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Haiden Deegan
65cc (7-11)
IMAGE / TENHAGEN WORDS / KILPATRICK DESIGN / WILSON
>> Haiden Deegan made the journey down to Wortham, Texas for the fifth time in hopes of getting another title at the JS7 Freestone Spring Championship. The Califor- nian has managed to stack up four number one plates from the race throughout his many years of attendance, only missing out in his first trip to the event back in 2013. Deegan chose to contest five classes in hopes of tracking down his fifth JS7 title, and he finished in each and every spot available on the podium in the 65cc classes. ‘Dan- ger Boy’ came away with a third place in the 65cc (10-11) Limited class, a second place in the 65cc (10-11) class, and a first place in the 65cc (7-11) class. The Orange Brigade backed rider didn’t get the best start on his KTM in the first (7-11) moto as he found himself in sixth position coming across the finish line for the first time. Deegan had some heavy hitters in front of him and he did his best to keep them in check as he attempted to move forward through the pack. The Team Dunlop Elite rider consis- tently closed in on Jeremy Fappani for the opening pair of laps, and eventually made the move on the Arizona native after he made a mistake and dropped back through the field. Deegan found himself in fifth position at the halfway point of the race with a sizable gap ahead of him to the leaders, therefore he decided to play it cool and come back swinging in the second moto. He did everything that he needed to do in the final race when the gate dropped -- the young Californian put his Dunlops to the dirt and shot down the start straight at mach five, clearing a line in the first corner to claim
as his own on the way to an uncontested holeshot. Deegan held an advantage over Logan Best and his main championship rival, Daxton Bennick, in the early stages of the race. A couple of laps into the affair, Bennick made a mistake and fell back into the midst of the pack, allowing Deegan to ride his own race at the front of the field. From that point forward, he clicked off consistent lap times, one after another, and held a solid advantage in the lead, resisting pressure from Best in the late stages of the moto. Deegan did exactly what he needed to do in order to take the moto victory and the subsequent overall, showing his speed in the final race in order to extend his streak of number one plates down in Texas.
52 MPG • APRIL 2017