishing eighth to secure seventh overall and match his best result of the season.
“The day was okay,” said Thrasher. “I got off to a good start in the first moto and put myself in a good situation, but didn't ride my best, to be honest. I struggled a bit with the bike setup. This track has never been my favorite. It is probably my worst track on the calendar. So coming out today in the second moto, we changed the bike completely, and it was way better. It was a worse start, but I actually had some fight in me, and I felt good. I'm just trying to build, and a seventh on the day here – I'll take it. We'll keep going and keep getting better. Next time out is Unadilla. I love the last three, so let’s do it.”
Coming off two consecutive fourth-place overall finishes, it was a tough first outing at Washougal MX Park for Kayden Minear, but the rookie still managed to finish in the top 10. After qualifying 16th, he was 12th after the start of Moto 1 but quickly moved into ninth on the opening lap. The young Australian battled for a top-10 result throughout the moto, running as high as seventh before dropping to 10th in the latter stages. He fought back to eighth before ultimately crossing the line ninth. In Moto 2, Minear found himself 15th, but quickly charged forward again, breaking into the top 10 in the opening laps and finishing 10th for ninth overall.
“Washougal was an average day for me, but I know I can go home and good tonight because I tried my hardest, and there's not much more you can ask for,” said Minear. “I just struggled on starts and put myself in a bad position, but that's part of the learning process. We'll go back, have our break, and get back to it, and be back better next time.”
Rookie Landen Gordon returned to action at Washougal and had a strong start to the day, qualifying 10th and getting two good starts in the motos. In Moto 1, he slotted into second behind Davies after the start but unfortunately lost the front in Turn 2. He rejoined and made his way to 22nd by the end of the opening lap, but another crash made for a tougher climb back, and he ultimately finished 16th. In Moto 2, Gordon was third after the start, but he struggled to find his flow on the tricky track and was shuffled back to seventh on the opening lap. He dropped back to 15th before the halfway mark, where he would finish to score 15th overall.
“I finally got my starts dialed again, thanks to the team,” said Gordon. “I just couldn’t stay off the ground in the first moto. In the second moto, I struggled to find a flow. We’re going to get the bike dialed in during the break and come out swinging for the last three rounds.”
It was a tough day in Washington for fellow Californian Michael Mosiman. He, too, had a strong qualifying effort in eighth and got a good start to the first moto in third, but was front-row center for the pile-up after the start and was collected. Mosiman rejoined at the back of the field and made his way back to 17th at the finish. Moto 2 brought more of the same for Mosiman, as he got caught up in another crash after the start and had to come from the back to finish 16th, ending the day 17th overall.
“Tough day in the office,” said Mosiman about the Washougal National. “I got caught up in the second turn pile-up in both motos. It’s a really disappointing end to what seemed a very promising day. But looking at the positives, I’m mostly healthy and still fighting. That’s what I’m most proud of.”
Although the results of his first race back were not what he was looking for, Pierce Brown was happy to be back in action at the Washougal National. It started off well, with the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider qualifying sixth. He then had a solid start in seventh, but was also caught up in the turn-two pile-up. Brown rejoined and was working his way forward, but with damage to the bike, he was forced to withdraw from the moto. In Moto 2, he was 18th after the start and quickly made his way through to eighth on the first lap. Brown was shuffled back to 12th early in the moto and battled for a top 10 result. With around five laps to go, Brown went down, dropping back to 16th. He ultimately finished 17th to end the day 19th overall.
“It was my first outdoor back in a minute,” said Brown. “So, yeah, I felt like a fish out of water there for a little bit. I had a good qualifying, though. I ended up P6 overall, and then had a really good start to Moto 1, but ended up getting tangled up with Landen and some of the other guys that fell on the start. Then somebody ran over my bike and clipped my radiator hose, so I lost all the coolant, and the team pulled me off as a precaution. So that was unfortunate.
“In Moto 2, I had the last gate pick. So I didn't know what to expect, but I came out decent, and I was right in the top 10 area for about 30 minutes and then had a fall late, and ended up 17th. On paper, I’m not stoked with it, but we rode alright. I mean, we definitely have something to work on. So that's something to look forward to, but I'm just glad to be back.”
Caden Dudney showed speed from the start of the day, but unfortunately had a crash in qualifying. As a precaution, the decision was made that it was best for Dudney to shift his focus to Unadilla and sit out the Washougal National.
“It was a great day for us, with Cole sweeping the motos and getting back to single-digit points from the championship lead,” said Wil Hahn, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s 250 Team General Manager. “It’s a shame we had some ups and downs for the others, but we will use the break wisely and come back stronger at Unadilla.”
With Davies back within seven points of the red plate and three rounds remaining, the battle for the 250MX crown resumes August 15 at the Unadilla National – Round 9 of Pro Motocross and Round 26 of the SuperMotocross World Championship – at Unadilla MX in New Berlin, New York.