Davies back on top of 250 podium with 1-1 effort at Washougal

After a disastrous result the previous week in Minnesota, part of which was no fault of his own, Monster Energy’s Cole Davies (Star Racing/Yamaha) put in probably his best two moto performance of the summer at Washougal MX Park in Washington, going 1-1 for the overall win and taking a major slice out of Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Levi Kitchen’s (5^th @ Washougal) overall 250 class season points lead with three rounds remaining on the 2026 AMA Pro Motocross Championship tour.

And in 450 class action at Washougal, Monster Energy’s Haiden Deegan (Star Racing/Yamaha) remained his consistent self during his stellar rookie season in the big bore class, collecting one podium finish and coupling that with a  top five (4^th) opening moto run to score his third-straight (fifth overall) podium finish of the season with a 3^rd place run at the FLY Racing Washougal MX National.

Opening with winner Davies, the New Zealander got an early advantage on homeboy Kitchen when the Washougal native was taken out in the race’s first turn of the opening moto – for the second week in a row! Davies, who was on the throttle hard and had the holeshot, and lead, escaped the carnage and led the moto wire-to-wire. Kitchen would battle back through the pack, with a key pass on KTM’s Julien Beaumer along the way, to finish 6^th.

Much of the same in 250’s Moto 2 as Davies won by 7.3 seconds over Husqvarna’s Ryder DiFrancesco. “After last week I knew I had to step up my game,” said Davies, who topped 250 class overall points leader Kitchen by 18 points at Washougal, and pulled to within seven points (293-286) of Kitchen in the overall standings. “I’m stoked. I feel like we took a big step in the right direction today. Had a fun day. It was good.”

Rounding out the top ten in 250 class scoring at Washougal for Monster Energy were, again, Kitchen in 5^th, while his Star Racing/Yamaha teammates Nate Thrasher and Kayden Minear finished in 7^th and 9^th positions, respectively.

For Deegan, it was much of the same as the 450 class rookie battled valiantly in both motos while in pursuit of Honda’s Lawrence brothers, Hunter and Jett, as the multi-time 250 class champ earned yet another podium finish with a strong 4-2 run at ‘Shougal.

“I’m in a battle (with the Lawrence brothers). It was good to follow Jett (Lawrence) for a few laps,” said Deegan. “To get on the podium is awesome. I’m having fun out there, learning with the team and learning the bike. I can’t wait to keep battling.”

Rounding out the top ten in the 450 class at Washougal for Monster Energy was Cooper Webb (Star Racing/Yamaha) in 9^th position. And it should be noted here that perennial top ten place, Garrett Marchbanks (Monster Energy/Kawasaki), suffered a rough crash in the opening Washougal moto and was unable to answer the bell for Moto 2. 

Overall Standings (8 of 11 rounds)

Notes & Quotes

• “Those are the famous fur trees that make this the most picturesque circuit in the Pro Motocross campaign.” – NBC Sports’ Jason Weigandt setting the stage with NBC’s establishing shot for Saturday’s televised race.
• “Cole Davies was just on another level. And he needed it because of last weekend.” - NBC announcer James Stewart 
• “Went from 25 points down to only seven… and looking like the old Cole Davies we know.” – Stewart
• Added Kitchen, regarding if he was in “management mode” (i.e. conservative riding) for Washougal: “There’s too much racing left for that. I’m just going to try and keep executing the best I can. And if I’m feeling it – I’m going to send it for sure.”
• “Had some great lines. The results weren’t where he wanted them, but I think he rode pretty well here considering all.” – Stewart on “The Chef,” Levi Kitchen.
• Deegan had actually won at Washougal in two out of the three times he’d raced here on 250s. 
• For the first time this season Monster Energy racers went 1-2 in 450 class qualifying. Leading the way was Deegan with a 2:08.223 first session run, followed by Garrett Marchbanks (Kawasaki) with his best-ever No. 2 qualifying finish.
• Davies won 250 qualifying with a time of 2:12.269 – more than a second ahead of 2^nd place Beaumer.
• Washougal marked the return of Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha’s Pierce Brown to action. Brown, who’s been on the sideline since breaking his collarbone and dislocating his wrist at the Birmingham (Ala.) SX, was taken out in the opening moto (17^th) and raced to 5^th in Moto 2.

Up next: The 2026 Pro Motocross Championship takes its two week midsummer break before returning to action on August 15^th for the ELF Unadilla MX National in New Berlin, N.Y., Round 9 of the series.