Motocross championship Press Conference 2024
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00:00And welcome to the motorsport.com, Washougal National 250 press conference
00:06Going first overall with box scores of 2-1
00:09Number 38 on the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing machine Hayden Deegan
00:14second place with a first and a second gaining 47 points gonna be the 16 on the Red Bull KTM Tom Biel and
00:21Finishing third with box scores of 3 and 3 gaining total points of 40 at this one on the Honda HRC machine
00:29Joe Shimoda
00:31All right. I asked that question first of the 450 guys who had flight problems
00:35I know Hayden Deegan if anyone else had flight problems
00:38Let us know what your problem is and you can even recap it again if you would Hayden
00:41Oh, yeah, we ended up getting to Atlanta and then I guess there was some like internet attack
00:47I don't know what happened. They just shut down like all the computers at the airport and stuff
00:51So all the flights got canceled and I was kind of screwed
00:55Honestly, I didn't have any option and you can't like last minute
00:57I mean you're at the airport a day before the race and if you're trying to go to a West Coast race from the East Coast
01:02It's for like 35 hour driving. Even if you did leave right away, you wouldn't make it
01:06so it was kind of like a stressful moment and then
01:10My parents obviously know like jet companies and stuff. So
01:13Yeah, we ended up finding one left
01:16Since the flights were all canceled like everyone was trying to get the jet. So there wasn't any left
01:21There was only one and they doubled the price. So my parents agreed to split it with me. So
01:28Yeah, we ended up paying for it. And then yeah, it's a leak and Ricky came with us
01:33They also paid a little bit. So that was cool. And we all flew over here and made it work
01:38So it was a little stressful
01:39but I mean it was I mean we tried we like figuring it out like what if we do miss this race and
01:46We like asked in the promoters and stuff and they're like figure it out. Like you got to figure that out
01:51So, all right. Damn, we will we ended up figuring it out. And yeah, we're here
01:56Did that stress
01:58Get released as soon as you got on that plane
02:00You knew you were gonna make it or did that sort of linger on coming into this weekend?
02:05No, I was I was chillin once we landed
02:07I mean even once we found like a plane even though it was like costed a lot that at least there was a way to
02:12Get there. So once we figure out a way to get over here, that was so good
02:17Tom two hole shots a first and a second coming off a Spring Creek that moto
02:24A bad one for you. This one really had to feel good. But you got to look at the points
02:28You were trying to gain on Hayden Deegan and it's gonna be a match lock at both getting 47
02:34But it's got to got to make you feel good coming into this track a track. I know you like yeah
02:38No, it's I mean was a good day. We we got another p1 in qualifying and I don't know why I've been I've been great in
02:46The second second qualifying every weekend. So that's that's just pretty nice
02:50To start the day that way and I had a great first moto felt really good on the track and second moto like
02:56Hayden passed me
02:57I I think I didn't have the same flow and he was he was reaping when he passed me and I I follow like
03:03Four or five laps and I had a few small mistake. And yeah, it was it was the second moto
03:10Actually on Wednesday, I I hurt my hand last weekend and I couldn't train the whole week. So I was I mean
03:16I'm of course like didn't I'm not really happy to finish second
03:20But overall like my goal was to to maybe finish two time in the top five this weekend
03:25That's what I've been great with my hand and I felt great this morning
03:29Not so much pain. So was was good to be riding and and fight for the win again
03:36Joe question for you your four points out of fourth place right now and everybody always talks Joe late in the season
03:42He starts picking up. Do you ever have that mentality that I'm just gonna wait
03:45every race you go into you're like
03:47I got to do it and just
03:49Tell us that a lot of people saying that late in the season do that
03:53How does that affect you when people say that when you know each and every weekend you're trying as hard as you can?
03:57Yeah
03:59And and it's not it's not like I'm mentality wise
04:02I'm the same like from the first round to now nothing has changed the program is the same the way I train is the same
04:09just
04:10I
04:11Feel like you know
04:12Sometimes this is the small details like where people don't understand is like if that's motorcycle maybe a little bit me
04:19Like just figure out it's a whole different new motorcycles and and you know, even last year the model changes, you know
04:27it's like those small things like takes me a little bit time to get used to or like
04:32Finding some level of comfort to where I can push, you know, like closer to my like how I want to ride
04:38so but I mean you have I
04:43Don't know 10 15 races to figure out. Yeah for sure like at some some time
04:49you're gonna figure out at the end of the year and
04:52Yeah, I'm I don't know like try not to do the same next year for sure
04:58This is the second week in a row that you guys have been the final motos of the day for 50s going first
05:04Do you prefer it? Do you not like it? Is it rough?
05:08Describe what it's like being the final motos of the day. I
05:12Kind of like it. Actually the track is a little bit more rough
05:16And I think it's more like for us like when you go so gone after the 450
05:20You're like a little bit like cheating all day like it's you don't rush in the morning and I kind of like it to be
05:26honest
05:27Yeah, I don't mind it at all
05:28I mean, it's pretty cool
05:29Like when the track gets rough for it makes for a little bit better racing like more mistakes happen
05:35more lines to choose from
05:37So it's cool. I mean it don't really matter either way is cool
05:41Yeah, I personally like it too and it's slow. It slows the race down, too
05:45I think it's like first couple laps when they fix the track
05:48Everybody's kind of sending it and I kind of don't like that
05:51Where if we have the second motor everybody slows the pace down and then you have more option in the corners
05:57So I feel like less of like a friction with other riders and to me it's a it
06:02I feel a lot safer too and and it's like separates the good and you know
06:08Bad in the 250 class you the only three guys in the podium moto one moto two and overall
06:14Results look good
06:15But what do you take back and sort of critique yourself on that you wish you had done better or?
