Deegan Clinches First AMA 250MX Title One Round Early

August 23, 2024—On Saturday, August 17, 2024, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider Haiden Deegan competed in Round 10 of the AMA Motocross Championship at Budds Creek in Mechanicsville, Maryland in the 250MX class, where he won the first moto and finished 10th in the second moto to take 3rd overall for the event, clinching the 2024 title aboard his YZ250F. It is his first ever AMA motocross title and Yamaha’s first AMA motocross title since Dylan Ferrandis’s win in 2020.

Deegan made his professional debut in 2023 at the age of 17, competing in the AMA Supercross Championship in the 250SX West class, where he finished 2nd for the season, after which he contested the AMA Motocross Championship the same year, finishing 4th overall. He had success in the AMA Supermotocross Championship’s 250SMX class, winning his first title there in 2023. In his second year of Supercross in 2024, he competed in the 250SX East class where he finished 2nd overall, just four points behind the winner.

When the 250MX season kicked off at the end of May, Deegan took the overall win at the opening round held at Fox Raceway. He went on to win rounds 2 and 3, opening a 23-point gap over the next-closest rider in the standings and making his intention to win the title clear. He continued his momentum with overall wins in rounds 5 and 8, and by the time he completed Round 9 at Unadilla he was 70 points clear of 2nd placed Kawasaki rider Levi Kitchen, putting him well on his way to clinching the 2024 title.

Then, at Round 10 in Budds Creek, Deegan won the first moto with Kitchen finishing 3rd. As Deegan was then 75 points ahead of him, he had clinched the title before even starting the second moto. Deegan's record after ten rounds is impressive, with nine moto wins, seven 2nd places, one 3rd place, and five overall wins for a total of 445 points. He will be aiming to carry his momentum into the Supermotocross 250SMX championship that gets underway on September 7.

Haiden Deegan
“It was a good day. I qualified 1-1, which was perfect. I dominated the first moto and was able to win the championship, so that was nice. In the second moto, I was feeling the championship, so it was hard to push out there. I just wanted to get to the podium and hold the title. I’m hyped I got the Pro Motocross Championship. That’s good to check it off the list; now it’s onto defending the SMX title in three weeks.”

Jensen Hendler – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 250 Team Manager
“We had a goal for today, and we achieved that. We wrapped up the championship early. I’m super proud of Haiden and the team. He and his family have put in a lot of work, as did everyone on our team. It’s definitely a whole team effort to do something like this, and seeing it come to fruition is awesome. We’re super happy with the year, but we’ll keep digging. We’re looking to continue to finish out the year strong at the final round of outdoors and then on to SMX to defend the title.”