Deegan Remains Undefeated in 2024 250SMX Title Campaign
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan enjoys a perfect day in Texas and expands his championship lead at the SMX Playoff 2 / Sep 16, 2024 /
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan put on a masterclass performance at Playoff 2 of the SuperMotocross World Championship at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. The reigning 250SMX Champion won his fourth consecutive moto and secured a commanding overall victory for the second weekend in a row, strengthening his lead in the championship. Jordon Smith finished fourth in Moto 1 and charged back to ninth in Moto 2 to finish sixth overall. Nick Romano had a strong second outing in the SuperMotocross World Championship post-season, finishing ninth overall with his 13-8 result. Max Anstie rounded out the top 10 with an 11-10 score. Unfortunately, Nate Thrasher’s day ended early with a crash on the second lap of the first moto.
From the first session, Deegan led the way, topping both qualifying sessions to earn fastest qualifier honors in the 250 class. In the first moto, he grabbed the holeshot and built a comfortable lead en route to his third consecutive moto victory in the SuperMotocross World Championship Finals. The Californian’s top form continued in the second moto as he grabbed his second holeshot of the day and rode away from the competition despite the punishing heat and slick track conditions. Deegan’s perfect score in the postseason has him heading to the final round with a 19-point lead.
Smith qualified fourth and then had a solid start to Moto 1 inside the top 10. The North Carolina rider was seventh after the opening lap and made his way to fourth six laps in, maintaining the position to the checkered flag. In the second moto, he got caught up in the first turn chaos at the start and went down. Smith rejoined at the back, charged his way through to 12th, and made a final push with five laps remaining to cross the line ninth, securing sixth overall.
Romano continued to make forward progress in his second round of the SMX postseason. The rookie qualified 11th, and although he went down in the first turn after the gate drop, he fought his way back to 13th in the punishing conditions. In the second moto, he was 13th after the first lap but once again went to work and made his way through to eighth and ended the day ninth overall.
It was a tough start to the weekend for Anstie, who crashed on Friday during practice. The British rider qualified 12th and found himself in the same position after the opening lap of Moto 1. He continued to push, breaking the top 10 on the third lap, and ultimately crossed the line 11th. In the second moto, Anstie was 19th after the first lap but continued to fight his way forward to a top-10 finish, ending the day 10th overall.
Thrasher had a strong qualifying effort in eighth and a solid start in the first moto in the top 10. Unfortunately, on the second lap, the Tennessee rider crashed hard on the landing of the tabletop jump. Feeling beat up and sore, he withdrew from the event but aims to line up for the final round.
The Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team heads to Las Vegas, Nevada, for the SuperMotocross World Championship Final at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on September 21.
Jensen Hendler – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 250 Team Manager
“The day went really well. Haiden was fastest in both sessions and qualified first, got both holeshots, and won both motos. So we’re super happy. We’ve got a great points lead going into Vegas, which is fantastic. It was pretty gnarly out there today. Our guys kept fighting, and we made some good steps in the right direction to finish the year strong. We’ll keep working this week and look to take home the number one plate.”
Haiden Deegan – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #38
“It was a good day. We went 1-1 in qualifying, which was awesome. The goal coming in here was to pull the holeshot, and we pulled two of them. We made it a lot easier on ourselves today. Two holeshots and two wins, that was perfect. It was hot today. This one was pretty brutal, but we fought through and had some fun and got the ‘W.’”
Jordon Smith – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #31
“It was a pretty good day. I got a decent start in the first moto and made my way to fourth and had a good finish. In the second moto, I went down in the first turn and just fought my way back to ninth place. It was a tough track, so I’m glad to get out of here healthy and with a decent finish.”
Nick Romano – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #511
“It was quite a day, 13-8 for ninth overall. The track conditions were tough, and the insane heat made it an ongoing struggle. I was really happy with how I rode. In Moto 1, I had a good jump out of the gate but got caught up with a few riders. I ended up doing a 360 in the first turn and was dead last, but I charged hard and finished 13th. In the second moto, I was 13th but rode hard and finished eighth. After all that I’ve been through the last two years and the ups and downs that my first full pro year has been, it’d be easy to quit, but I’ve been making small gains week in and week out. I’m stoked to head into the season finale in Vegas and look to build on that.”
Max Anstie – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #37
“I got my laps in and got out of Texas in one piece. A crash on Friday took the wind out of my sails a little on race day. Our full focus is on to next weekend in Vegas.”
2024 SuperMotocross World Championship Playoff 2 250SMX Results
2024 SuperMotocross World Championship Standings
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