Haiden Deegan Remains Unbeaten Two Races Into 250 Title Defense

Moto 1
The first moto of the afternoon began with Team Honda HRC Progressive’s Chance Hymas surging to the Pro Motocross Holeshot ahead of the Rockstar Energy GASGAS Factory Racing duo Casey Cochran and Ryder DiFrancesco, in addition to Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle, who crashed out of the moto early on. Deegan started just outside the top five aboard his Yamaha. Hymas then gave up the lead after he miscalculated a jump and went off track, reentering the fray in second as Cochran assumed the lead. Behind them, Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Seth Hammaker fought his way up into third.

Deegan’s march forward began a little more than five minutes into the moto as he made a series of passes to slot into the top three. That pushed Hymas’ pace onto the rear of Cochran, which ignited a three-rider battle for the lead. Deegan made the move around Hymas and gave pursuit to Cochran, taking control of first just before the halfway point. Once out front, Deegan sprinted to a lead of more than two seconds.

Deegan continued to build on his lead and soon moved out to an advantage of more than five seconds as Cochran fell into the clutches of a hard charging Jo Shimoda and his Team Honda HRC Progressive machine. The Japanese rider made the move into second and asserted his hold on the position. As the race entered its final five minutes, Cochran continued to lose ground and eventually dropped off the podium as the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki trio of Ty Masterpool, Levi Kitchen, and Hammaker all got by.

Deegan cruised to his third straight moto win, 6.9 seconds ahead of Shimoda, while Kitchen made a late pass to secure third. Masterpool finished fourth, followed by Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Michael Mosiman in fifth.

Moto 2
Due to the increasing temperatures entering the final moto, the race was reduced by five minutes. As the field stormed out the gate and through the first turn it was Cochran out front once again, but he conceded the lead to privateer Honda rider Lance Kobusch, who led the first laps of his career. Deegan started in third and was able to make the move around Cochran into second. A little more than a lap later, Deegan took control of the moto. Kobusch then dropped outside the top 10 over the next few laps.

With Deegan out front, the attention shifted to the likes of Shimoda and Kitchen, who were making moves to break into the top three. Kitchen was able to move up to third and then got around Cochran for second just before the halfway point of the moto. Shimoda then passed Cochran for third a couple laps later and continued his march past Kitchen to grab second with a little more than 10 minutes remaining. Deegan, meanwhile, managed a lead approaching seven seconds.

The gap over the field continued to grow for Deegan, up to nearly 10 seconds, as he emphatically put the finishing touch on another moto sweep by a margin of 9.1 seconds over Shimoda. Kitchen finished a distant third.

Overall
Deegan’s second straight 1-1 effort brought him the ninth win of his career, while Shimoda once again minimized the damage with his second 2-2 performance and 21st career podium result. Kitchen enjoyed an impressive rebound from 16th at the opening race to complete the overall podium third (3-3) for a landmark 10th career podium finish.

Deegan doubled his lead in the 250 Class standings, which now sits at 12 points over Shimoda. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Julien Beaumer, who finished a quiet fourth (8-4), moved into third and sits 34 points behind Deegan. Kitchen’s podium finish vaulted him into a tie for fifth, 48 points out of the lead.

250 Class Overall Results (Moto Finishes // Points)

1. Haiden Deegan, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha (1-1 // 50)
2. Jo Shimoda, Suzuka, Japan, Honda (2-2 // 44)
3. Levi Kitchen, Washougal, Wash., Kawasaki (3-3 // 40)
4. Julien Beaumer, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., KTM (8-4 // 32)
5. Garrett Marchbanks, Coalville, Utah, Kawasaki (7-5 // 32)
6. Jordon Smith, Belmont, N.C., Triumph (11-6 // 27)
7. Mikkel Haarup, Silkeborg, Denmark, Triumph (10-9 // 25)
8. Ty Masterpool, Fallon, Nev., Kawasaki (4-16 // 24)
9. Dilan Schwartz, Alpine, Calif., Yamaha (9-13 // 22)
10. Michael Mosiman, Sebastopol, Calif., Yamaha (5-17 // 22)

250 Class Championship Standings (Race 2 of 11)

1. Haiden Deegan, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha – 100
2. Jo Shimoda, Suzuka, Japan, Honda – 88
3. Julien Beaumer, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., KTM – 67
4. Garrett Marchbanks, Coalville, Utah, Kawasaki – 65
5. Levi Kitchen, Washougal, Wash., Kawasaki – 52
6. Tom Vialle, Avignon, France, KTM – 52
7. Michael Mosiman, Sebastopol, Calif., Yamaha – 47
8. Ty Masterpool, Fallon, Nev., Kawasaki – 46
9. Chance Hymas, Pocatello, Idaho, Honda – 45
10. Seth Hammaker, Bainbridge, Pa., Kawasaki – 45