Slaw
Prior to Daytona Supercross on Saturday, if you didn’t follow the amateur motocross scene, you may not be familiar with Deacon Denno’s game (or name).
This past year at Loretta’s, Denno, riding for the Orange Brigade KTM team, had a breakout campaign, going 2-1-1 in 250 B for the title and 1-2-2 in the Schoolboy 2 (12-17) B/C Class for the title, while also setting the fastest lap in the second moto of the Schoolboy 2 class. After the event, he received the Amateur Rider of the Year award.
Following Loretta’s, the 17-year-old signed a three-year deal with Factory Triumph, which would see the Texas native move up to the B Class and eventually the pro ranks with the team. At the SMX Next opener at Anaheim 2, Denno finished fifth and followed it up with a second at round 2 in Houston before grabbing his first career SMX Next win in Daytona.
Denno skipped the RCSX event following Daytona, but will return at the next round of SMX Next in Birmingham, AL, on March 21. After Daytona, he spoke with the media about his win, his decision to skip RCSX and more.
Was this your debut last year?
Deacon Denno: Yeah, it was.
It was, in P14. Fast forward to now, just what’s this feel like?
It feels insane. Doing it in front of this big crowd, it’s crazy. Just looking up on the gate’s insane. I’ve made a bunch of gains in one year, so to do that, it feels good. And to get the win, it feels insane.
Can you comment on winning on this stage? This is easily one of the biggest stages. But you’ve also got a lot of the amateur people that are here. This is a stepping stone. What was it like to win under the lights here?
I’m stoked. To watch just all these guys like Tomac, he’s done it eight times, it’s a special place, and it feels insane to do in front of the crowd. With how much history is behind this place, it feels really good.
Then to do it on with Triumph that doesn’t have the same amount of development as a lot of the other brands out there, does that speak to the bike or to your development?
The bike’s really good. We’ve been working our butts off. The whole team, the past three years or so, they’ve been doing it. I’m new to it. They worked really hard, and we’re progressing real fast.
Being in a stadium that is Daytona and there’s 50,000 people, how is it that you manage a lead when you have a rider like Gordon behind you? Are you getting arm pump? Are you breathing? What’s going through your head?
Honestly, no, I don’t really focus behind me. I focus ahead, so I’m not really worried about who’s behind me or what’s going on. Yeah, just ride my race.
Originally, what was the intention of racing RCSX? Is it a nostalgic event for you, or is it about seat time and getting ready for that next SMX race?
I think it’s just the track is a lot different from what we’ve been practicing. We practice obviously a full size supercross track, so to come here… Last year, I think it was like a corner track. It wasn’t a great track. So to see that the next day, it’s not something I’d look forward to doing right now, especially when I’m practicing full-time supercross. So I just focus ahead to my next event. That’s Birmingham, and that’s the one that counts. So I think that’s what I’m looking forward to.
You told our broadcast team a few weeks ago, I believe at Anaheim 2, that one of your goals this year was to stay calm, stay focused, mentally stay in your lane. Do you feel like you’ve been able to achieve that? If so, has that been a factor into success like tonight?
Yeah, definitely. I’ve focused on myself a lot, focused on my program a lot. Mentally, I’m in a good spot right now. I’m stoked where I’m at.
