Haiden Deegan made quite a stir during his Monster Energy AMA Supercross debut, capping his year off by earning the AMA 250SX Rookie Of The Year Award.
The No. 238 Star Racing Yamaha rider started his season with a conservative mindset, believing it would take several races to record a top-five finish in the 250SX East division. However, Deegan started making waves immediately, beginning with a fourth-place performance at his first race in the pro ranks — which took place at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, on Feb. 4.
“I was pretty nervous on the line, but I got a decent start and then just fought and never gave up,” Deegan recalled. “I had a lot of people to prove wrong and I ended up fourth in my first pro Supercross race. It was a crazy night.”
The ripples continued to swell over the next nine rounds of the series, as the 17-year-old stacked up two heat race wins and six total top-five finishes.
Notably, he landed on the podium several times — one at Daytona Int’l Speedway on March 4, another at Ford Field in Michigan on March 18 and a final at Atlanta Motor Speedway on April 15 — with a trio of third-place finishes.
His worst result in a main event was eighth.
The youngster’s consistency led to a second-place finish in the 250SX East standings. Deegan was at a 58-point deficit to champion Hunter Lawrence, while he held a one-point gap over Max Anstie in third.
Prior to the Supercross finale in Salt Lake City, Utah, on May 13, Deegan’s impressive rookie run landed him the AMA 250SX Rookie Of The Year Award. Though he ended his spectacular with a disappointing eighth-place finish in the main event, the No. 238 managed to snag his second heat race win of the year in front of the Utah crowd.
“Glad I got a heat win. That’s pretty much a half main event right there that I won, so that’s a big step for me. Definitely going to feel confident coming into next year,” Deegan said in his post-race YouTube vlog. “Second in points, baby, my first year. Feeling good.”
The Yamaha rider will now swing into gear for the AMA Pro Motocross series, which begins on May 27.