Haiden Deegan entered the Budds Creek National on Saturday with a good chance of being able to clinch the 2024 AMA Pro Motocross Championship 250 Class title one round early. The Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider boasted a 70-point lead on Levi Kitchen with just 100 total points up for grabs over the final two rounds. If Deegan could gain at least five points on Kitchen by the end of the day in Maryland, the title would be his.
In the first moto, Deegan got the holeshot over Kitchen and checked out. He used the very inside gate and then got up on the hard dirt on the side of the track to literally wheelie away from the competition. Then he took off. The #38 would have a 25-second gap over Kitchen and despite a brief tip over with two laps to go, he still would take the race win in convincing fashion. Tom Vialle would finish second as Kitchen came through third after a last-lap crash by Chance Hymas that cost the Honda HRC rider six positions. Kitchen getting third in the moto officially sealed the championship for Deegan.
“All I cared on the line was destroying those dudes as bad as I could!” Deegan said on the podium after the race. “I just wanted to annihilate everybody. And I mean, I pulled the holeshot, got out to a 25-second gap, I’m like, ‘I want 30 seconds!’ and then I ended up tucking the front. But it is what it is. Got the championship, that’s all that matters. And yeah, let’s go, baby!”
Deegan got pinched off during the start of the second moto (using the same inside-most gate), which saw him around 15th in the early laps. He fought to an eventual tenth place finish, his 1-10 finishes somehow still landing him an overall podium finish in third overall. He was not laying up as he, Nick Romano, and RJ Hampshire were in a great three-way battle for ninth place.
"After I got around my teammate [Romano] for 15 minutes of blockage we were good," said Deegan with a smile.
"I was like all I wanted to do was hold this title up, I was like, 'However I gotta get to the finish line, I’ma do it!' So, it was good.”
“It’s unreal, I’m so happy right now,” he said to TV reporter Jason Thomas on the podium after receiving the #1 plate.
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Now with two professional titles under his belt—the inaugural 250SMX SuperMotocross World Championship last fall and now this year’s 250 Pro Motocross title, Deegan was asked to compare where the two stack up against one another.
“I'd say outdoor,” Deegan said on which title was harder to earn. “I mean, I'm going against every guy [in Pro Motocross because] there's supercross East Coast and West Coast combined. So, it's definitely challenging with lots of rounds, lots of heat, 35-minute motos. So, MX is definitely more challenging. I mean, SMX, you still get that nice aspect of the stadium and some shorter motos. So, MX is definitely probably a little bit harder though.”
And as far as a 450 ride or a Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX title, Deegan wants to get a 250SX title first.
“No, not as of now,” Deegan said on fast tracking to the 450 soon. “I mean, just do that [race 250 Class]. I mean, I still got to win a supercross title, that's still on the goal list. I gotta knock one of those off and then you have a year to defend. So as of now, my goal is just to try and get that 250 [supercross] title so I can move up to the 450. Because I’m not going to move up to the 450 without a supercross title. So, we gotta get those goals knocked off first of winning some 250 titles, more of them.”
| Position | Rider | Hometown | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Haiden Deegan | Temecula, CA  | 481 |
| 2 |  Tom Vialle | Avignon, France  | 412 |
| 3 |  Levi Kitchen | Washougal, WA | 405 |
| 4 |  Chance Hymas | Pocatello, ID | 349 |
| 5 |  Ty Masterpool | Paradise, TX | 316 |
Next up, the Pro Motocross season finale, then the SMX Playoffs. Not known for backing it down, Deegan is still going to shoot for a win next weekend in Indiana.
“I'd say it's time to get on some supercross hybrid tracks and start getting prepped for this SMX title since I got the Pro Motocross title now,” Deegan said about his approach the next two weeks. “I mean, there's still money to be made [with win bonuses] and I win to add to the books at the last round. So, I mean, obviously I'm gonna try my best to do that. But yeah, definitely time to start working towards defending my SMX title.”
And check out Jason Weigandt’s walk and talk review for the Deegan’s outlook on this championship:
