Haiden Deegan is accustomed to winning. So while the objective was to learn and build at each round this summer in his debut aboard the YZ450F, the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider wanted that first win. He continued to work towards it, and it was mission accomplished at the first SMX Playoff round in Columbus, Ohio. Deegan not only earned his first moto win but followed it up with another one in Moto 2, securing his first premier-class overall victory in dominant fashion. His teammate Cooper Webb also had a strong finish, rebounding from ninth in Moto 1 to finish third in Moto 2 and end the day fourth overall.

Both riders showed strong pace from the start of the weekend, with Deegan and Webb 1-2 in the second free practice session on Friday, but a storm was coming. On Saturday, it was a completely different track inside Historic Crew Stadium. Thunderstorms soaked the track and ultimately cancelled the qualifying sessions earlier in the day and shortened the motos. The gate picks were then set by the combined championship points from Supercross and Pro Motocross, with Webb third and Deegan getting the sixth gate pick.

After that first gate drop, Deegan got a great start in the runner-up spot. He then wasted little time to claim the lead, making the pass in those opening laps and setting the pace up front to build a comfortable gap. The rookie continued to lead the way, weaving his way through lapped riders in the tricky conditions and earning his first moto victory aboard the YZ450F by 17 seconds.

“I don’t think you guys understand how bad I wanted this,” Deegan said about that first moto win. “I’ve been working my butt off, grinding these last two weeks, and two weeks can make a lot of difference. I know it was a mud race, but man, I felt good. The jobs not finished. We’ve got one more; this is just the start.”

True to his word, Deegan went back out and got the job done. This time, he grabbed the holeshot, and despite being under pressure early from Ken Roczen, he rode his own race. The six-time 250-class champion led every lap and eventually rode away to another dominant victory, with the 1-1 moto score also securing his first premier-class overall win.

“Today was really good,” said Deegan. “The rain came in, so they cancelled qualifying this morning. We went off the seeded positions, and due to not racing Supercross on a 450, I had the sixth gate pick. I got two amazing starts today and just had to fight in a mud race. I can’t even express how happy I am right now. It’s such a weight off my shoulders. You dream of moments like this, and I’m so grateful to get it done.”

In the first moto, Webb was 11th after the start and made his way through to seventh by the second lap. He continued to battle for position inside the top 10 and ultimately finished ninth. In Moto 2, Webb was ninth after the start but charged to fourth early and moved into third on Lap 2. The three-time 450SX Champion continued to fight all moto, and although he was passed after the halfway mark, he regained third on the following lap and rode on to earn the podium finish and end the day fourth overall.

“The first SMX playoff was crazy,” said Webb. “It was beautiful yesterday, sunny and with an awesome track, then it dumped and rained all day, and it was an absolute mudder. So, it was a crazy day. The first one for me didn't go that great. I just kind of missed the mark on some things and didn't ride great in the moto, but it was a great rebound for the second one. I got a much better start and rode really well. I had a good battle with (Jorge) Prado and ended up on the podium that moto for fourth overall. So I’m happy with a solid day. And in the mud, you never know what can happen, so I'm happy we salvaged it. Hopefully, we can keep this momentum rolling and have a good series here. We'll get back to Florida this week and keep working.”

“It was surreal with the weird schedule and everything going on, but fantastic for us to go 1-1 and with Coop getting on the podium in the second race,” said Wil Hahn, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s 450 Team Manager. “We’re in the fight and have a chance to go 1-2 in this series, and that's what we want to do.”

Deegan heads to his home state ranked second in the 450SMX Championship, just two points from the top spot. His teammate Webb is right behind him in third, four points from the leader. With double points on the line at SMX Playoff 2, the team is looking to keep the momentum rolling as racing resumes on September 19 at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.