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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1531445
250SX WEST The 250SX West Champion- ship also kicked off with equal excitement. Haiden Deegan, the obvious favorite for the race win and the title, ended up on the ground and at the back of the pack in turn two. This opened the door for the other title con - tenders to have their shot at an Anaheim win. Jo Shimoda took full advan- tage of a good start and put his Honda HRC Progressive ride at the front of the field. The Japanese native made things look easy as he led every lap of the 15-lap main event. While touted as a title challenger, this win marked only the second Supercross victory for Shimoda. He'll carry the red plate into San Diego's round two. "This is the start I've been wanting every single time," Shimoda said. "Winning A1 is everyone's dream, so just the whole experience was cool." Julien Beaumer had a day in the spotlight. The Red Bull KTM rider is only in his sophomore season as a pro and scored the fastest qualifying time before opening the night show with a heat race win. "Juju" dodged the first-turn carnage and found himself second to Shimoda in the opening laps. For a time, it looked as if Beaumer would give Shimoda a battle for the win, but despite consistent pres- sure, the KTM rider never got close enough to challenge for a pass. A second-place result matches his career-best result (he finished second at the 2024 Charlotte SMX). "Today, I concentrated on minimizing the mistakes on race day," said Beaumer. "I rode with a lot more maturity than I did last season. I rode calmly, smoothly and tried to ride like I do at the test track. I feel like I achieved that and showed that I'm one of the title contenders this year." Jordon Smith fought his way to third place and gave Triumph Factory Racing its first Super - ROUND 1 / JANUARY 11, 2025 ANGEL STADIUM OF ANAHEIM / ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA SUPERCROSS I MONSTER ENERGY AMA SUPERCROSS / SUPERMOTOCROSS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP P60 Julien Beaumer qualified first, won his heat, and finished second in the 250SX main event.