Troy Dog
We’re gearing up for our annual Vurbmoto Classic at NXT LVL 101 in South Carolina on September 13-15. It’s our biggest race of the year. If you don’t believe us, just ask riders like Jo Shimoda, Haiden Deegan, Adam Cianciarulo, Justin Barcia, Justin Cooper, Cooper Webb, among others what this race meant to their careers. They will tell you that it completely changed the trajectory of their careers. We took them to the top baby! Now we will take you to the top. Sign up for your classes today and see if you can become King or Queen of the Classic.
The Ironman Moto Combine has come and gone. The amount of talent that the field had was absolutely incredible. The top A and B riders all had a chance to get a taste of what the big leagues were about without having to worry about racing Haiden Deegan, Tom Vialle, Levi Kitchen and company.
In fact, the Moto Combines are offering riders more than just racing on a Pro Motocross track against a really strong field. They’re offering coaches to help them through the event that are some of the all-time greats in the sport. These coaches like Kevin Windham, Broc Glover, Chad Reed, Ezra Lusk, and Michael Byrne are offering insight that will benefit these riders for as long as their careers last.
Another thing that the Combines are offering is PR training. They had Mike Bonacci, Christina Denney, and Jason Weigandt teaching the riders HOW TO ACTUALLY TALK TO THE MEDIA, which is incredibly important.
Anyway, I’m glad these Combines are a thing, as well as the 250SX Futures. This will prolong the careers of some very talented riders in the long run. Gone are the days of just throwing a hot shoe amateur into the pro ranks and telling him, “good luck kid!”
Look at Drew Adams for instance. He won the RedBud Combine in July and just went 15-11 for 12th overall in his Ironman pro debut. If you were to throw the kids in the Ironman Combine to the wolves in the 250 class, sure some riders could handle it, but for the most part it would be bad news. The class is way too stacked and most of these riders aren’t ready for that yet. Clearly that would never happen, but without the Combines and 250SX Futures the next time these riders would get to race one another would be at Mini O’s and not everyone makes that trip.
Here’s the complete rundown of the Ironman Combine with results from MX Sports:
CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. (August 26, 2024) – The second and final gathering of the 2024 MX Sports Pro Racing Scouting Moto Combine Presented by U.S. Air Force Special Warfare took place on Friday, August 23, on the eve of the Tucker Freight Lines Ironman National as a precursor to the season-ending Pro Motocross Championship Finals, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing. The summer centerpiece 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 that saw him showcase his well-rounded talent.
Prior to the lone 25-minute, plus two-lap moto of the day, 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 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 teammates 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 teammates allowed a hard-charging Davies to get into the mix from fourth, improving 11 spots from the opening lap. The focus then centered 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 ahead of Davies and 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.
Moto 2 began with the Kawasaki of Gordon leading the field to the holeshot, with Davies and 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 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.
When the moto results were combined, Davies’ 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 a runner-up finish, while Gordon’s consistent 4-3 effort was enough to equal his third-place result from the RedBud Combine.
The triumphant effort by Davies also meant his rider coach, Kevin Windham, earned the Combine Coaches Cup in his first involvement in a mentorship role with the program.
Results:
1. Cole Davies 2-1
2. Kayden Minear 1-4
3. Landen Gordon 4-3
4. Landon Gibson 5-7
5. Enzo Temmerman 7-6
6. Cole Forbes 9-5
7. Leum Oehlhof 6-8
8. Jeremy Fappani 12-9
9. Avery Long 24-2
10. Kade Johnson 8-14
11. Caden Dudney 11-13
12. Krystian Janik 3-22
13. Ryder Malinoski 14-11
14. Luke Fauser 10-18
15. Cole Timboe 17-12
16. Seth Dennis 15-15
17. Alex Fedortsov 23-10
18. Max Shane 13-20
19. Grayson Townsend 18-17
20. Ryder Thompson 16-19
21. Brennon Harrison 20-16
22. Tyler Mollet 19-25
23. Carson Mainquist 21-21
24. Alvin Hillan 22-24
25. Adler Caudle 25-23
Images Courtesy of MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc
