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00:00Yes, and as they all come into their respective gate spots, it is time to go around the berm and
00:06let's start at the top, Ricky, with you and Hayden Deegan.
00:09Yes, sir, Lee. Thank you very much. And this guy right here, I mean, clinches the championship with a win
00:15and if Max Anstey finishes fifth or worse.
00:18So that, I would think, is the first job at hand. And then you go for the bragging rights and
00:25show everybody that you are the best.
00:27Double down, you are the best 250 rider in the world here at SMX World Championship. I assume that's what
00:35he's going to want to do.
00:37Well, for Seth Handmaker, forget the showdown, forget Hayden Deegan, forget any of that nonsense. This is all about beating
00:44Cole Davies.
00:44He sits nine points down. If he does not beat Cole tonight, that goes to double digits and that is
00:51going to change the narrative moving forward.
00:52This championship is going to start slipping out of reach if he can't turn the tide tonight.
01:00We talked about the 61 of Max Anstey and you said it, he's got to get better than fifth tonight
01:06if Hayden takes the win to stay in this.
01:08Last time we saw him race in Birmingham, he'd only just been cleared to get back racing due to an
01:14appendicitis and having to have that appendix removed in the surgery and recovery that obviously came with that.
01:20Max told me he's looking at this big picture. He knows he's in a really good position to take out
01:24Hayden Deegan.
01:25He's sitting second in points and he's healthy now and he's just looking to maximise every single night.
01:31And then, while we keep the Monster NG Star Yamaha theme going, there is the 18-year-old New Zealander
01:37Cole Davies.
01:38It was a pretty inauspicious start to the season in Arlington when he went down but then staged a great
01:43comeback to finish fifth.
01:45Then he finished on the podium in Daytona behind Seth Hamaker and after that, it has been wins, wins, wins.
01:54Three in a row for Cole Davies.
01:57Can he take the fight?
01:58Think about all the times at the practice track, right?
02:01Between him and Hayden Deegan.
02:03And we know things have been intense there.
02:06Oh, yeah.
02:07Between those two.
02:08It was a rivalry for sure.
02:09So, now it comes back on the track where they get to go for the second time up against each
02:14other for real.
02:16History on the line here for Hayden Deegan.
02:20Can he be just the third rider to close out this title with two rounds remaining?
02:25We will see.
02:26East-West showdown here in St. Louis.
02:29It's on!
02:31Hamaker and Deegan.
02:33Handlebar to handlebar.
02:34Deegan does not get the whole shot.
02:35He's boxed in there.
02:37Davies gets a good start.
02:38Yeah, he's got to play it cool, remember?
02:40This is more of some chaos.
02:42They make it through.
02:43Oh!
02:44Hamaker hits the tub block, but he saves it.
02:47How about the start from Nick Romano?
02:48He's in second.
02:50What an awesome, awesome beginning to this main.
02:54Oh, man.
02:55What a start for Cole Davies.
02:57And I just have a feeling it's going to be a little bit different than what we saw at Birmingham.
03:02There ain't no way this dude is going to let anyone pass him.
03:08Well, he told JT after his heat victory, I am just focused on the championship.
03:12I've been dreaming about it and working and aiming for it for so long.
03:17But if he could defeat Hayden Deegan in an East-West showdown, that would be something else.
03:21Oh, it would be huge.
03:23Again, he talked about it championship first, but you just have to think that he wants to come out here
03:30and dominate his teammate and the rest of the field.
03:34Great job for Seth Hamaker as well.
03:36And you talked about it, Romano.
03:37Great to see him out here, see what he can do with a good start.
03:41There's that triple section.
03:43Look at Hayden.
03:44Is he able to go triple-triple?
03:45Yes, he does.
03:48Goes by his teammate Nate Thrasher.
03:50Nate's trying to come back on the inside.
03:52Great to see Nate back, by the way, after that heavy pull last weekend.
03:56Yeah, brutal crash in the whoops there.
03:58Bike just came and pummeled him.
04:01So there's two Kawasaki's to dispense of ahead of Hayden Deegan before JT gets to his teammate.
04:10Now, Deegan's on the charge here, as we can see.
04:12And you just wonder, I was listening to you guys talk about Davies.
04:15That's his teammate, right?
04:16He's been around Hayden Deegan.
04:17He knows what makes Hayden tick.
04:20And you just wonder him kind of avoiding that question I posed after the heat race.
04:25You don't want to give Hayden any ammunition.
04:27You don't want to give him something to feed off of to that main event.
04:30So I think it was probably the wise move, whether he wants to go at Hayden or not.
04:35Just kind of avoid it and sound worried about the championship.
04:37Nick Romano had an awkward moment there, and that's opened up the gate.
04:40Deegan just blasts his way through.
04:42Yeah, two-for-one special right there.
04:44And there goes Hayden going triple, triple, triple.
04:46Lee, I told you this.
04:48There's so much chatter in how good Cole Davies is.
04:52And I'm like, man, it wouldn't surprise me if this guy right here, Hayden Deegan, tries to make a pass
04:58by Cole.
