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Although he showed up to the opening round of the Pro Motocross Championship with a T-shirt that read “RIP Jett,” Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan has preached patience throughout his rookie 450 season. Over the course of the 11 rounds of Pro Motocross, time and time again, he reiterated that he was trying to build and adjust to the 450.
And while Deegan certainly ruffles feathers with some of his words and actions, you don’t have the success he had in the 250 Class without having a tight program from top to bottom. Sure, that doesn’t get the same attention because, well, people are more invested in what he says.
After his breakthrough performance in the mud at the opening round of the SMX World Championship Playoffs, Deegan once again pointed to the “slow but steady” approach.
“I feel like the trend is kind of slow but steady, and it really paid off, right,” he said in the post-race press conference. “Even though it was a mud race today, we are still going up against the best guys to ever do it. We are especially getting a lot of guys heading towards the end of their career too, so we are getting a lot of 450 champions that I am able to battle and learn from. Definitely some weight off the shoulders, it was really nice to get it done.”
Yes, conditions were strange on Saturday. And yes, it’s always said that mud is the great equalizer, but there was no denying Deegan was the best rider at the opener. He dominated both races en route to his maiden 450 win. Even Ken Roczen mentioned on the PulpMX Show on Monday that Deegan was riding with less to lose than he was—something Deegan himself brought up in the press conference.
“I kinda like to race and train with that really nothing-to-lose attitude,” he said. “Like, if I don’t get it done, I don’t really have anything to lose, and if I do, I don’t really have anything to lose really. I just go out there and do my thing, and I feel like as I’m maturing a little bit, I’m just kinda really enjoying the process of training, enjoying the process of racing, getting better each and every week and I think it’s, I mean it’s hard for you guys to see, but the maturity level has definitely went up a lot. I feel like I’m kinda getting out of that kid act now and I’m just really trying to get better and better, and that’s my main thing right now.”
Deegan is now just two points back of new championship leader Jorge Prado heading into Round 2 this weekend in Los Angeles. While points double this weekend, his goal remains the same: a title.
“I mean, your goal’s always to win a championship, and I feel like I’ve been good at, through my career taking it race by race and week by week and making the goal, ‘Let’s show up to every round and put the hardest work in when we get to the race and fight every lap,’” he said. “Not giving up has kinda been my big thing. That’s how I feel like I’ve progressed as I’ve fought every single lap I’ve been on the track. So, just continue to do that, and if a championship’s there, you know, that’s nice. It’s a lot of money and a 450 championship. Against a lot of good dudes, but again, we still got, I think, four motos left and just take it race by race and hopefully keep ticking these off.”
Photos: octopi.media
