Troy Dog
Notice that this column now has a sponsor? That’s right! Troy Dog joined the Blu Cru and you should too! I have one in my garage right now and I can’t wait to go shred it! Thank you to Yamaha for believing in my ELITE columns on this dirt bike website enough to sponsor me. What a dream come true! BTW: Have you seen the all-new YZ450F? OH. MY. GOODNESS. I can’t wait to test that bad boy.
This sport has seen plenty of superstars make their debut, yet Deegan may take the cake as far as most fans and following (on paper anyway). Had social media existed back in the early 2000s, a certain #199 may have had something to say about that, but in my opinion he didn’t have anything close to what Deegan has to deal with on a weekly basis. If you go over to the Star Yamaha pit it’s complete pandemonium as people scrap just for a glimpse of the boy wonder.
It’s a tough rig to be by, honestly. The Star rig already has 64 riders, 400 mechanics and team personnel, and now a bajillion fans are outside rioting by it trying to shake Deegan free from the truck. The amount of fans that have flocked to the races just to see Dangerboy is mindblowing. At the end of the day he’s a 17-year-old kid who’s had cameras in his face since as long as he can remember. The Deegan family has a method when it comes to marketing and it has clearly worked over and over again. We can thank the genius mind of Brian for that.
My point here today in this Takes column is to shine light on the recent “controversy” where he keeps mentioning that he’s American and it seems like he’s trying to psyche the Lawrence crew out. For one, I’m okay with his comments and trying to create drama out of the points standings. We love racing dramas. I like the fact that Deegan is putting a chip on his own shoulder by saying that he’s not supposed to be winning right now and that Hunter is. It’s creating more buzz for the final six motos of the season.
Do I think that all of these attempted mind games are working on Hunter? No, I don’t. Hunter is a veteran of the class and his mental strength has reached the capacity to not sweat the small stuff. I think Hunter is focused on being as strong as he can be as he is dealing with his own injury issues. Hunter has in fact been the favorite all season long and the best 250 rider all-around in 2023 (since his brother moved up anyway).
I still think that Hunter will in fact take home the 250 Pro Motocross Championship and the 250 SMX Championship as well. I’m shocked that Deegan was able to go 1-1 at Washougal, but I think that Hunter’s experience will pay off in the end. That is unless Deegan has found another gear here for the final six motos. It’s motocross, so it’s possible that Deegan has simply evolved this much over the course of the season. I’m not counting him out obviously.
We have six motos remaining. Let’s also welcome the trash talking as well. Every story needs a villain, but can Deegan be a villain with the following that he has? As long as this title fight remains classy and these guys don’t resort to taking one another out on the track to win the title, I’m all for it. Let the best man win.
Main image: Yamaha
Ha you can’t find honest reporting anywhere and this is not quite fake news, but it is a whole bucnh of bullshit. Mindgames…no its not. Let me rewrite article with what really is going on.
American MX fans and riders do not like seeing Hunter and Jett come over and dominate the American SX/MX and the media has a feaking love affair with the Lawrence brothers. American riders, other than Haiden, have acted like little bitches almost pulling over for Hunter and Jett when they come through while remember…Jett was talking about racing and blocking and taking out the Star guys in Supercross after his season was up. Low class POS talk in my opiion. It ok to be patriotic and folks like Mathis want to make it a bad thing which should call for his WOKE ass to be boycotted. We should want our riders to dominate sports that we have built and cultivated adn Hunters and Jett lack of appreciation will be there ultimate downfall. They will bnever be respected like Kenny and Chad. Yes I am aware of their talent, story, and work ethic.
Mayzee, hey Marvin Musquin and Kenny Roczen have come over from Europe to race here. Both have won championships, and yet American motocross still is strong as ever. If we go over to Europe at Des Nations racing and beat them fair and square, what’s the problem? It makes motocross fun to watch in my opinion. Deegan and the Lawrence brothers makes a good story and great racing to watch, so I am not buying your version of this. Thanks, but no thanks.