04:59If he's able to catch him and pass him in the whoops and be like, what now?
05:02I hear all you guys talking about how fast Cole is through the whoops.
05:06Could you imagine if he was able to do that?
05:08All right, three seconds is the margin.
05:103.2 to be precise between the teammates.
05:13Game on.
05:14Rub your hands together.
05:15Here we go.
05:16Oh, this is so good.
05:18This is what I wanted to see.
05:20Oh, man, championship perspective, though.
05:24Hayden is looking incredible.
05:26Max is buried into the pack.
05:28He's on 10th place right now.
05:30There's the gap.
05:32JT talked on that track report.
05:35This triple, triple section right here is going to be key, not only in the 250, but the 450 as
05:41well.
05:42Will, what you got?
05:43Well, we saw where Max Ansey was, and we know what that means for Hayden Deegan
05:47and wrapping this championship up early and getting to speak, Ricky, to Brian Deegan, his dad earlier,
05:53and asking about the importance of that.
05:54He said, yeah, it's important because of accolades and things he'll look back on.
05:58But he said it's also important because if we wrap this up early, he's like, we get extra time on
06:04the 450 to prepare for the motocross season.
06:06He said if we don't, we basically lose half of that.
06:09So it's kind of the equivalent of losing two weeks out of the four in the break there.
06:13So that's what they've got their eyes set on, and that's one of the motivation factors here for getting this
06:18done tonight.
06:18And 1.2 seconds has been eroded from Cole Davies' lead.
06:23Here comes Deegan.
06:25Make it 1.4 seconds now.
06:28Yeah, here you go.
06:29Triple, triple.
06:31Good job for Cole.
06:33Deegan's able to grease it as well.
06:36And, man, he has made up a ton of time.
06:38He was three-tenths of a lap faster.
06:41That last lap, coming around this time, lap times, 56.1 for Cole Davies, 55.2 for Hayden Deegan.
06:52JT, what you got?
06:54Well, I'm watching Hayden Deegan reel him in.
06:57And I asked Davies on Friday, hey, what do you want to work on?
07:00You're on this winning streak.
07:01Things are going really well in the life of Cole Davies, but what do you need to do to be
07:05better?
07:05And he said section just like this, where you see him kind of boasting in the corner.
07:09He needs to find more intensity.
07:12And when you watch Hayden Deegan, that's where he's excelling.
07:16Hayden Deegan finds time where other people simply can't, and he may make the pass right here.
07:21Wow.
07:21He made a mistake in the rhythm lane here, and you just wonder, is Hayden going to be able to
07:26get close enough?
07:27Make the move.
07:28Oh, he misses the triple section.
07:30Cole does.
07:31They are together.
07:33The teammates are right there.
07:34Oh, boy.
07:35Here we go.
07:36The whoops.
07:37Now, listen, Hayden's going all the way to the right side.
07:39Cole is going to the left.
07:41Take a look right here.
07:43Hayden's going to turn down early.
07:45It's a good run.
07:46Cole comes up short.
07:47Watch this.
07:48This is where Davies has been so blisteringly fast and does get through there faster than Deegan that lap.
07:54Good run right here.
07:55But I just wonder right here, what's the play for Hayden?
07:59Does he make a move instantly, or does he hang Cole out to try and put the pressure on and
08:05see what Cole can do?
08:07I think he makes the move and clears out.
08:09Deegan to the lead.
08:10Just like that.
08:12All right, Cole.
08:13What you got?
08:15Well, he keeps messing this up.
08:17Rhythm lane up right here.
08:21And just by the crowd's reaction, he could tell.
08:25He knew that Deegan was getting closer and closer.
08:28Well, this is the opportunity where Cole could really latch on to his teammate, see where Hayden is faster.
08:36I feel like Cole has the ability to make those in-race changes.
08:40Chad Reed was so good at that, pulling audibles.
08:44Here's a different line.
08:46Hayden riding really well through the whoops as well.
08:49Wow, man.
08:51This guy's just rolling, dude.
08:53Look at the gap that he's put on Cole babies.
08:56It's just, if he continues this momentum for another four laps, it is game over and another statement win.
09:04This has been a blue crew year, for sure.
09:07Look at that graphic, just to show you the domination by Monster Energy star Yamaha riders.
09:14Crazy.
09:15Yeah, and this race team, they have built something special.
09:20They have it at the goat farm there.
09:22They have all the assets that they need, JT.
09:25It's like a big league franchise over there.
09:29Yeah, and they put him in such a great spot to succeed.
09:32And for Hayden, Ricky, you know, Ricky, you've been in this spot where everything is coming easy on the smaller
09:38bike.
09:39And these performances are just screaming that he is now ready.
09:43And he told me right after the heat race, this is why I stayed down.
09:45To find this level, to make sure that beyond the shadow of a doubt, I was ready to move to
09:51the 450 class.
09:53And I'm thinking about this summer, Ricky, of what that is going to look like when he is up against
09:57the likes of Jet and Hunter and Sexton and everyone else.
