Last week it was the mud. This week it was fireworks, as the series’ best riders battled for top honors with double points on the line at SMX Playoff #2 in Southern California. After Haiden Deegan and Cooper Webb finished third and fifth, respectively, in Moto 1, it was a wild second moto that saw the top five riders exchanging positions on the track and in the points standings.

In the end, both Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing riders ended up on the ground but salvaged top-five finishes overall, with Deegan fourth (3-3) and Webb fifth (5-5). The times were tight at the top as the second playoff round got underway on the SuperMotocross track built on the pitch of the LA Galaxy’s home stadium in Carson, California. Deegan and Webb showed strong pace throughout qualifying, finishing third and fourth, respectively, to earn solid gate picks for the first moto.

Deegan got a good start in Moto 1 and was third early, quickly making his way into the runner-up spot on the opening lap. It was an intense battle at the front, with Ken Roczen making his way past on the following lap. From there, Deegan rode on to secure third for his third moto podium of the postseason.

Webb also got a great start and was second early. After being passed by his teammate on the opening lap, he was shuffled back to fifth on Lap 2. Dealing with some arm pump, the three-time 450SX Champion did what he could to maintain fifth. Although Hunter Lawrence made his way past before the halfway mark, Webb kept pushing and passed Eli Tomac on Lap 16 to reclaim fifth and finish there.

Moto 2 was another multi-rider scrap at the front. Deegan was once again third after the start, but was shuffled back to fifth in the opening laps. Webb also got another top-five start and quickly moved to third, holding the position for the first three laps before eventually being shuffled back to fifth.

As the race approached the halfway mark, Deegan started making his charge forward, setting his fastest lap of the moto on Lap 10. He first made his way past Webb and then closed in on Roczen. On Lap 13, Jorge Prado went down in the sand, with Deegan making his way past Roczen shortly after to move into the runner-up spot.

Prado charged back and closed the gap to Deegan. With around six laps to go, Deegan also made an error in the sand and went down. Meanwhile, behind him, a battle for fourth was being waged by Webb and Roczen. It was a bit of chaos as the pair approached Deegan, with Deegan and Roczen making contact as the 20-year-old was rejoining the race.

Moments later, Deegan made a move to the inside of his teammate, with the two making contact and Webb going down. He quickly rejoined in fifth. With too much time lost to advance further, Deegan rode on to finish third and Webb fifth, with their 3-3 and 5-5 moto scores securing fourth and fifth overall, respectively.

“L.A., it was good,” Deegan said. “I’m still second in points. I would have been a little happier if I rode just a tad better at the beginning of the races and made passes quicker. It's just something we’ve got to work on. I had a good second race. I made a few passes, got into second, and then biffed it in the sand. So it is what it is. We were 3-3 on the day, fourth overall, and leave here second in the points. We'll just give her all she’s got at the last round. We're 16 points behind
(Jorge) Prado and tied with Hunter (Lawrence). So, it's going to be a fun last round.”

“L.A. SMX was a crazy day, a crazy weekend, but we had good weather, so that was nice,” said Webb. “Practice went well; I was fourth in both of those. Then, in the first moto, I just pumped up really bad, so I was kind of in survival mode and ended up fifth. Then in the last one, it was a sick battle. I got a great start and was going back and forth with everybody and was feeling good. Then Haiden (Deegan) and Kenny (Roczen) made mistakes, and yeah, it was just a bummer deal. Haiden went up the inside and put me down. That kind of sucks, but it’s racing –risk for a lot of money. Overall, we're still in this fight, and with triple points next weekend, anything can happen.”

Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing heads into the SMX World Championship Final with both riders still in the fight. Deegan continues to hold second in the 450SMX Championship standings, now 16 points from the lead, with Webb 20 points back. With triple points on the line, there’s still plenty to play for at the final round.

“It was a little up and down with the lack of separation on the track tonight, for sure, but we still finished fourth and fifth,” said Wil Hahn, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s 450 Team Manager. “We'll get back to work this week and try to go get the triple points next weekend in Missouri.”