race recap
HAIDEN DEEGAN GRIT-221 250MX
May 31, 2023 · Haiden Deegan
HAIDEN DEEGAN | GRIT-221 | SX 250
Amongst the madness of the 250cc class at Fox Raceway, Yamaha's Haiden Deegan would manage to stand-out once again amid his first full rookie season! After qualifying extremely well on Saturday, he would sprint from the starting line in the first moto of action while immediately contending for a top-ten position in the running order. But he, Jett Reynolds, and Hunter Lawerence were in a compact assembly of three while rolling over a steep single near the finish-line of the racetrack (with less than five minutes transpiring on the clock), when Deegan appeared to try and dodge the rear wheel of the Kawasaki rider. This would cause him to wash out and fall to the ground, while returning to a solid pace in the fourteenth-place position over the next few laps. It was then a process of moving into single digit territory, where the aggression from the number 238 would standout to all in the crowd; as he wheel-tapped his way through braking bumps while keeping the Yamaha engine revving in its highest regard! He had claimed ninth by lap eight, but it was then when a furthered charge of sorts would be engaged in; as he made brilliant moves around Carson Mumford, Ryder DiFrancesco, and KTM's Tom Vialle! There was little that could stop the Yamaha rider from his pursuit of a higher position, and as he reached a sixth-place standing in the final running order of this fifteen-lap contest, all in attendance knew that Deegan would be one to watch out for in the final moto of the day. The second race was then upon him, and his initial standing (of third) was spectacular while Tom Vialle and Hunter Lawrence were in front of him. He remained composed and poised in the third-place residency, executing stellar line selection(s) while looking for a pace to pass Tom Vialle as he constantly gained on him! This would lead to roughly eight and a half minutes remaining on the clock, when Deegan's fortitude was unable to be matched by the French rider. At that point, Deegan would fly over a large, outbound single (that immediately proceeded the last downhill on the circuit) on the outside. And while keeping a bit more speed than his KTM opponent, Deegan proceeded to leap a few feet further when landing on the backside of the single...which made the pass stick! He was solidified in the runner-up standing at that point, and proceeded to charge forward in the second place position until an eventual checkered flag was thrown! He had proven that he was one of the top contenders in the class, and claimed second overall, as a final result as well!