Deegan Returns to Top with Wire-to-Wire Victory in Foxborough
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan scores second 250SX victory with a flawless performance in challenging conditions at Foxborough Supercross / Apr 15, 2024 /
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan returned to the top step of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX East podium with a wire-to-wire race victory at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Daxton Bennick fought his way up to seventh, and fellow rookie Nick Romano salvaged an 11th-place finish in the tricky conditions. In Supercross Futures, Gavin Towers returned to the podium with a strong runner-up finish aboard his YZ250F.
Riders once again were dealt with tricky conditions as it rained leading up to the race and on and off throughout the day at Round 6 of the 250SX East Championship at Gillette Stadium. Deegan got the day off to a solid start and qualified sixth. He then got a good start in his heat race in third and advanced to the runner-up spot with two laps remaining. He was chasing down the leader and went to make the pass but made a mistake and ultimately crossed the line fifth. Despite a less-than-ideal gate pick for the main event, the Californian grabbed his third holeshot of the season and set a strong pace to lead wire-to-wire for his second 250SX victory. Deegan maintains third in the Eastern Regional 250 class points standings and after his win, moved to within 13 points of the leader with three rounds remaining, two of which are East-West Showdowns.
Bennick qualified seventh and had a good start in his heat race in third, ultimately finishing fourth. He did not get off the gate as he had hoped in the main event and found himself 12th after the first lap. Undeterred, the 18-year-old put his head down and made his way to seventh in the challenging conditions.
His fellow rookie teammate Romano worked to make progress in the changing track conditions and qualified 12th. Despite a less-than-ideal gate pick, the New Yorker finished sixth in his heat race and had a solid start in the main event in seventh. He maintained the position for the first half of the race but was riding tight and ultimately was shuffled to 11th.
Towers rebounded from a rollercoaster start to the day that saw him off track and qualified fourth for the Supercross Futures Main Event. The Pennsylvania rider then got a great start after the gate drop and was in the runner-up spot. He ran a smart race and crossed the line second to return to the podium for the second time this season.
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing heads to Nashville, Tennessee, next weekend for the Monster Energy AMA Supercross East/West Showdown and Round 14 of the SuperMotocross World Series at Nissan Stadium on April 20.
Jensen Hendler – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 250 Team Manager
“It was a great night in Foxborough. Haiden ended up with the win, which was awesome. He got a great start, rode his own race, and led the thing all the way to the finish. We worked on some things during the last two weeks, and he just implemented what we were working on. So I’m super proud of him and just excited to see him get another win. We’ve got these two East/West Shootouts coming up, and Phili, so we’re looking forward to it.
“Daxton started buried in the main event. I think he was 15th or 16th and ended up crawling his way back up to seventh, which was good, and his lap times were decent. Romano had a pretty good start inside the top 10 and ran seventh for most of the race but got shuffled back a bit and finished 11th. It’s their rookie season, and we’ll just keep working with them and making progress.
“Gavin had a tough start to the day but got a great start in the Futures main and finished second, which is a great rebound from the last two races. We’ve got a bunch of young guys here, and we’re just going to keep working.”
Haiden Deegan – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #38
“Tonight went pretty well in Foxborough. The heat race wasn’t the greatest. I had the speed and went to pass for the lead, but I stalled it. So I ended up getting fifth, but then the main event was ideal. That was a perfect race. I got the holeshot and just managed it from there and got the win. I’m super grateful and excited for the next round.”
Daxton Bennick – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #59
“It was an alright day. I qualified seventh, and the heat race went alright too. I got fourth, but that isn’t going to cut it for the main. You’ve got to be in the top two or three to have a good gate. So that’s what I’m going to do next weekend – try to finish in the top three so that it puts me in a good spot for the main. I rode well. I just need a good start. It was not a bad night but not a great night either - just average.”
Nick Romano – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #511
“It was not the day we wanted. My speed was flat all day, and I just rode tight. The track was tricky, and you had to be patient with how slick it was, but it was still better than the mud. It wasn’t my night, but we’ll keep working and keep building to finish strong in these last three rounds.”
Gavin Towers – Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing #15
“The day started out a little bit funky. I didn’t feel that great in Free Practice 1, but I felt better in Free Practice 2 and then had a little moment in Qualifying 1. So it was a little bit of an up-and-down day. I got a good start in the main event but just didn’t have a lot of pace in the beginning, which let him (Drew Adams) get a gap, and then it was hard to find that pace from the back. Drew was pretty quick all day.
“For the most part, it was a good step in the right direction from the last two - Daytona and St. Louis - where we were on the ground. So all in all, it was a good day. I’m looking forward to Salt Lake City; that will be the big one.”
2024 Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX Futures Foxborough Results
2024 Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX Foxborough Results
2024 Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX East Championship Standings
