Deegan Returns to the Podium in Moto 2 at Thunder Valley
Haiden Deegan's progression continued in Colorado, with the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider battling his title rivals and earning a third-place finish in Moto 2. / Jun 16, 2026 /
It was another thrilling battle in the Pro Motocross 450 class this past weekend at the Thunder Valley National, with Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan running the pace up front. It was also a trying day for the rookie at the Thunder Valley Motocross Park. Despite tricky conditions and a couple of mistakes, the 20-year-old kept fighting and returned to the podium with a third-place finish in Moto 2.
Deegan got the day off to a strong start with consistently fast times and qualified fourth. He then got a good start to the first moto inside the top 10, quickly making his way from seventh to third on that opening lap. With the Lawrence brothers ahead, he closed the gap and made the pass on Hunter on Lap 3. It was an exciting race with the three title contenders in the lead group. At the halfway mark, Deegan hit the deck while battling up front. He quickly rejoined the moto in fourth, which he maintained to the checkered flag. After the moto, Deegan was assessed a seven-position penalty for cutting the track, dropping him from fourth to 11th in the final results.
In Moto 2, the Californian got another good start and was fifth on the opening lap behind his teammate Webb, whom he passed on the following lap. Deegan then closed the gap to Aaron Plessinger, passing him on Lap 5 to claim third. As the clock wound down, Hunter Lawrence made the pass for third with four laps remaining. However, a tip-over one lap later allowed Deegan to reclaim the position and secure sixth overall with his 11-3 score. Just three rounds into his rookie season, Deegan continues to hold third in the standings, 32 points from the top spot.
“It was a solid day of racing,” said Deegan. “We made some progress during the week that paid off in the motos. I made a few mistakes that I need to clean up, and we’ll be right there.”
Webb had a good start to the day in Colorado, with his best qualifying so far this year in seventh. Then, for the first gate drop, he continued his run of good starts and slotted into the runner-up spot. Hunter Lawrence and teammate Haiden Deegan worked their way past on the opening lap, moving Webb to fourth. The North Carolina rider held a top-five position through the opening laps before dropping back and ultimately finishing 10th.
In Moto 2, Webb got another good start and quickly made his way to fourth, but was shuffled back to ninth in those opening laps. He continued to fight all the way to the finish, crossing the line 10th to secure 10th overall.
“Today in Colorado was a good day,” said Webb. “I qualified seventh, which was the best so far this year. Then in the first moto, I got a great start, almost pulled the holeshot, and ran up front for a bit, but got shuffled back and ended up 10th. In Moto 2, I was running in the top five, and yeah, kind of the same thing. I got shuffled back, but I actually rode a lot better in the second moto and had a battle with Dylan (Ferrandis) all the way to the end for 10th. So 10-10 for 10th overall, and another top 10. We’ll get rolling once we go east.”
“I thought qualifying went well for Haiden and Webb,” said Rich Simmons, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s 450 Team Manager. “Both guys had really good starts. Unfortunately, some penalties for Haiden in that first moto pushed him back outside the top 10. The track was really tough today. Haiden did a good job managing that and getting it back on the podium, and Webb was up front with two good starts and had a better qualifying. So overall, a good day for the guys. Obviously, we want to be better. We'll just keep working at it and move on to High Point.”
The series continues to head east for the High Point National next weekend – Round 4 of the Pro Motocross Championship and Round 21 of the Monster Energy SuperMotocross World Championship at High Point Raceway in Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania, on June 20.