After a dramatic start to the Supercross season at Anaheim 1, all eyes were on Haiden Deegan as the series rolled into San Diego. After not getting the win at A1, he responded in emphatic fashion with a statement victory. Beyond the win itself, the night was marked by controversy after a decisive pass on his teammate Max Anstie sparked boos from sections of the crowd.
Deegan reflects on his rebound performance, addresses the incident with Anstie, explains how training on a replica San Diego track at his own property paid off, and looks ahead to the Triple Crown format return to Anaheim as the new championship leader.
Haiden, you won in San Diego. That’s what you expected from yourself. Do you feel like you got your revenge after Anaheim 1, or is this just another win to add to the list?
Deegan: No, I’m just grateful to win here. After what happened at Anaheim 1 last weekend, the week was long and complicated. I worked really hard during the off-season… With the announcement of my future move up to the 450 class, a lot of people had doubts about my future. So I told myself that I was going to fully commit to my off-season, work like crazy and harder than ever. That’s exactly what I did, and not being able to show it at the first round really hurt. I came back this weekend and won, and that’s what matters.
You were booed after the race. Does that change how you will approach your next pass on Max?
Deegan: I’ve seen videos of Kobe Bryant getting booed… People like to boo the guy who wins. That’s just how it goes sometimes, and you have to accept it. I don’t really know, maybe people have become a bit sensitive [laughs]. I didn’t take Max out on purpose. When you race Supercross and dive inside like I did, you know the other rider might try to cut back underneath you. All I did was make sure he couldn’t cut back inside, and I ended up touching his front wheel. I’m going to go and apologize, tell him I’m sorry. Whether he accepts it or not is up to him, but I didn’t do it on purpose. I had a good night, and that’s all that matters to me.
You’re teammates with Max. You train with him. Did you know how to anticipate what he was going to do, his strengths and weaknesses?
Deegan: Yes, I ride with Max every week. I know exactly how he rides. The goal was just to get around him and pull away. I don’t focus on the rest, on what’s happening around me. Unfortunately, there was that little incident, but I never intended to make him crash. I was just happy to pass him and take the lead.
Should we expect Max to get his revenge later on?
Deegan: Yes. But honestly, it wasn’t even an aggressive pass. It wasn’t intentional to touch him. Retaliation or not… Whatever happens, I’m always ready to deal with anything, because that’s what our sport is like. If it comes to that, then it comes to that, but I hope it won’t be necessary. I’m going to go and speak to him to try to clear things up, because I really didn’t mean to make him fall. But hey… we race Motocross. If he wants to get his revenge, he will. I’m ready.
On your new property, you built a replica of the San Diego track to prepare. How similar was your track to the real one in the end?
Deegan: It was really very similar. In the second set of whoops, I was able to do my wheel-tap on the very first lap of practice, which says it all. Honestly, the two tracks were very close. Some sections were obviously a bit different because they’re limited by the size of the stadium, which I’m not. But it was great.
You made several passes in the section after the start straight. Was that planned or just opportunities?
Deegan: No. I was just in a particular mindset this weekend, telling myself I was going to go into full sprint mode. I feel like I’m in a position where, if I ride at 90% of my ability, stay clean and smart, I should be able to win every race.
After a disappointing weekend at Anaheim 1, was it important to reassert yourself by winning both the heat and the main event in San Diego?
Deegan: Yes, I really needed that. I needed to get some confidence back. I’m happy that I was able to bounce back faster than last year. It’s good to see that the work is paying off because I work really hard. We’re going to keep working like this and keep fighting at every round.
Back to Anaheim next Saturday. How do you approach that race now that you’re the championship leader?
Deegan: I’m going to go in with the same approach. I’ll need to be smart and clever on these Triple Crown format races. I’ll have to make sure I start in the top five, put in good laps and manage my races properly.
