"We Have the Freedom to Kind of Do Whatever We Want" — Jordon Smith Scores Triumph’s First Supercross Podium
Jordon Smith is no new kid on the block. The North Carolina veteran has successfully raced for nearly every top factory 250 team in the paddock and has contended for 250SX championships on multiple occasions. This weekend at Anaheim 1 was no different, with the result on the podium placing third Saturday night and right in the thick of this 250SX West Championship contention.
What was different for Smith was the new brand and team, Triumph Factory Racing. A new team, in their second full season, and Smith took the TF 250-X to its first Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250 podium in his first attempt. "It was pretty cool. We had the owner, Nick, here, and a lot of people from Triumph. It’s a big company, but it still feels small with a short ladder of people involved. Having Nick there, knowing he’s the guy making the final decisions, was special. The whole team was stoked after the race. We’ve got experienced guys like Scuba and Jeremy Coker who’ve won championships before, but there are also people on the team who hadn’t experienced a podium before. It was a lot of fun, and being able to hit those milestones with Triumph was a big part of why I joined the team." Said Smith happily in a room full of reporters at the post-race press conference.
Smith was adamant about enjoying the bike and team during the off-season, coming into Anaheim 1 with us in the pits at night's end. "I love the bike, it's awesome. We've been working really hard on it. It felt like a very short offseason because we had so much stuff to try, constantly getting the bike better. The team's done great, and we're jelling really well with everyone. It's been a blast this offseason, and I’ve been having a lot of fun just enjoying my motorcycle and the people around me."
Coming into a new season, all the work in the off-season with testing to get the best setup for the motorcycle entering the first round, the riders honestly never know how the bike is going to handle and/or work until you get to a race, but how you adapt and make changes throughout the day so when the gate drops for the main event, you have made the correct changes. "It was definitely different. We confirmed a lot of things that we thought we had right during practice. You don’t really know until you get into the race, but we confirmed a lot of it and had to make some tweaks throughout the day. I was a little uncomfortable at the beginning, especially in the whoops, which is usually a strong point for me. We made some changes, and by the main event, it was the most comfortable I felt." Smith admitted.
An eventful main event was in the cards for Smith, with a tip-over and charge late in the race to secure that final spot on the podium, stating, "I got a pretty good start but got shuffled back after Jo (Shimoda) got the holeshot. I was up to third quickly but caught my clutch lever on a tough block, which dragged with me for about five feet. It felt like I was in neutral, and I tipped over. Once I got going again, I had some clear track and started putting in good laps. I felt confident, especially with the bike changes we made for the main. I knew my fitness was good after a solid offseason, and I just kept chipping away. Eventually, Garrett (Marchbanks) went down, and I was able to pass Coty (Schock) and Ryder D (DiFrancesco). My fitness and confidence toward the end of the moto made the difference."
Smith, 2023-2024, is coming off from racing for the highly successful Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team, where many riders are under the tent. Smith acknowledges the differences between an enormous rider team and a smaller, tight-knit Triumph Factory Racing that he is enjoying. "It's been good. There's a bit more personalized attention throughout the day, the program, and the bike. The team has a specialized job for everyone, and they all work well together. I’ve had a lot of attention this offseason—anything I wanted to try, we’ve been able to try. If I liked it, we kept it; if not, we took it off. We have the freedom to kind of do whatever we want, which is really nice." He told us openly afterward.
Looking ahead and calculating from the first round of the series, Smith said, "There were a lot of things about my bike that I confirmed tonight, things I thought were really good at the practice track and translated well here. But there were also a few things where the bike felt better at the practice track, especially in turning and traction. One thing I can really believe in is the starts—I got great starts all day: practice start, heat race holeshot, and a good start in the Main Event."
Listen and watch our full interview with Smith after Anaheim 1 below:
