Back-to-Back 250MX Overall Wins for Deegan
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan keeps his overall win streak rolling with a 1-2 score at the Hangtown Motocross Classic / Jun 3, 2024 /
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan showed grit and determination with a come-from-behind victory in Moto 1 and a runner-up finish despite a crash in Moto 2 to secure his second-consecutive overall 250MX victory at the Hangtown Motocross Classic. The young Californian’s efforts bolstered his campaign in the Pro Motocross 250MX Championship, expanding his points lead to 13 with the near-perfect weekend. Nate Thrasher and Daxton Bennick salvaged points on a tough day at Prairie City SVRA in Rancho Cordova, California, finishing 11th and 12th, respectively. Jordon Smith bounced back from a technical issue in Moto 1 to finish sixth in Moto 2, securing 13th overall (32-6). Nick Romano was 16th overall with his 17-16 score.
Deegan showed strength early, topping the timesheets in the first session and qualifying third in the combined times. Although he didn’t get the start he was hoping for in Moto 1, he put his head down to make an impressive charge to the front from 10th. The red plate holder claimed the lead with three laps remaining and rode on to his third-consecutive moto win of the season. In Moto 2, he grabbed the holeshot and set the pace up front before unfortunately crashing with six laps to go. Deegan quickly rejoined in the runner-up spot, where he would finish to secure the overall victory and expand his points lead to 13 with the 1-2 score.
It was a tough start to the day for his teammate Thrasher, who was working to find his comfort zone and qualified 14th. He didn’t get the start he was hoping for in the first moto and found himself back in 20th. Undeterred, the Tennessee rider kept pushing and made his way back to a top-10 finish in the challenging conditions. Thrasher got a better start to the second moto and was just outside of the top 10 on Lap 1, but ultimately finished 14th to end the day 11th overall.
His teammate Bennick finished right behind in 12th overall. The young rider from North Carolina spent the qualifying sessions learning the unfamiliar track and ultimately qualified 16th. With a less-than-ideal gate pick, he found himself 19th after the start of Moto 1 and fought his way to 11th. In the second moto, the rookie made his way back from 24th to 15th, securing 12th overall and improving his overall score at the season opener in Southern California.
Smith had a solid start to the day, qualifying 11th in the tricky conditions. Unfortunately it was a tough first moto with an early tipover and then a technical issue that had the North Carolina rider withdrawing from the race. Smith bounced back in Moto 2, making his way to 15th on the first lap despite the 32nd gate pick. From there, he kept pushing and made his way to sixth, salvaging points and ending the day 13th overall with the 32-6 score.
Romano continued to work on finding his comfort zone and qualified 15th for the Hangtown Motocross Classic. The New Yorker got a great start in the first moto and was in the top five after the first lap, but ultimately crossed the line 17th. In Moto 2, he found himself 12th and would finish 16th in the challenging conditions for 16th overall, improving his result from the tough opening round at Fox Raceway.
Next up for the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team is the Thunder Valley National – Round 3 of Pro Motocross and Round 20 of the SuperMotocross World Series – at the Thunder Valley Motocross Park in Lakewood, Colorado, on June 8.
Jensen Hendler – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 250 Team Manager
“It was a good day overall. Haiden was able to go 1-2 for the overall win and we still have the points lead, up by 13 points, which is fantastic after two rounds. It was another tough day in California for the rest of our guys, but we’ll keep working. We’re excited for Thunder Valley. We always tend to do well there, so we’re excited for that and looking to carry the momentum in the championship to Colorado.”
Haiden Deegan – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #38
“Today was a little eventful. I was trying to go 1-1. I won the first moto and came from 10th to win it. In the second moto, I pulled the holeshot and was leading. Then about eight minutes to go, I swapped and crashed. I got up quickly and was able to salvage second, which gave me the overall on the day. We’re happy with another win, and now on to Colorado.”
Nate Thrasher – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #57
“It was definitely a tough day. We had two bad starts and then a crash in that second one. We’ve got a lot of work to do, but I feel like my speed is okay. We should be better in Colorado. Get out of California here and get back to some tracks I’ve done well at.”
Daxton Bennick – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #59
“It was my first time at Hangtown, so I just tried to learn the track a bit in qualifying. In Moto 1, I didn’t get a great start but got back to 11th. So it was a little better than Pala, finishing 12th overall today. It’s not where I want to be, but it’s a little better. That’s what we are going to try and do, just be better each weekend.”
Jordon Smith – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #31
“It was great riding. Unfortunately, the results don’t show how good the riding was for the second week in a row, but we’ll fight another day and come back swinging in Colorado and see what we can do.”
Nick Romano – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #511
“It was an okay day, better than last weekend for me. I was at least able to finish both motos, so that was a plus. I just struggled a little bit with myself and a little bit with the bike. So we are going to go back this week and try to figure it out for Colorado and see where we stack up.”
2024 Pro Motocross 250MX Hangtown Results
2024 Pro Motocross 250MX Championship Standings
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