Image: Octopi Media.

An eighth-place finish for Haiden Deegan at the final round of the 2023 Monster Energy Supercross Championship in Salt Lake City was enough for the class rookie of the year to secure second place in the 250SX East standings.

After making the last-minute decision to line-up for the opening round of the series in Houston, Deegan went on to secure three podiums, his first coming at the iconic Daytona International Speedway where he finished third.

After securing the win in his heat race at the finals, Deegan got off to a mediocre start in the 250SX East/West Showdown, rounding the first lap in 13th position. Navigating through the slippery conditions, he fought his way back up the order to finish the race in P8.

“Today was really good, we just tried to get everything dialed in during qualifying,” said Deegan. “I was able to win the heat race, and with the Showdown, it was pretty much half the main event for the heat race, so I was definitely excited to win that. It gives me some confidence for next year.

“In the main event, it started raining, and I slid off the gate and didn’t get a great jump and had to work from the back. I made my way up to eighth and ended up securing second in the points because [Max] Antsie was right in front of me, which was where I needed to finish to get second. So yeah, second in the points, three podiums, and two heat race wins in my rookie season – I’m pretty hyped about it!”

The teenage talent now sets his sights on the 2023 Pro Motocross Championship, which is set to drop the gates at Fox Raceway in California on 27 May.