Image: Octopi Media.

A damaged fuel tank was the cause of former 250MX points-leader Cole Davies’ non-finish in moto one at Spring Creek, proving costly for Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s title-challenger after being involved in the first-turn incident that took down multiple riders.

Davies was caught in the pile-up moments after the opening gate drop, following an incident triggered by teammate Carson Wood. He charged from the rear of the field to 12th before his bike expired at the halfway mark as a result of running out of gas.

The New Zealand standout later revealed that a hole in his carbon gas tank was to blame, believing the damage was sustained in the first-lap impact. A crash-marred second moto then resulted in a lowly 13th-place finish.

“[My] teammate got sketch [and] cleaned me out,” Davies commented after the race. “I don’t know if it was someone’s footpeg or something, but there was a hole in my carbon gas tank [and] I ran out of fuel. I don’t know how that happened, but the bike ran out of fuel.

“Moto two was a struggle, but we’ll be back next week. I expect nothing from myself other than to win. ​​We’re going to reset, get back to the drawing board this week, and come out swinging for the next four [rounds]. I was 24 points down before High Point, so I know what I’m capable of.”

Davies entered the Spring Creek National holding a two-point advantage over Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Levi Kitchen in the standings, although a costly 16th-place result now sees Davies slip to third, 25 points behind Kitchen entering Washougal.