Haiden Deegan's first 450 podium: "build each weekend and hopefully keep reeling them in"
· Yahoo Sports
Haiden Deegan finished third in both motos of the Pro Motocross Hangtown Motocross Classic in Rancho Cordova, California, to score the first 450 podium of his career. It came in his second start in the class.
Visit catcrossgame.com for more information.
"[I have to] just keep building on these weekends," Deegan said after the race. "I think that's the only way I can progress is if I'm up there every weekend. I'm getting some better starts, or a little better today. ... I was able to run it with the boys and just kind of get a feel for it.
"They're fast, so to find their lines and see how they do it up there, that's kind of my thing right now, and just keep building each weekend and hopefully keep on reeling them in."
Despite finishing third in both races, Deegan's first and second motos were a contrast. After getting out of the gate moderately in the season opener at Fox Raceway, Deegan spent much of the week leading into Hangtown working on starts. That paid off when he slotted in behind Jett Lawrence in Moto 1.
Deegan was patiently chased by Hunter Lawrence for the first half of that race before he fell to third on Lap 13.
His reaction time was slower in the second moto, and despite getting a second chance because of a red flag involving Justin Cooper, Deegan crossed the holeshot line 10th.
Deegan made short work of coming through the field. He was seventh on Lap 2, fifth on Lap 3, and cracked the top three on Lap 6, but riding through the pack increased his learning curve as he was forced to pass veteran riders.
"You kind of learn each rider, learn what they do, and it's, in a way, good and bad," Deegan said. "I feel like I'm kind of learning each one of those guys, having to start … I mean, that second moto was probably 10th or so, but again, I don't want to start back there, I'm going to go back to work again."
In the first four motos, Deegan has not been able to sustain the pace of the leaders. In addition to his starts, he continues to search for the perfect balance of his new 450 Yamaha in the turns.
But Deegan finds encouragement in being able to run with the leaders, even for brief periods.
"It's good for me if I can battle with them, even if it's for a little bit, even if it's for a lap or a section and just get that pace," Deegan said. "They have a fast pace. So I think it's really, honestly, all it's going to come down to is that I can keep starting up front with them, keep learning that pace, and keep advancing each weekend."
It is also important to remember that Deegan finished third to the defending Pro Motocross and SuperMotocross champion, Jett, and the 2026 Supercross champion, Hunter.
"They're on it, right? So it's my second race, though, and I got to take it step by step and not get ahead of myself. I don't want to put myself backward either, so I've got to be smart with it, but any chance I can get to run up front with these boys is good."