Image: Octopi Media.

Millville was a struggle of sorts for Haiden Deegan, he declared post-race, but the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rider is motivated to learn from round seven and return to the podium after losing the 250MX red plate.

Deegan, 17, capitalized on the misfortune of Hunter Lawrence (Team Honda HRC) at the previous round to take the championship lead by five points entering Spring Creek.

The number 238 qualified eighth on what was his first visit to the Minnesota venue, and he got a strong start into the runner-up spot in the first moto and was running a strong pace before having a moment and going off-track on lap six.

He quickly rejoined the battle, but was shuffled to third and then went on to cross the line fifth in the challenging conditions. Unfortunately, Deegan didn’t get off the gate as he had hoped in the second moto and found himself back in 13th after the first lap, making his way up to P8, where he finished, landing seventh overall on the day.

“Today was a little bit of a struggle for me, but we’re just going to learn from it,” Deegan reflected. “It’s my rookie season, and not every race is going to be perfect, so we are trying to finish each round strong and learn.

“It was my first time at this track, and we learned a lot today, with bike set-up and just learning new tracks in general. Now it’s time to go back to the Farm and start the recovery process, and try to get freshened up for next weekend so that I can get back on the box because it’s not fun being off of it.”

Round eight of the 2023 Pro Motocross Championship takes place at Washougal this Saturday, with Deegan currently second in the 250MX standings and 13 points behind Lawrence.