Haiden Deegan handled a bike issue and defeat to Chase Hymas with somewhat of a surprising poise at Thunder Valley.
Deegan was looking ready to strike in race one when his Star Yamaha lost power and he smartly nursed it home to second. Then, in moto two, Deegan made a couple of charges at Hymas but mistakes and a crash meant he could never quite get on terms with his Honda rival who ended up dominating the day.
But Deegan was looking at the big picture and showed a mature side to his usually aggressive, spiky and win-at-all costs persona: “I’m not sure (on what the problem with the bike was), they said at first , ‘It’s on you,’ then they’re like, ‘It’s not on you.’ So, I don’t know what happened – I just lost all my power! It is what it is. And that second moto, I ended up tipping it over. But whatever, 2-2 on the day, so not bad. And we doubled the points.”
But one thing that Deegan doesn’t get the credit for, maybe thanks in part to his attitude and his raw speed, is that he is also a thinker who makes the smart decision when it really matters, and he pointed out his consistency is what helps him win championships. A point underlined again after his 2-2 at Thunder Valley helped increase his championship lead as his inconsistent rivals faltered again.
“Today was pretty good for what it could have been in that first moto with my bike almost blowing up, “said Deegen. “Honestly, it’s a consistent day and I doubled my points gap. A lot of these guys threw away their first rounds, and that’s where I’m good – I’m just consistent and that’s why I win these championships. So, yeah, I just want to stay consistent throughout the year and if it’s a 2-2 then we’ll take it, but we want to be winning. We’ll go back to work this week and hopefully come out on top next week.”
Get his look back at the day below:
