The opportunity to obtain a tremendous finish would be on the horizon, as practice began for Yamaha’s Haiden Deegan in Lakewood, Colorado. The soil was deep and filled with moisture, with weather forecasts estimating that rain would be in the area later in the afternoon...regardless of what the conditions brought forth however, the rookie knew that he could succeed. He proceeded to engage in a mentality that was certain to equate in a position at the front of the field, hanging onto the handlebars while powering up the initial start straightaway...as he sped to the lead without question, and once again showcased his authority in this 250cc classification! However, an unfortunate mistake just minutes thereafter would have the number 238 on the ground; and losing positions, where he had drifted to third in the running order. But Deegan wasn’t one to ever dwell on a miscue, and proceeded to move past Levi Kitchen in the moments thereafter, as he then tried to mimic his elder teammate, Justin Cooper. Deegan was excelling on every aspect of this course, where his scrubs and valiant charging speed into corners would have the crowd applauding at the highest levels! But he couldn’t help but notice a hard-charging Hunter Lawrence approaching his rear wheel...as a tremendous battle was set to ensue around the halfway point of the moto. Deegan was doing everything in his power to defend the second-place position from the number ninety-six, but the prowess of the veteran was too much to overcome; and as Lawrence dove to the inside after the iconic “Thunder Valley” sign, it would be Haiden who had nearly come to a stop in the left-handed corner thereafter! Luckily he remained upright, and would hold onto third for a significant portion longer...before Kawasaki’s Jo Shimoda would also overtake him just before the checkered flag. The performance, again, would prove as to how spectacular this rider from California was — accruing fourth before heading into the second round of action. Moto number two wasn’t long thereafter, and the conditions had only worsened in regard to their smooth conditions that were seen for qualification. Numerous jump faces were now hard-packed and blue-grooved, where wheel set(s) could scrub and flick their way into a myriad of directions before returning to the landing ramp; and even as he whipped the chassis of the Yamaha, there was no wasted energy as he attempted to match the pace of leader, Hunter Lawrence. His lap-time would only be a few seconds off of the Honda rider as he attempted to move forward from an initial ninth-place registry; and Deegan was swift with his movement around the ever-changing Thunder Valley landscape. The number 238 would be immersed in battle for the entirety of this fifteen-lap contest though, contending with the likes of Ryder DiFrancesco and Jalek Swoll as circuits continued to amass. There was no shortage of effort on behalf of the Californian, and as he attempted to track-down Jo Shimoda in the final stages after the mistake from the Kawasaki rider, the applause on behalf of Deegan was certainly well-deserved. He would gather ninth, for his second-moto result...leading to a remarkable eighth place overall, amongst this stacked field of competitors.