Image: Octopi Media.

Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan has suggested that a championship-focused mindset may be having an impact on his early-race sprint speed, with the current 250SX West points leader opting to avoid the chaos of the opening laps.

Deegan was in the mix during Saturday night’s 250SX showdown, however appeared to take some time to catch fire during the beginning stages of the encounter. The momentum picked up in the latter stages however, as he began to reel in race-leader Cole Davies (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing).

Admitting that the early-race intensity may need to improve, the current 250SX West championship leader also acknowledged that whatever he is doing is working, as he currently holds a 17-point advantage in the class.

“I feel like Cole [Davies] is riding how I was last year, where you’re just sending it going for the win,” Deegan mentioned post-race. “At this point, I’m in the championship lead, and we have two rounds to go here.

“The first part of the [Philadelphia] race, I was a little too slow and don’t think I sprinted hard enough, but I don’t know whether championship mode is in my mind, where I just try to be smart and not go down in those first few laps, which is hindering me. I mean, [for the championship] it’s working, although I need to pick it up in those first few laps.”

Two rounds remain in this year’s 250SX West regional title, with a dedicated round in Denver, followed by the series finale shootout in Salt Lake City.