Haiden Deegan Wins His First Pro MX National

Monster Energy racers enjoyed their first podium sweep of the season, led by 17-year-old rookie pro Haiden Deegan’s (Star Racing/Yamaha) first-ever AMA Pro Motocross Championship victory, at this past weekend’s 50th running of the FMF RedBud MX National.

Joined on the 250 class box by Monster Energy-backed teammates Levi Kitchen (2nd) and Justin Cooper (3rd), Deegan’s 2-3 moto finish would earn him the overall victory, stopping the overall undefeated run of Hunter Lawrence (Honda), and pulling Deegan to within 11 points (200-189) of 1st place Lawrence in the overall standings.

“This is awesome,” said Deegan. “I knew that consistency would pay off. The (Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha) team knows I have a shot at this championship, and they know I have the heart and determination. … I can’t thank them enough for the support they’ve given me.”

Rounding out the top ten in the 250 class for Monster Energy at RedBud was Jo Shimoda (Pro Circuit/Kawasaki) in 7th/8-5 and his teammate Seth Hammaker in 8th/5-10.

In the 450 class for Monster Energy, a rock solid 3-2 performance from Dylan Ferrandis (Star Racing/Yamaha) would earn the Frenchman a 2nd place finish.

“This is a good step in the right direction,” said Ferrandis, who’s now 19 points out front of KTM’s Aaron Plessinger for the 2nd overall spot in 450 class racing. “We’re improving, and that’s good.”

Monster Energy’s Chase Sexton (Honda), returning from an injury suffered during practice earlier in the season, rode strong as well with a 2nd & 3rd place two moto finish on the day at RedBud, earning him 3rd place overall.

Said Sexton: “It’s nice to be back. That was not a good performance out of me. It was kind of embarrassing and I’ve got to be better. We’ve still got some work to do, but I’m looking forward to getting back to the level I know I’m capable of.”

Monster Energy/Kawasaki’s Jason Anderson and Adam Cianciarulo rounded out the top ten with 5th and 10th place results.

RedBud MX

450 class results                                               250

2nd - Ferrandis (Monster/Star/Yamaha)              1st - Deegan (Monster/Star/Yamaha)

3rd - Sexton (Monster/Honda)                            2nd - Kitchen (Monster/Star/Yamaha)

5th - Anderson (Monster/Kawasaki)                    3rd - Cooper (Monster/Star Yamaha)

Overall Standings (5 of 11 rounds)

450 class                                                            250

2nd - Ferrandis, 193 points                                 2nd - Deegan, 189 points

4th - Cianciarulo, 149 points                               4th - Shimoda, 158 points

10th - Sexton, 86 points                                      5th - Kitchen, 154 points

450

Moto 1

Ferrandis got out of the start clean, 3rd place behind Ty Masterpool (Kawasaki) and Jett Lawrence (Honda), with Cianciarulo in 4th and Sexton close in 5th … On Lap 4 Sexton would get past Cianciarulo, and would set his sites on Ferrandis. … As Ferrandis battled with Masterpool, Sexton was able to get by Ferrandis, then set sail for Masterpool – who he caught, and passed, nearing the opening moto’s midway point. … Ferrandis, still battling with Masterpool, would make a mistake that allowed Cianciarulo to get by for 4th place on Lap 8. … The former MX Nationals champion Ferrandis would dig deep later in the race, getting past both Cianciarulo and Masterpool and into podium position (3rd). … The battle in pursuit of Ferrandis would see Cianciarulo and Masterpool come together, with both riders going down. Benefitting was Anderson, who, like Sexton, was also returning from injury. … Anderson would grab 5th place, in his first race back from injury this summer as well, giving Monster Energy three in the top five (Sexton 2nd and Ferrandis 3rd) in the opening 450 moto.

