Cole Davies Closes to Within One Point of 250MX Lead with Unadilla Victory
The 250 Pro Motocross title chase heats up as Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Cole Davies puts in a clutch ride to earn the overall victory at the Unadilla National / Aug 18, 2026 /
After a two-week break, the Pro Motocross title fight in the 250 class was back in full force last weekend at Unadilla MX in New Berlin, New York. Although it was a bit of a rocky start for Cole Davies with a big crash in the second qualifying session, the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider rallied when it counted. The young New Zealander’s 2-1 moto score not only secured the overall victory, but moved him to within a single point of the red plate as the series heads to the penultimate round.
Despite the crash, Davies qualified fifth for a decent gate pick and put it to good use, getting a strong start to Moto 1 in second. Although he was shuffled back to third on the opening lap, Davies stayed in the fight and rode smart in the tricky conditions, capitalizing on others' mistakes and keeping it on two wheels to cross the line in the runner-up spot.
Not satisfied with second, Davies came out swinging in Moto 2 and grabbed the holeshot. Although he led every lap, the competition kept him honest and didn’t let him run away. Despite the pressure, he kept riding his own race and stretched the gap back out to earn his seventh moto win of the season by a five-second margin, securing the overall victory for the fourth time this season.
“Unadilla was good,” said Davies. “The track was pretty sketchy, but we were able to kind of lock in and have a good day. I had a pretty big crash in qualifying, but I was able to reset, go 2-1 in the motos today, and pull off the win here at Unadilla. The second moto was good, and I'm leaving one point back from the championship. We’ve got four motos to go, so we’re going to try to maximize points and come out on top.”
Caden Dudney came back from the summer break recharged and ready to go. He qualified ninth and got a great start to Moto 1 in fourth before being shuffled back to sixth on the opening lap. The young Texan continued to battle for a top-five result but dropped to seventh mid-moto. Dudney kept pushing and ultimately finished sixth. In Moto 2, he got another good start in seventh. Although he dropped back to 11th in the opening laps, he continued to battle for a top-10 result and made his way back to ninth before ultimately finishing 11th to end the day eighth overall.
“I definitely needed the two weeks off,” said Dudney. “I just tried to be consistent and ride my ride. Overall, it was a pretty good day and a step in the right direction, so I think next weekend will be even better. I actually like this track, so it was pretty fun for me. I like how technical it is. I feel like a lot of people can't really ride that stuff very well, but that's always kind of been my thing.”
It was another strong top-10 result for Nate Thrasher. After qualifying 23rd, he got a great start in seventh and spent the first moto battling inside the top 10, finishing 10th. The Tennessee rider got another good start to Moto 2 in eighth and was running seventh before a tipover in the latter half of the moto dropped him back to 12th, securing ninth overall.
“I went 10-12 for ninth overall,” said Thrasher. “I had a solid first moto, then was running seventh in the second moto before going down. It’s not the result I wanted, but we’ll take the lessons and keep pushing. On to the next one!”
In just his second race back, Pierce Brown overcame adversity and made progress throughout the day. A crash in qualifying made for a tough start to the day, with the Utah rider ending up 21st in the combined times. Then in Moto 1, he found himself 18th on the opening lap, and after a couple of falls during the moto, he finished 17th. Despite the difficult start to the day, Brown bounced back in Moto 2 to end on a positive note. After starting fifth, he fought inside the top 10 throughout the moto, spending much of the race going back and forth between sixth and seventh before crossing the line seventh and ending the day 11th overall.
“Unadilla was a decent day,” said Brown. “It started off rough. In the first qualifying, I had a fall and ended up 21st, which is my worst qualifying ever, I think. So, it was just kind of one of those days. I got a bad start to the first moto, and then had a couple of falls, and finished 17th, but I regrouped for the second moto. I ran in the top five for a little bit, and got passed by two guys at the end of the moto and finished seventh. So overall, I'm happy. I turned it around today, which was hard to do for sure. We'll take the positives and move on to Budds. I'm just stoked to start getting some races under my belt again.”
Michael Mosiman also had a tough start to the ninth round of the outdoor season. After qualifying 14th, he made a mistake at the start, which put him towards the back of the field in Moto 1. Undeterred, the Californian charged his way through the field. Riding around 13th, he then had a couple of unfortunate crashes, but came back from 20th in the final laps to finish 18th. In Moto 2, luck swung back in his favor as Mosiman avoided an incident off the start that sent multiple riders off track in Turn 1. He was 12th on the opening lap and spent much of the moto battling with his teammates around the top 10, ultimately finishing eighth to secure 12th overall.
“In the first moto, I bumped neutral right out of the gate,” said Mosiman. “That was brutal. I turned the corner 37th and fought hard to get up to 13th. Then a rider crashed in front of me, and as he was picking up his bike, it pitched my rear tire, and I hit the deck. On the next lap, I was trying to pass one of my teammates but didn’t get far enough ahead to take my preferred line. I took a new line that had a big hook in it, and I went down. In the second moto, I had a really good start until some guys didn’t turn. I was extremely lucky to not get caught in that and go down. I worked my way forward from 15th or so to eighth. Last year I left this round with a black eye and a serious limp, so I’m happy to have made it through and on to Budds Creek.”
Kayden Minear struggled to find his flow in the tough conditions at Unadilla MX. After qualifying 10th, he was 17th after the start to Moto 1, but kept fighting and finished 14th. In Moto 2, the young Australian got a much better start, slotting into the runner-up spot behind his teammate Davies. He battled up front early but got shuffled back to sixth on Lap 3, and then further back to ninth on Lap 6. He did what he could to fight for a top-10 result but ultimately crossed the line 14th, with his 14-14 scores placing him 15th overall.
“That's a wrap on Unadilla,” said Minear. “I struggled all day, but in the second moto, I made the best of it. I pulled a really good start on the inside gate. The first few laps weren't too bad, and then other than that, I was just struggling to find a flow around this track. It’s tricky. But we're going to go back, do some testing, and rebound for next weekend.”
For fellow rookie Landen Gordon, an unfortunate start to the second moto hurt his overall result. He qualified 13th and then had a mid-pack start to Moto 1, which saw him 16th on the opening lap. Gordon made his way to 10th five laps in and crossed the line 12th. In Moto 2, chaos after the start sent Gordon and several other riders off track in the first turn, including the championship leader. He quickly made his way through to 19th by the second lap, but had a tipover which dropped him back to 32nd. Undeterred, the young Californian went back to work and finished 23rd to salvage 17th overall.
“I had a better day going at Unadilla,” said Gordon. “Qualifying was okay. Then, in the first moto, I had to make a few passes after a mid-pack start and ended up 12th. In the second moto, I had a good jump off the gate, but ended up locking bars with a few people. I got back to around 18th after the first lap, then had a tip-over. There are a few positives to take from today, but I still need to be better.”
“It was an awesome day to leave here with more points and even closer to the championship lead for Cole,” said Wil Hahn, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s 250 Team General Manager. “Especially the way it started, for him to turn around the day and show that kind of grit, it’s just really special. It was also great to see Caden back up there, with him and Nate both finishing in the top 10. It was an up-and-down day for the other guys out here, but we’ll get back to work for the next two and finish the season strong.”
With Davies just one point from the championship lead and two rounds remaining, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing heads to Mechanicsville, Maryland, for the Budds Creek National at Budds Creek Motocross Park on August 22.