HAIDEN DEEGAN - GRIT 234 250SMX

HAIDEN DEEGAN | GRIT-234 | 250 SMX

As stories of his father's success at this venue encompassed the pit area, Haiden Deegan simultaneously planned a plot of his own - to hopefully claim a sensational accolade by the time all was said and done in Los Angeles. Therefore as many could imagine, the Yamaha racer attacked the track with a ruthless will to rise above the rest of his adversaries...where time and time again, the number 238 machine could be seen scrubbing his way through the California skyline with his engine revved to the highest output! It was a bark that would ripple the thought of fear into many opponents mentalities, especially after Deegan garnered a standing of secondin the initial moments of action in the first main event. The pass into the top-two would be dangerous, where he and Tom Vialle nearly collided while overtaking Jalek Swoll...but Deegan seemed to be willing to make any move that was necessary, in order to perform in front of a hometown crowd of sorts. His process of trying to pass Tom Vialle was admirable; with the rookie displaying brilliant race-craft amongst slick, rutted, and sandy terrain - using every bit of power the Yamaha engine could generate while thriving with one-of-a-kind style aboard the number 238 machine! There was a relentless offensive game-plan being displayed on behalf of the Californian, but Vialle was riding extremely well with the halfway point coming to pass....and teammate Jordon Smith beginning to infiltrate the immediate radius of Deegan. Knowing what was at stake, along with processing what had occurred earlier in the year between the two teammates (while stationed in Detroit), Deegan proceeded to put up a strong line of defense; but wasn't reckless, as Smith made his way around (on lap ten). Yet RJ Hampshire would follow in tow, pushing Deegan to fourth...but again, Deegan demonstrated composure that was commendable given the stage he was competing upon. The final battle in which he was apart of, was that between he and Jo Shimoda. Though eventually passed by the number thirty, Deegan's calculation of traction, timing, and race-craft then equated to fifth as action came to a close - leaving him well within the grasp, of the overall SMX Championship. Shorty thereafter, the pack assembled for another array of laps. And the native Californian would spring from the launchpad and quarrel amongst opposing elbows to secure second with the crowd on their feet. It was at this point, where Deegan truly seemed to soar into another realm of his racing career thus far; where the pressure was at its highest, but he remained fluid and composed amongst the highest stakes (especially monetarily) that he'd ever been apart of. Though Cooper, and Shimoda weren't too far behind, it was Deegan who remained resilient in the second-place residency behind teammate Levi Kitchen (who led). Lap after lap, the process of eliminating mistakes while displaying solid lap-times would be quite the task; but Deegan executed with flying colors. The minutes of the finalé became less, and the cheers became louder...which ultimately preceded his second-moto standing (of runner-up) being his for the taking - categorizing him as the overall SMX Champion, in his rookie season!

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