Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1539721
maturing to do. Earlier in race one in Las Vegas, Deegan, his back against the wall after a disastrous round in St. Louis a week ago, fought through the pack with alarming ease as title rival Jo Shimoda made haste in the lead. Part of Deegan's repertoire was a controversial jump into the sand section, which ef - fectively cut a section of the racetrack and allowed a small but significant advantage. From what I could see, Deegan was the only rider taking this line in 250 or 450, as the rest of the pack decided to race within the confines of the track. This is the first failing of the AMA. Deegan should have been reprimanded or at least warned not to do that any - more. You can't just cut the track, no matter how small a gap it is. With some level of predict - ability, it all went wrong when Deegan swooped on Ryder DiFrancesco, who was having his best ride of the season in third. DiFrancesco got a little sideways on the sand, and Deegan landed square on his head, knocking the GasGas rider out cold. The accident happened right in front of my 8-year-old son and I, and for a long time, I thought we'd just seen the first fatality in SMX. DiFrancesco eventually came to and groggily got to his feet to rapturous applause from a relieved crowd. Did the AMA stop the race? No. Did Deegan show any concern about his colleague, whom he might have killed? Also no. Did the AMA sanction Deegan for put - ting his fellow competitor, DiFran- cesco, in danger? Again, no. That last part I find ridiculous. Deegan, in my opinion, should have been given, at the very least, a significant time penalty T he final of the 2025 Super- Motocross World Champi- onship will live long in the memory, and not necessarily for all the right reasons. Instead of the tense but fair racing between three of the very best riders to ever do it—Jett and Hunter Lawrence and Eli Tomac—the night might be remembered most for the questionable behavior of one of the sport's biggest stars and the flaccid inaction of the sport's governing body, the American Motorcyclist Association. Haiden Deegan is one of the most polarizing figures the sport has ever seen, and at just 19 years old, his speed is prodi - gious. He shoots his mouth off, but, for the most part, that's fine; he backs it up. He's clearly the fastest 250cc rider on the planet in both indoor and outdoor arenas, but he still has some P134 CN II LOWSIDE BY RENNIE SCAYSBROOK A BROKEN COLLARBONE AND A BLACK EYE