COLUMBUS, Ohio: Haiden Deegan took advantage of the challenging, muddy conditions to score his first victory of his 450 career. He passed holeshot winner Jorge Prado on Lap 2 and survived lapped traffic to lead the field to the checkered flag in the first moto of the opening SMX Playoff round.
“I don’t think you understand how badly I wanted this,” Deegan told Peacock’s Wil Christien from the top of the box. “I’ve been working my butt off, grinding these last two weeks. Two weeks can make a lot of difference. I know it’s a mud race, but man I felt good.”
Deegan’s first 450 victory came on the heels of Daxton Bennick winning his first 250 race. Mud is the great equalizer.
Ken Roczen got a monkey off his back in May by winning the Supercross championship .He then took the Pro Motocross season off. Roczen got a solid start and rode among the top three leaders throughout the race to finish second.
Prado slipped back and took the last spot on the podium in third.
It was a disastrous moto for the rider who entered the round as the No. 1 seed. Hunter Lawrence crashed on Lap 1 and fell to the back of the pack. He remounted, passed a few riders, and then crashed again at the halfway point. Lawrence finished two laps off the pace in 21st, which will keep him from winning the overall.
Fourth-place Dylan Ferrandis and Jason Anderson, who advanced out of the Wild Card race, rounded out the top five.
Lawrence’s troubles in the 450 division was mirrored by Cole Davies finishing last in the 250 class so that both No. 1 seeds have uphill battles ahead of them.
