Rookie Report: Davies Shines in Debut

Last summer, Monster Energy/Yamaha Star Racing signed a then 16-year-old Cole Davies after the New Zealander’s impressive Supercross Futures season with the amateur GasGas team. Davies would finish the year racing the Scouting Moto Combine events and would go on to win the SuperMotocross 250 World All Stars main event. 

Heading into the off-season, we would learn the team’s plan for Cole: race Supercross Futures again in 2025 and possibly make his pro debut during the Pro Motocross season. But as we approached the start of the 2025 Monster Energy Supercross season, rumors were spreading and word on the street was Davies was more than impressive on the team’s test track and was even the fastest rider some days. 

In a surprise to many, prior to the season the team announced that Davies would not only be turning pro in Monster Energy Supercross, but he would be debuting at Anaheim 1. What a rapid rise to the pro ranks.

“I’m ready to step it up with the big dogs,” Davies said in the announcement. “The off-season has been good to me, and I’m feeling confident that I can go ride to my potential and get some good results.”

As soon as Davies hit the track for qualifying on Saturday at the opener in Anaheim, this kid looked like a veteran. He was riding so smooth and effortlessly as if he has been doing this for years. Cole would top the B group in qualifying with a time of 1:07:47, putting him sixth overall.

Cole would line up for Heat 1 and rippped a holeshot. He was quickly passed by his teammate Haiden Deegan but Davies settled in and rode to a strong second in the heat. As if this wasn’t already an impressive rookie debut, Davies would really show us what he is capable of in his first main event.

Cole went down in the second turn, which also collected his teammate Haiden Deegan and Jett Reynolds and would start dead last. The New Zealander would climb his way back inside the top 10 and finished the night an impressive eighth. From dead last to eighth in your PRO DEBUT!!!!

“My pro debut at Anaheim 1 was a positive day,” he said in a post-race press release. “I learned a lot of race craft and felt good on the bike. I ended up sixth in qualifying and got second in the heat, but I went down on the first lap of the main and came from last to eighth. It’s time to build off that and get ready for San Diego!”

Davies eighth is the best finish by a New Zealand rider since Ben Townley finished second in Detroit in 2007, according to SMX Muse. Heading into round 2, I think we will see a faster Davies. He will be in the A group and able to get the feel for the competitors speed for the night and this should help him know a little more of what speed he needs to be at. 

Is Davies a possible title contender this year? Probably not, but this kid has a bright, bright future and he showed it at Anaheim 1.

Main image: @octopi.media