Cole Davies Wins East-West Showdown at Supercross Season Finale
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s 250 champions deliver a thriller in Salt Lake City, with Davies coming out on top / May 12, 2026 /
With both 250SX titles already secured early by Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan and Cole Davies, one thing remained – bragging rights as to who was best in the East and West. The stage was set for an epic showdown at the Monster Energy AMA Supercross season finale inside Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, and it did not disappoint.
After qualifying third in his division and finishing second in the 250SX East Heat Race, Davies got a strong start in the Dave Combs Sr. East-West Showdown, slotting into third. He passed Max Anstie five laps in and began closing in on Deegan with around 10 minutes on the clock. What followed was one of those battles fans will look back on. Two champions. One track. Zero backing down.
At the halfway mark, Davies made the pass, with the pair making contact and Deegan nearly going down, losing some time. With plenty of time still on the clock, the anticipated rematch quickly materialized as Deegan charged back to his teammate. On Lap 13, Deegan made his move, but the two came together again, and Deegan went down. From there, Davies rode on to secure his sixth win of the year, completing a standout sophomore season that included his first 250SX title.
“That was a crazy race,” said Davies. “I didn’t get off to a great start, but I made it happen. The pressure was off with the championship wrapped up, so I could come out and ride with nothing to lose. It was really fun racing like that with Haiden – back and forth, cat-and-mouse. Coming back to Salt Lake City and winning the shootout after what happened here last year feels like redemption.”
Deegan also entered the night with no pressure, putting together a dominant final season aboard the YZ250F to add to his already storied 250 career. On track for another perfect day at the season finale, the back-to-back 250SX West champ was the fastest qualifier in his division and won his heat race. In the showdown, he grabbed the holeshot, and although Anstie briefly took over the lead, Deegan reclaimed it on Lap 2. In the end, after the incident with his teammate, he crashed again in the sand and rejoined in fourth, where he would finish.
“I’ve got to give it up to Cole – that was a dogfight,” Deegan said. “We were giving the fans the best show possible. We were hitting each other… man, that was awesome! Even though I came out fourth, that was one of the funnest races I’ve had, besides battling Levi (Kitchen). That was sick. I hope you fans enjoyed that.”
“Today was solid,” said Deegan about the day as a whole. “I had a good qualifying, went undefeated in heat races, which was awesome. And then we had a pretty rowdy main event. Cole and I went at it, and I ended up going down. I made my way back up to him, then got impatient and slid out in the sand. So, I kind of threw the win away. It was a solid 250 career, and now onto the 450s.”
Max Anstie had a challenging start to the night show. He found himself 10th off the gate and worked his way forward to finish seventh in the 250SX West Heat Race. Then, in the Showdown, the British rider turned it around. Anstie got a great start and quickly claimed the lead. Although he was passed by his teammates in the first five laps, he continued to run a strong pace and moved back into second after Deegan went down. He was later passed by Levi Kitchen and rode on to secure third to return to the podium and finish third in the 250SX West Championship.
“Man, what great way to finish off the season,” said Anstie. “It was a tricky day, the track was tough, but the bike worked well. The whole Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team has done an awesome job this season. We had started off great, with a win at Anaheim 1, but it's been up and down. It's been tough. I've had a lot of random things off the bike, like having my appendix taken out, and then little things from all of that that have kind of slowed things down. So to be able to bring it all together and get back on the podium in the last race and have a great start was a good way to finish it off. I'm definitely looking forward to the outdoors. I’m looking forward to regrouping, pulling it all together, and being a step better next year, and hopefully fighting for this title.”
Rookie Landen Gordon continued to impress with great starts and a strong heat race. He grabbed the holeshot and led the first five laps of the 250SX East Heat Race. The rookie found himself under pressure from Seth Hammaker, but put in a good fight, holding him off until Lap 6. He was passed by his teammate on the following lap, finishing third. In the main event, he got another great start, slotting into fourth behind his teammates, but was shuffled back to eighth in the opening laps. He kept fighting but ultimately finished ninth.
“Overall, it was a good day in Salt Lake City to finish out the Supercross season,” said Gordon. “I was feeling pretty beat up from a crash on Friday for press day. All things considered, I was very happy with my heat race and got to lead a few laps, and then finished ninth in the main event. I’m excited for the outdoors!”
Kayden Minear had a solid outing in just his second pro Supercross round. He got a great start to the 250SX West Heat Race and quickly claimed the runner-up spot, where he rode the first half of the race before being passed by McAdoo on Lap 6, and then on the following lap by Kitchen, finishing fourth. In the main event, a bad start had him towards the back of the field on the opening lap, but he put his head down and fought his way through to finish 12th.
“Last round of the season is done and dusted,” said Minear. “I had a good heat race, which I was happy about. In the main event, I didn’t execute my start and had to make my way back from 20th. I felt good. I can’t wait for outdoors.”
Nate Thrasher had a good start to the day, qualifying second in the east, but didn’t get the start he was looking for and fought his way back from eighth to finish fourth in the 250SX East Heat Race. In the showdown, he was 10th on the opening lap, but kept pushing and made his way into the top five after the halfway mark. Unfortunately, a technical issue late in the race would have him scoring 18th. It was a roller coaster season for the Tennessee rider, but he continued to push on, bringing his career win total to seven and finishing fifth in the 250SX East standings.
“I was riding well all day,” said Thrasher. “So I’m super bummed with how the Supercross season ended, but that’s part of it. I’m ready to turn the page to the outdoors.”
When you look back at the season, it was a remarkable campaign for Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing – both 250SX titles and 16 race wins, which surpassed the single-season win record for a team and manufacturer by two. Five riders contributed to that tally, with Max Anstie and Pierce Brown winning their respective divisional openers, Nate Thrasher leading a Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing podium sweep in Cleveland, and Haiden Deegan and Cole Davies delivering the bulk of the victories.
Davies heads into the outdoor season with a 51-point lead in the combined 250SMX points, with Deegan set to make his 450MX debut. The 20-year-old heads into the premier class with six 250 titles, 32 wins (14 wins in both 250SX and 250MX and four in 250SMX), and an impressive number of stats. In addition to his seven wins and eight podiums this season, Deegan had six perfect rounds and won all of his heat races and the Triple Crown in Houston.
The team also saw three amateur riders make strong debuts, with Caden Dudney named 250SX Rookie of the Year, Landen Gordon scoring a runner-up finish in Cleveland, and Kayden Minear securing a top-five in his debut. Yamaha also earned the 2026 Manufacturers Cup by a commanding 121-point margin.
“A lot went into it,” said Wil Hahn, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s 250 Team General Manager. “It's just really cool. It’s a massive team effort to go through all this. All the wins this season, all the podiums, the records, and a lot of firsts for guys – it’s just a really special year for us. So yeah, we’re stoked. It's really a credit to all these guys behind the scenes who don't always get enough recognition.”
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing now shifts its focus outdoors, preparing for the 2026 Pro Motocross season, which kicks off May 30 at Fox Raceway in Pala, California.