Moto 2

Again it was Ferrandis, leading Monster Energy out of the gate to open the second 450 moto, 3rd place start with Sexton nearby in 4th. … In an effort to catch Ferrandis early on, Sexton would make a small mistake, dumping his Honda in the RedBud dirt, but quickly remounting. … Ferrandis would have Moto 2 leader Lawrence in sight during the opening laps, while Sexton put on a charge to get by Plessinger for 3rd place (but was still six seconds back of Ferrandis). … Sexton, from nearby Illinois, would grind hard on his adopted home track, and caught up to Ferrandis with two laps remaining. … The Ferrandis/Sexton battle would allow the two to close the gap on Lawrence, but in the end it’d be Ferrandis that held on for 2nd, with Sexton snatching the third and final podium position in Moto 2.

250

Moto 1

Deegan and Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki’s Ryder DiFrancesco would get the jump off the start on the 250 class field dominated by Monster Energy-backed racers, running in 2nd and 3rd positions early (behind Honda’s Hunter Lawrence). … On the second lap DiFrancesco and two-time MXGP MX2 class champion Tom Vialle (KTM) would get together and go down, which opened the door for DiFrancesco’s teammates, Seth Hammaker – in his first race of the season – and last year’s 250 class runner-up, Jo Shimoda, who moved into 3rd and 4th places, respectively, on Lap 2. … Charging up from a 7th place start was Cooper, who was onto Hammaker and Shimoda before a quick crash put him back several spots. … Soon thereafter Shimoda would go down as well, which relinquished 3rd back to Hammaker. … With under six minutes remaining and Deegan in sole control of 2nd place, Husqvarna’s RJ Hampshire, who’d been battling with Hammaker, was able to move past and into the third and final Moto 1 podium spot. Cooper would get by Hammaker as well, for 4th, Hammaker held onto 5th and Kitchen, who started in 17th position, and Shimoda would round out the top ten in 7th and 8th.

Moto 2

With it all on the line in Moto 2, it’d be Moto 1 winner Lawrence that’d run into trouble early, crashing at the start – and right out of the race (DNF). … Taking full advantage of this was Deegan, who pulled the MotoSport.com holeshot, but was quickly passed by Kitchen a turn later. … With Kitchen building a two-second lead on Deegan, Cooper and Shimoda were both running in the top five (4th and 5th) as well. … Kitchen would control the race through the checkers, a masterful 1st place performance that’d land him on the overall podium. Deegan, understanding what he needed to do in order to win the overall, handed over 2nd place to Vialle – his 2-3 two moto finish being good enough to earn the overall victory. … Cooper, as it was deemed by the AMA, was found guilty of jumping during a medical flag, and was penalized five (5) championship points – though still allowed to keep his RedBud 3rd place podium finish. 

Notes & Quotes

• Bit of poetic justice in that, on America’s 4th of July weekend, the Californian Deegan became the first American to win an overall race on the MX Nationals’ tour this summer.
• “RedBud’s one of the top few, no question, on the Mt. Rushmore of motocross tracks in the United States.” – Broc Glover on RedBud’s 50th anniversary.
• “This place is special. This place is one-of-a-kind.” – Former Monster Energy-backed athlete James “Bubba” Stewart on being inducted into the RedBud Hall of Fame.
• “Quietly, Ferrandis is getting better each week.” – NBC announcer Jason Weigandt on Dylan Ferrandis.
• “I kind of hit the wall in that second moto, so I’m happy to be on the podium,” said Cooper, who crashed hard at High Point the previous week, on his hard fought 3rd place run at RedBud.
• “The first moto was bad on my part. I got a bad start.” - Second 250 moto winner Kitchen.
• Ferrandis, who was injured during the Monster Energy AMA Supercross season, now has back-to-back podium finishes in the MX Nationals (High Point & RedBud).
• “It’s been a little tough sitting on the couch to be honest and Jett (Lawrence) has definitely added some motivation for me.” – Sexton on returning to race the MX Nationals.
• “This is a really special race for me. I’m just excited to be back racing here at RedBud.” – Sexton on turning to the MX Nationals at his hometown track.