Eyes are on Haiden Deegan in this 450 Pro Motocross rookie season. He put the target on himself with some brash talk to hype up racing defending champion Jett Lawrence. Perhaps you heard? So far Deegan has been better this season than anyone not named Lawrence, and he’s going to consider this a positive, because he does feel like he’s getting closer.
“Yeah, 100 percent,” he says. “This is an amazing day for me. I feel like slowly but surely I'm closing the gap. I mean, last week I was 30 seconds from Jett in the second moto. This race I was like 3 seconds behind in the second moto. I'm getting a lot more fit. I'm catching on to what they do and it's just a matter of time. But it's only my fourth race and this is pretty much kind of going down to a building season. Honestly, I've never raced a 450 like this against these type of guys. So, as much as I want to go win, it's going to take time and I’ve got to be smart.”
Haiden was asked if the progress changes from one track to another or if this is just a general 450 learning process.
“Yeah, it's strictly adapting to a 450,” he says. “It's strictly learning the power of it, learning where to shift it, learning where it steps out here and there. It's a heavy bike, a lot of power. A 250 is a lighter bike. You can kind of send that thing a little harder. The 450 you’ve got to respect it and take a little bit of time, but I'm getting it.”
Starts have also been okay, but not nearly as good as the Lawrences, who continue to dominate the starts on their Hondas.
“I feel like we're getting better at them [starts] so, I don't want to just go the negative route on them,” he says. “I mean, I got two good jumps. Came into the first turn of the first moto [in] second and just slid in the mud a little and got buried. Moto two, I feel like it was a good start. Got a little bit buried, but I was still around fifth, sixth position. So I'm getting a little more consistent with that. I'd love a holeshot, so obviously, you just go back to work. Really keep trying to dial them in. It's a lot more power than a 250, so keeping that front down is a big deal. All you can do is just keep working towards it. But, we're getting better.”
Deegan is happy to get closer to the Lawrences by the end of the moto, but it’s always hard to tell how hard they’re pushing. The brothers have a way of only going as fast as they need to go to maintain a gap, which helps save energy and reduce risks. That’s a big difference from the 250 Class, where most riders are just hammering the whole way. Deegan, of course, hammered in that class, too. So he’s learning a different style here.
“I feel those top guys in the top three, they're a lot more consistent,” he says. “So, that's been my big thing is being consistent through the whole race, not blowing yourself out, not making mistakes, and I feel like I did a whole lot better at that this week. Being consistent throughout the race and finding the right times to go for it. It's just a matter of time.”
Deegan tried to get to two-time MXGP World Champion Jorge Prado for third in the first moto, but Prado held him at bay. In a rematch in moto two, Deegan got the better of him, making the pass and pulling away. That left him 4-3 for third overall.
Okay, so that’s the racing part. With Deegan, though, there’s always the hype part of the story as well, and right now he’s deep into trying to engage Jett Lawrence in some trash talk. At High Point he roosted Jett in the first practice, so Jett roosted him back, and words were exchanged after the session. In the second session Jett crashed, and Deegan had more words for him as he rode by. Jett flipped him off for that, and the AMA fined him for it.
“I mean, I don't know, dude, I just went by him. I asked if he was okay and I get flipped off, you know?’ joked Deegan. “Whatever. I'm sure if they knew what I said, I'd probably get fined [laughs]. I'm just playing. It was good. I love banter. Gets me fired up. I mean, you guys can see that. I was going for it today. Gives me something to chase. And obviously Jett’s the guy. I don't know how much longer he can use the ankle excuse. Like, bro, he's gone 1-1 the last two weekends and I feel like it's kind of honestly a thing he can fall back on now. So, I think he's good to go. Honestly, he's riding good. Hunter's riding good and I think it's just a matter of time before I can run with those guys.”
Judging Deegan only as a racer, third in points and another podium in his rookie campaign is pretty good. Beating Prado is no joke. He’s not battling the Lawrences, but he’s riding well. Is that alone good enough? Everyone has an opinion on that.
