Deegan Strengthens Championship Lead with Third-Consecutive Overall 250MX Victory
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan makes it three overall victories in a row with a 1-2 moto score at the Thunder Valley National / Jun 9, 2024 /
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan returned to the top step of the 250MX podium for the third weekend running, earning a 1-2 moto score to secure the overall victory at Thunder Valley Motocross Park in Lakewood, Colorado. The young Californian’s fourth moto win and second runner-up finish of the 2024 Pro Motocross season expanded his lead in the 250MX points standings to 23. Despite feeling under the weather, Jordon Smith managed a top-10 finish with his 11-11 score in the punishing conditions. Nick Romano finished right behind in 11th with a pair of 12th-place finishes. Daxton Bennick was 17th overall (15-17) at another all-new track for the rookie.
Deegan had another great start to the day, qualifying runner-up and then grabbing the holeshot in the first moto. He set a strong pace up front and was leading for most of the race. As the clock wound down to the final minutes, the 18-year-old had a tipover and quickly rejoined the race in second, right behind his championship rival. It was a thrilling fight to the finish, with Deegan reclaiming the lead before the white flag, and holding onto it for his fourth moto victory of the season. In the second moto, he got another great start in the runner-up spot and managed his race to secure a second-place finish in the moto and his third consecutive overall 250MX win. It’s been a commanding start to the season for the young rider from California who expanded his championship lead to 23 points as the series heads east next weekend for Round 4.
Despite feeling under the weather coming into the weekend in Colorado, Smith had a solid qualifying in 10th. The North Carolina rider got a great start in the first moto but unfortunately came together with another rider going into the first turn and went down, making for an uphill battle in the challenging conditions. Undeterred, he put his head down and went from the back of the field to 11th. In Moto 2, he didn’t get off the gate as he had hoped and worked his way from 16th to another 11th-place finish, ending the day with 10th overall.
After a tough start to the season, Romano continued to make strides forward. The young rider from New York qualified 11th and got a great start in the first moto in sixth. As the race wore on he was shuffled back to 11th and was passed by his teammate Smith in the final laps. Although he didn’t get off the gate as he had hoped in the second moto, Romano kept pushing and broke into the top 10 on Lap 3. He was shuffled to 11th a couple of laps later but kept battling for position and ultimately would score another 12th-place finish for 11th overall.
Bennick had a solid start to the day in his first outing at Thunder Valley Motocross Park and qualified 13th. From there, he got a good start in eighth and made his way to sixth in the opening laps. Unfortunately, he was dealing with some arm pump issues and ultimately crossed the line 15th. In the second moto, the 18-year-old didn’t get the start he hoped for in the tricky conditions and found himself back in 31st after the first lap. Bennick put his head down to make his way to a 17th-place finish and salvaged some points with 17th overall.
The Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team heads east for Round 4 of Pro Motocross and Round 21 of the SuperMotocross World Series at High Point Raceway in Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania, on June 15.
Jensen Hendler – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 250 Team Manager
“Man, what a day. Haiden put in two great motos. He had great starts in both of them, including a holeshot in the first one, and was 1-2 for the overall win. To start the season 3-0 is pretty awesome, and we’re looking to keep that momentum rolling. Unfortunately, it was another tough round in the west for Jordon, Nick, and Dax, but there are some positives to take away. Jordon was a little under the weather but fought his way back in both motos to end the day 10th overall. Nick was 11th, which is not where he wants to be, but it was a step in the right direction for him after a tough start to the season. And for Dax, it was another new track for him, so he’s still learning. We’ll keep working and look to come back stronger next weekend at High Point.”
Haiden Deegan – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #38
“It was a solid day at Thunder Valley. I’m happy to ride so well at a track that I don’t really get along with that much. Another overall win and more points gained; let’s keep the ball rolling!”
Jordon Smith – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #31
“It was pretty tough. I was under the weather all week. I started feeling a little bit better yesterday and felt okay this morning, but then once I got out there riding in the elevation, I just had no energy. So it was a struggle all day. I had the holeshot in the first moto, but I kind of washed out and came together with another rider and went down, which made it even tougher. In the second moto, I got a bad start and just really had nothing in the tank, so I ended up 11th again for 10th overall. It’s not the riding we had the first two weekends, but we’ll get rested up, back to 100%, and come back swinging at High Point.”
Nick Romano – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #511
“It was a lot better day for me. I ended up 12-12 for 11th overall. I can’t be mad about that. It doesn’t sound great, but it was major progress for how long I had off last year from racing, and especially these first two rounds for me. The team and I put our heads down last week, tested a lot, and made improvements. I’m getting more confidence every race, and we’ll keep trucking along for High Point.”
Daxton Bennick – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #59
“It was definitely a tough day. It was my first time at Thunder Valley, and in the first moto I had a decent start. I just got some arm pump and went backward. In the second moto, I came out about last and worked my way back to 17th. It’s not the result we are looking for, but we’ll keep working. I’m excited for next weekend.”
2024 Pro Motocross 250MX Thunder Valley Results
2024 Pro Motocross 250MX Championship Standings
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