06:20Things that you need to improve on with the results
06:22It's hard for us to pick out what you think you need to work on. Is there anything I?
06:28Mean I would say
06:29Where I'm at personally with such a big points lead. It's just putting together
06:35Like smart consistent weekends nothing crazy nothing like super standout
06:41I mean and just go out there and do the best I can each weekend where it's not like overthinking anything because I mean mistakes happen
06:47So just make them little if you do a mistake make sure it's just a tip over something small
06:51You know minimize the the big ones and yeah, just keep on slowly adding to that points lead
06:57Yeah, I mean I had a few mistake the last two or three races like some small crash tip over so I
07:03Yeah, this weekend was was pretty good. I didn't do anything
07:07I I was steady both model and I had a good rhythm. So yeah
07:11We're gonna have a break. So that's gonna be nice to recover a little bit and we're gonna try to finish strong the last three races
07:19Aaron Hanson with racer X Tom you mentioned a hand injury. Are you able to elaborate on that?
07:24And tell us the severity of it. Yeah, I actually saw a second model last weekend
07:28I had a few crushes and I hurt my hand pretty bad and on when is that I thought when is it was fine?
07:34And I actually couldn't ride on Wednesday
07:36So I got a little bit scared for the weekend and I don't know like it gets that's what got really better
07:42Like from Thursday and Friday. I had a little bit pain this morning first practice and then it got better during the day. So
07:49To be honest, I didn't like was was not really painful by by the model maybe
07:54In the second model, but now I was was pretty good to be honest. I my hand was was good. So that's pretty nice
07:59I'm gonna recover a little bit next week and I should be good for the for the next races
08:06In that first motor you we stood the pressure from Hayden
08:09So when you found him behind you in that second moto, can you take us through your mindset?
08:14Did you think you were gonna be able to repeat that first moto or
08:18Was that just in the past? Yeah. No in first model. I had them had a good flow and I
08:24Think we stay at between three and four second with a then the old model and he wasn't really catching me
08:29So I was like, okay
08:30I'm just gonna try to keep my rhythm and I was was pretty good and he kind of gave up the last two laps
08:35So I had a good model the first one and so come on. I was like, okay
08:39We're gonna try to do the same and I didn't was pretty good
08:41I was like, okay, we're gonna try to do the same and I didn't was riding was riding better and maybe I had
08:47My flow wasn't wasn't that good and I had a few line where I was not comfortable on the track
08:53And yeah, I couldn't do much then then second in the in a second model
08:59Hayden it hasn't hurt you in the points, but you haven't you know, you went for a six moto winless streak
09:03Is it a relief to win a moto again?
09:07Yeah, definitely it definitely sucks not winning a moto for a little bit but I mean where I'm at now
09:13I know like eventually if you just keep doing what you're doing, it'll come again. So it was nice get another moto win and
09:20yeah, be nice to take a
09:22Two weekends off especially I mean this this series racing every weekend and stuffs a lot on your body and your mental too
09:29It's a it's draining. So when you get a little break, it's it's awesome
09:33So, I'm curious if there's any insight to be had on your intensity late in those in the motos
09:40I noticed in that second moment
09:41You were kind of looking over and you were marking a Hayden and Tom and at one point they were gone a horsepower hill
09:47but you just kept hammering and
09:49You were eventually caught started catching back up to Tom. So
09:53Is there a focus put into this intensity late in the motors or it's just something that's happening for you
09:58Sorry
10:00Sorry, I couldn't I couldn't really hear the last part of question
10:04You're very intense late in these motos and I'm just curious if that's something you focused on or if it's something that's just happening
10:11well, yeah, I was gonna ask I mean say something on his question, but
10:17yeah, like right now I feel good, but
10:21Compared to these two guys. I feel like I'm kind of lacking on pace right now
10:25I mean this all starts from qualifying right? Like I haven't been able to
10:31Be consistently in top five
10:35So a little bit of lack of pace so all I can do is kind of you know, keep my
10:42Average speed to the end, you know never I
10:45Kind of have no option to drop back. So push as much as I can
10:50but
10:51Yeah gonna need to find a little more pace
10:56One last question you guys are I'm assuming all aspiring to be 450 riders, what do you like?
11:03Hayden I want you to talk about chase since he got first
11:05I want you to talk about Aaron Plesinger and I want you to talk about Jason Anderson
11:09One thing you like about the riding style their personality that you want to try to learn from when you guys obviously are watching
11:15450 races, what do you like about what they do Hayden with chase? Yeah. I mean, I enjoy watching chase. He has a great technique
11:23So, I mean I've studied the way he rides because obviously it works very well
11:27So technique wise he has some some pretty outstanding things and he doesn't give up like it
11:33No matter what happens like he's he tips over
11:37He's always fighting till the ends and that's something I learned from as well from him
11:43I'm gonna have to race him eventually
11:44So if you can take little things like that from guys that are you know in the bigger class, it's it's cool
11:50Yeah, I mean I I train a lot with AP so I cannot we cannot train in every week together and
11:56He was riding good today. I had a great second model and I feel like when he start in front is is actually reaping
12:03So, um, yeah, he had another good day. I think he was pretty happy with with today. So
12:08Yeah, you know like he's kind of older than me
12:10So when I came over last year training at at Baker's and AP was was there
12:16AP was was there so we did a lot of model together and yeah
12:20We you always try to look a little bit what the 450 guys do and it's nice to be able to train with them
12:26Yeah, I like I like Anderson's riding style. He's like
12:30Riding a more like a back of the bike and I don't know. I enjoy watching I like his
12:36Yeah style in a motorcycle
12:38All right, guys, any other questions? I think we're good. Congratulations on a great weekend. Have a great