Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan expanded his championship lead with a flawless performance at The Wick 338, earning his fourth overall victory of the season at Round 5 of Pro Motocross and Round 22 of the SuperMotocross World Championship in Southwick, Massachusetts. Michael Mosiman continued to make strides, earning his best result of the season with fourth overall (4-5). Nate Thrasher overcame adversity to finish 14th overall (12-16) in the punishing conditions on the sand track.
From the first session, Deegan came out swinging. He topped both qualifying sessions by an impressive two-second margin, earning the fastest 250 qualifier honors for the third time this season. He then got a flying start to the first moto, grabbing his first holeshot of the season. The reigning 250MX Champion threw down some fast laps and continued to set a blistering pace up front, amassing a sizeable lead and winning his seventh moto of the season by a 25-second margin. In Moto 2, Deegan claimed his second holeshot of the day and once again built a gap up front early to remain unchallenged, completing a perfect day at the Southwick National with a moto sweep. The Californian has four overall victories, with 1-1 moto results, and a runner-up overall finish (2-2) so far this season, which continues to strengthen his spot at the top of the standings with a 58-point advantage in the 250MX Championship and a 116-point lead in the 250SMX combined points.
It was a day of earning season-best results for Mosiman, as he continues to build momentum in the outdoor season. After earning his best qualifying result in third, he built on that with a great start to the first moto, slotting into second. Four laps in, he found himself under pressure, but continued to ride a strong pace and hold off advances from the competition. On the final lap, he unfortunately dropped back to fourth, where he would finish for the best moto result of the season. In Moto 2, he did not get off the gate as he had hoped and was ninth after the opening lap, but continued to push and steadily made his way to fifth by the halfway point. On Lap 9, he made the pass for fourth, but the competition quickly countered back. From there, he managed his race to secure fifth place and earn fourth overall, continuing his forward momentum and achieving a season-best overall result.
After qualifying 12th, Thrasher got a strong start to the first moto inside the top 10 and made his way to eighth in the opening laps. He continued to battle but ultimately dropped back to 11th in the latter half of the race and crossed the line 12th. In the second moto, he had a big crash on the opening lap and found himself towards the back of the field. Undeterred, the Tennessee rider put his head down to come through to 16th in the final laps, ending the day 14th overall with his 12-16 score.
The Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing team heads to Buchanan, Michigan, for the RedBud National – Round 6 of Pro Motocross and Round 23 of the SuperMotocross World Championship at RedBud MX on July 5.
Wil Hahn – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 250 Team General Manager
“It was a great weekend for us with all of our riders clearly showing we used the off week to our benefit. What a day for Haiden, but also a great ride from Michael and Nate as well. We’re looking to keep the momentum rolling at RedBud.”
Haiden Deegan – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #1
“It was a good day at Southwick — finally got that 1-1! Qualifying P1 too, so it was pretty much a perfect day. I’m stoked on the way everything came together. Let’s keep it rolling into RedBud.”
Michael Mosiman – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #93
“It was a great day at Southwick. I was able to qualify third, got a good start in the first moto, and was in second the whole time. Unfortunately, I fell back to fourth there at the end. In Moto 2, the start wasn’t quite as good, but I worked my way up and battled with (Levi) Kitchen. I didn’t breathe for like a lap and had to regroup. It was a brutal track. I tried to make another run at him, but after what happened at Hangtown, I knew I needed to be smart and bring home a solid result. I’m happy with the day, but a bit bummed about the should’ve, would’ve, could’ve with the overall. I’m feeling good and we’re going to continue this momentum and move on to RedBud next weekend.”
Nate Thrasher – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #41
“It was not the day we were hoping for, but we’re making small improvements. We’re going to keep working and try for better at RedBud.”