On Lap 7 of 18, in Turn 7 at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California, Haiden Deegan passed Max Anstie in a bowl turn and clipped his teammate’s front wheel with his back tire. Anstie hit the ground and lost 12 seconds regaining his mount, dropping him from the lead to fifth. That is where the winner of the Anaheim and red plate holder entering Round 2 finished the race.
Deegan held his advantage until the checkers. He took the red plate from Anstie by one point.
“When you race Supercross, you go up the inside like that, a guy will go to cut down,” Deegan said following the race. “And all I did was try and cut down with him and ended up getting his front wheel. I’ll go tell him sorry. Whether he takes it or not, but it wasn’t on purpose. So it was a good night though, and that’s all that matters.”
It wasn’t the most aggressive pass fans have seen from the defending 250 West divisional champion, but given Deegan’s history, it is also difficult to shrug it off as simply ‘a racing incident.’
Only three Supercross rounds separate Deegan’s elimination of Anstie from a similar incident. In the penultimate round of the 2025 West Supercross season, Deegan did the same thing to another teammate. With two laps remaining in the Denver, Colorado, Supercross race, Deegan battled Cole Davies and pushed him off the track. Deegan won that race as well and clinched the 250 West title.
Last year in the SuperMotocross (SMX) World Championship Finale, Deegan showed his aggressiveness once more, this time in a much more blatant display. Battling Jo Shimoda throughout the second feature, Deegan slowed several times to keep Shimoda close. His only remote chance to win the SMX title was to crash Shimoda.
Deegan did not stop running into his rival until both were on the ground. Deegan broke his collarbone in the crash and was unable to finish the moto.
Shimoda recovered and won the 2025 SMX Championship.
In his post-race availability, Anstie reflected on the San Diego incident.
“Obviously, I know who I’m racing,” Anstie said. “I know. I’ve watched the stuff with Jo Shimoda. I’ve watched obviously Haiden’s career and, fair play, he’s good at those type of moves and putting himself in positions that are very, I guess, blocking, but obviously not allowing me to come back.”
In post race interviews, Anstie was asked if he was willing to race others as they race him, even if they are a teammate.
“I think I’m going to have to be, of course,” Anstie replied. “It’s a tricky one, isn’t it? Because he feeds off of that, even the beef or the UFC style and to me, I’m quite a bit older. I’m just focused on myself. I got a lot of racing to do, but of course, you know who you’re racing with. So yeah, I’m going to have to be sharper. I thought I was aware, but I overlooked it. I didn’t respect the Haiden Deegan, I don’t know, whatever you want to call it. I didn’t respect that on the track. And I was like, ‘Okay, I’m aware. It won’t happen again.’ ”
Deegan has only eight 250 races remaining before he moves up to the 450 class for the Pro Motocross season. And riders are only now beginning to race him with the same level of aggression he has directed toward them.
Deegan was in the Las Vegas predicament because Levi Kitchen pushed him off course into a crash the previous week in St. Louis, Missouri.
With only two rounds in the books, the season is still early. Deegan’s lead over Anstie is a slim one point with the top-six separated by nine points.
Traditionally a modest race starter, Deegan is often forced to come through the field to achieve the lead. Both Anstie last week in San Diego and Davies in Denver won the holeshot. Eight races provides his rivals ample opportunity to overcome those slims deficits.
“I’m sure we’re going to be in this situation again,” Anstie said. “I pretty much holeshot every race that I do, my starts run real. He’s not as good on the starts as me, it doesn’t seem. So he’s going to be coming and he’s obviously really fast. So, hey, I’m sure we’ll be in this position again. I’ll work on it and be sharper next time.”
