Motocross doesn’t often make its way out of the racing community into the mainstream view. But Haiden Deegan and his family have made it look attractive, professional, and exciting in a way that’s never been done before.
Often called Dangerboy because of his brutal racing style, Haiden Deegan is a professional supercross racer for the Star Racing Yamaha. He and his family have a YouTube channel called The Deegans, with more than 1.20 million subscribers since 2014, where they share their racing adventures and family life.
Haiden’s pro debut occurred in 2022 at Crawfordsville’s Ironman Raceway as part of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Nationals. He only participated in two races in his first professional season- Fox Raceway 2 and Ironman. In his second professional season of 2023, something happened that made people question his professionalism.
Haiden Deegan is a young up-and-coming motocross racing sensation. At the August 12, 2023, Unadilla 250 course race, his bike suffered a mechanical failure, putting him out of the race. As a result, Hunter Lawrence, his main competitor, gained a massive 25-point lead over him for Race 2 when initially it was just a slim 3-point lead. This loss has made many call Deegan unprofessional and a brat, but most fans still support him.
What Happened to Haiden Deegan?
On August 12, at the Unadilla 250 course, everyone’s eyes were set on Hunter Lawrence and Haiden Deegan, two new and up-and-coming riders. Viewers were hoping for a high-octane battle, and both the riders looked ready to bring the heat to the race.
During the race, Deegan went straight from the envious 3rd place to the 38th position due to unexpected mechanical issues. This put him out of the race and gave Lawrence the lead he sought in the overall standings. When the race began, he only had a small 3-point lead over Deegan.
Lawrence showed he could hold his nerves in the finish by garnering a runner-up spot behind Levi Kitchen. He now has a 25-point lead over Deegan going into Race 2. Due to the mechanical failure, Deegan was out of the race and didn’t win any points.
In the second race, Deegan will have an uphill climb because he has dropped to a straight fourth in the standings. In the second and third spots are Justin Cooper (-22) and Jo Shimoda (-35). Lawrence said in an interview with NBC Sports:
“Today was good, but it was more about the big man here. I’m so proud, so proud. Words and emotions are coming out because we were never meant to be here. What we went through in Europe; we just had to trust the process.”
Viewers of the race have a lot of opinions about Haiden. One fan alluded to the young pro racer not having the mentality to win. They tweeted:
“Deegan having 2 horrendous starts, says to me his head has gone. Hunter was always more headstrong for the title; no matter what was thrown at him, he took it on the chin. Haiden had to shit talk like mentally weak do.”
Another Twitter/ X user was more compassionate and said:
“What a lame way to end the championship battle. Part of the game, though, still a great ride from Deegan.”
Most fans think Haiden Deegan’s professional career is just beginning, and he is doing well. If not for the unexpected mechanical failure, he would be up on the chart instead of trailing Hunter by 25 points. But if he can recover in Race 2, there’s hope for the young racing superstar.
What are your thoughts about Haiden Deegan’s devastating loss at the Unadilla 250 course?
Did the race show his unprofessionalism? Or was the mechanical error just an unfortunate accident that took him further away from victory?
Let us know in the comments below.
Source: NBC Sports
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