Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing enjoys a superb night in San Diego, with Nate Thrasher returning to the top and Jordon Smith expanding his points lead with a third-place finish
Words & Images: Star Racing Yamaha. Featured Image: Supercross Live
For the second weekend in a row, the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team celebrated victory, with Nate Thrasher taking top honours this time in muddy conditions at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California. His teammate, Jordon Smith, joined him on the podium yesterday, charging to a third-place finish in the tricky conditions and strengthening his lead in the Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX Championship. It was a stellar night for the all-new YZ250F, with Garrett Marchbanks finishing second to make it a Yamaha sweep of the podium at Round 3 of the 2024 season.
Once again, Mother Nature wreaked havoc on the track, with rain arriving during the first qualifying session and cancelling the second session. Thrasher was 12th in the combined times and had a solid fourth-place finish in his heat. He found himself sixth after the first lap of the main event, but the Tennessee rider put his head down and made his way to third on Lap 6. Thrasher claimed the lead with three laps remaining and rode to his fifth career victory in the 250 class and his first this season aboard the all-new YZ250F.
Fresh off of his first victory with the team at least weekend’s mud race in San Francisco, Smith hit the ground running in San Diego. He topped both sessions before the night show and earned a career-first fastest qualifying honours. The North Carolina rider got a good start to his heat race but went off track in the tricky conditions and came back from fifth to finish second. In the main event, he had a good start and made his way to third but went off track again and was shuffled to fifth. Smith regrouped and found some good lines on the slick, rutted track and advanced to third on the final lap. His third podium of the season expanded his points lead to eight points as the Western Regional 250SX class prepares for one more round before heading into a break.
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing returns to Angel Stadium next weekend for Round 4 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX West Championship and the opening round of Supercross Futures on January 27 in Anaheim, California.
Jensen Hendler – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 250 Team Manager
“It was another great night. Obviously, the mud makes for long weeks, but this pays for it right here – a 1-3 finish. It’s great to see Nate back with a win. It was a tough first two rounds, but he bounced back tonight and rode great in these tough conditions. Jordon had a great night for the championship and kept his podium streak going. It definitely wasn’t easy out there, but he did what he needed to do and added to his points lead. We’re looking forward to next weekend in Anaheim.”
Nate Thrasher – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #57
“It was a good night. I felt good in the heat race, but I was a little too timid there trying to put it in the main event. Once I got in the main, I got a terrible start, but I felt like my speed was good and I just started clicking off laps and ended up getting the win. I felt good tonight in the rain. Normally, I’m pretty good in the rain. I had a bad weekend last weekend, but it was a different race track. It feels great to get back on top. Let’s carry the momentum into next week.”
Jordon Smith – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #31
“The day started out really well. The track was a lot of fun, one of the more fun supercross tracks that I’ve ridden. I was fastest in free practice, and then in Qualifying 1, it started raining on the line. I got off to a good start and put in a really quick lap early. It was my first time ever qualifying first, so I was really pumped about that. I got a good start in the heat but made a little mistake, went off track, and ended up second. I was happy with that, to just get in the main in those conditions. I didn’t get off to the best start in the main, and then I had an off-track excursion and got passed by Nate (Thrasher) and Garrett (Marchbanks). I just kind of put my head down and tried to regroup and put in some good laps. It was really tough out there. The track was really rutted, really slick, and it was hard to hit your marks. It was great to get another podium and a good night for the championship. I’m looking forward to next weekend in Anaheim.”
