Cole Davies takes 3rd at the Opening Round of 2026 Pro Motocross Championship at Pala – how does this track line-up to NZ outdoor tracks? The Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider delivered pointy end results at Fox Raceway going P4 in combined qualifying followed by 3 – 8 in motos 1 and 2 on a track he had never clocked up hours of training or racing on.
Breaking down the stats further, Davies shifted his performance on the track from posting 4th fastest lap-time in moto 1 of 2:21.261 to fastest lap time in moto 2 of 2:18.470 and dominating track sectors 4 and 5 in moto 2 after finishing P2 in sector 4 in the earlier race. Starts in both motos were P10 at the holeshot in moto 1 moving up 7 positions to P3 at the chequered flag and P12 at the first corner in moto 2 grabbing 4 positions to complete race 2 in P8.
So, how comparable was Fox Raceway track, layout, dirt, elevations, and line choice to NZ National MX tracks? Nothing compares. For starters, NZ Motocross National Championships of 4 Rounds per season run on dirt variables from hard-pack clay, to sandy/pumice, to loamy dirt which has been watered and ripped many times over prior to race weekend. These tracks have numerous corners – often up to 15 at least – off cambre berms, jumps suitable for Pro 450 and 250, rutty sections with rider’s enjoying tacky conditions early in the day to managing drier – and even blue groove lines – for the final moto.
Additionally, racing on NZ MX National tracks remains seasonal. The hard-pack clay of Pukekohe Motorcycle club – home track of Cole – runs from October/November to the end of May. This is simply because the dirt is too risky to race on during wet winters. Equally, the sand based track of Taupo MCC, which hosted FIM Junior MX World Championship in 2009 – and home track of Ben Townley – opens from April through to the end of October – due to the impossibility of keeping the track watered during summer. The loamy tracks of Taranaki MCC and South Waikato MCC offer year round riding and cater for growing regional talented rider’s.
Fox Raceway’s long straights, hard-as-dirt, and sectors which favoured speed edged out any comparison to tracks Cole has grown up riding on in NZ. So too did the race schedule. 2x qualifying sessions pre mid-day followed by 2x 30 minutes plus 2 laps motos in the afternoon far outweighs NZ MX Nationals of 20 minutes plus 2 laps – which Cole only raced 2 Rounds anyway. Even GP’s in Europe split qualifying and 2x motos between 2 days – which speaks volumes on the level of physical fitness and mental capacity rider’s take on board competing in Pro MX Championships over 11 Rounds.
Next up: Hangtown, June 7, where the battle on track continues for all watching NZ’s only rider racing America’s premier SX/MX season since BT and Cody Cooper did back in ’07 and ’08.
Header photo: Cole Davies racing 2026 Pro Motocross Championship at Pala. Image: RacerX – Align Media.
Words: Sharon Cox.
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