Perfect Pro Motocross Season Start for Deegan at Pala
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan wins both motos for the 250MX overall victory at Fox Raceway at Pala / May 26, 2024 /
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan enjoyed a stellar start to the Pro Motocross season, winning both motos for the overall 250MX victory in front of the home crowd yesterday at the Fox Raceway National in Pala, California. The 18-year-old’s perfect score was a great start to his 250MX title campaign as he heads to Round 2 with the red plate. Nate Thrasher overcame adversity to join Deegan in the top 10 with seventh overall (11-7). After getting caught up in a first-turn pileup in Moto 2, Jordon Smith salvaged points with 13th overall (7-18). Daxton Bennick finished 17th with a 20-14 score in the tricky conditions. Unfortunately, Nick Romano’s day ended early after that first turn pileup in the second moto, and he finished 21st overall with an 18-40 score.
Deegan qualified seventh and then got a great start in the first moto, quickly making his way to third. He advanced to the runner-up spot by Lap 5 and then closed the gap to the frontrunner in the later half of the moto. The 2023 250SMX Champion was within striking distance and, with two laps to go, claimed the lead and rode on to score his fourth career moto win. In the second moto, Deegan grabbed the holeshot and set a blistering pace up front. He and his title rival rode away from the competition, with Deegan keeping cool under pressure to lead from start to finish. His second win of the day also secured the overall victory and the red plate, making for a perfect start to his 250MX title campaign.
Thrasher worked to find his comfort in the challenging conditions and qualified 12th. In the first moto, he found himself 11th and made his way to eighth, but he was dealing with some arm pump and ultimately crossed the line 12th. Thrasher got a much better start in Moto 2 inside the top five and crossed the line seventh to join his teammate inside the top 10 with seventh overall.
Smith had a strong start to the day, qualifying fifth, and then got a great start to Moto 1 in third. He was passed by his teammate Deegan on that opening lap, and unfortunately went down a couple of laps later. Smith rejoined in 10th and kept pushing to charge back to seventh, where he would finish. Unfortunately, it was a tough second moto for the North Carolina rider as he got caught up in the first turn pileup after the start. He found himself at the back of the field and then had a couple of crashes while trying to make his way through the pack. Undeterred, Smith kept fighting to make his way to 18th, finishing 13th overall and salvaging points on a tough afternoon.
Bennick worked on getting acquainted with the unfamiliar territory at the Fox Raceway at Pala and qualified 22nd. Despite a less-than-ideal gate pick, he got a good start inside the top 10 in the first moto. The rookie struggled in the tricky conditions and ultimately finished 20th. Bennick got another good start in Moto 2 and was 13th after the first lap, crossing the line 14th for 17th overall.
Romano also worked on finding his comfort zone in the challenging conditions and qualified 18th. The New Yorker did not get off the gate as he had hoped in the first moto and found himself 17th, ultimately crossing the line 18th. Unfortunately, Romano’s day would end early, as he got caught up in the first-turn pileup in Moto 2 and withdrew from the race, finishing 21st overall with his 18-40 score.
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing heads north for the Hangtown Motocross Classic – Round 2 of Pro Motocross and Round 19 of the SuperMotocross World Series – at Prairie City SVRA in Rancho Cordova, California, on June 1.
Jensen Hendler – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 250 Team Manager
“It was a great way to start the season, with Haiden going 1-1 and leaving with the red plate. He picked up right where he left off at Salt Lake, and put in an awesome ride outdoors to win both motos, and we’re looking to keep that momentum rolling. It was kind of a tough day for the rest of our guys, but there are definitely some positives to take away. We’ll get back to work this week and come back swinging in Hangtown.”
Haiden Deegan – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #38
“It was a good day here at Pala. In the first moto, I made my way to the lead with two laps to go, which was cool. Then, the second moto was a statement ride. I holeshotted and led the whole thing. So yeah, 1-1 on the day, and the red plate... We’re looking forward to next weekend.”
Nate Thrasher – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #57
“It definitely could’ve been better. I think my speed was decent, but I was dealing with some arm pump. I felt good, though. I felt like I had top-three, top-five speed, but I was just riding about 60% in the motos. I was glad to get a top 10 riding like that but bummed because I want to ride to my full potential. We’re going to go back to work and come back stronger at Hangtown.”
Jordon Smith – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #31
“I rode really well and qualified in fifth. So it was pretty solid for a first round of outdoors for me. My speed was good in the motos. I just had a washout in the first moto and came back to seventh, which I was pretty happy with. In the second moto, I got caught up in the first turn pileup. Then it was just chaos trying to get through these guys in the back, and I went down a couple of times. So yeah, it was a bummer in the second moto, but I’m happy with my riding and to have something to build on.”
Daxton Bennick – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #59
“Yeah, it was definitely a little bit of a struggle. I don’t ride here, and I've never really raced here, so it’s always tough when I come to the West Coast, but we’re chipping away at it. The second moto was a lot better, so I’ve got some positives. I had some really great starts, and we’ll bring that into next weekend and just try to improve little by little.”
Nick Romano – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #511
“It was a tough day at Pala. I struggled all day, and then a first-turn pileup in Moto 2 ended my day early. I’m going to rest up and be ready for Hangtown.”
2024 Pro Motocross 250MX Fox Raceway Results
2024 Pro Motocross 250MX Championship Standings
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