10:00Yeah, I mean, it's time.
10:03You're exactly right, JT.
10:04His time has expired.
10:07There's nothing left for him to give in the 250 class.
10:09He's outgrown it.
10:12And he's done a heck of a job.
10:15He's answered the call pretty much his whole 250 career when he went into this class.
10:22And it's been a lot of fun to watch.
10:24We're over the halfway mark.
10:26Just a quick reminder to stock up on Monster Energy drinks and on the run.
10:31Did you see the pit board from Brent Duffy?
10:346.1 seconds.
10:35Breathe.
10:36Yeah.
10:37He said breathe.
10:38Just take it.
10:38Like, don't take it easy, but you know that you've got this under control.
10:43We spent some time with Hayden yesterday.
10:45And you asked him, hey, is it a big deal to get this championship out of the way tomorrow?
10:50And Hayden's response was pretty funny and pretty quick.
10:54He said, yeah, I do.
10:56That way I can party in Nashville next weekend.
10:57That's right.
10:58He has a great time for sure.
11:01And don't let him fool you when he says that.
11:04He wants to set his sights on that 450 Pro Motocross championship.
11:09And he won't, he also said he won't have to ride this 250 anymore except for the time
11:14that he needs to race it.
11:16Oh, comes up a little short.
11:17This is what we talked about.
11:19This track is becoming very difficult.
11:21A lot of ruts.
11:22They're not getting the pop off the jumps like they were early on in this race.
11:26But, yeah, now he can solely focus on the 450 performance, JT.
11:31Yeah, and Lee, you were talking about that pit board there.
11:34Well, for Hayden and Ricky, you've been in this spot.
11:37Seems like I say that a lot.
11:38But it's so nice when you're coming along these parallel straightaways
11:41and Hayden can look over and see Cole Davies going further and further back
11:46because he knows that is telling him that Cole Davies has now basically given up
11:50on the race win and he has relented to second place.
11:53And Hayden's now able to lower the intensity and ride off into the sunset.
11:57Yeah, he's cruising.
11:58Now it's just staying engaged, JT, and picking your way through the lappers.
12:04Whoa!
12:05Kitchen almost goes down.
12:06That was a save.
12:08That was fourth place gone.
12:10Nate Thrasher moves up into the top four.
12:13Yeah, great heads up riding by Nate Thrasher.
12:16I have a feeling he saw that coming, so he slowed up a little bit
12:21to avoid any collision.
12:23That could have happened.
12:24This is Max Bolin ahead of Rider-D Francisco, and they are both ahead of Max Anstey.
12:31So you saw the graphic just a moment ago.
12:33Championship update with Deegan out in front in command.
12:37He is going to win back-to-back 250 West Division Championships.
12:42He stays where he is, and Max Anstey stays where he is.
12:45Oh!
12:46Rider-D on the inside of Max Bolin.
12:49Good scrap, good move.
12:51Yeah, and he breaks a little bit harder there on that right-hander before the finish line
12:55to block, or excuse me, to block Max to cut back underneath the inside.
13:02Great pass by Rider-D.
13:0634 there on the Rockstar Husky team, and he's done a great job this year.
13:10Man, I feel like he's come a long way in his strength training.
13:14It just looks like he can ride the bike now, bike not riding him.
13:17He can muscle it around.
13:19Great to see you.
13:22There's the 141 of Nick Romano.
13:25He's coming off his best result this year of the two races, which was seven.
13:30He's about to be overtaken by Rider-D.
13:32He was in a potentially a career-high best of sixth.
13:38So he's going to fight hard for that over the closing three and three-quarter minutes
13:42plus a lap.
13:43Yeah, and I feel like Romano is doing a great job here.
13:46I mean, coming back, filling pride, making all the laps, only his third race on the bike.
13:53And if you're Mitch Payton, you've got to be pretty stoked.
13:55And if you're Nick yourself, you've got to, you know, have realistic goals.
13:59And I think he's done a fantastic job.
14:01It's great to see how many he had a very successful amateur career.
14:05He is one of the hot stars for sure.
14:06And just had some injuries there when he's on that Monster Energy star race at Yamaha.
14:13Just could never really get his feet underneath them.
14:15And then having this opportunity maybe is a second chance.
14:18There's that inside line I was telling you guys about.
14:20Lovely execution there.
14:22We saw the last chance qualifier at the 450s started working those inside.
14:26Ryder D just made that happen.
14:28Good job.
14:29It has been a very productive year for Ryder DeFrancisco.
14:33He came into this East-West showdown.
14:35And Max Anstey is down.
14:37That really opens up the championship points even more.
14:41That makes Hayden Deegan's quest for this championship even easier.
14:46Well, and then what it's going to do also is it's going to move Kitchen into second in the championship
14:52as it runs right now.
14:53With Deegan has a 56-point lead versus Anstey at third place with 60 points back.
15:01So, we've only got two and a half minutes plus a lap to go.
15:04Let's hear from the man out in front.
15:06We'll call him the champion elect.
15:08About what racking up huge career numbers means to him.
15:13Yeah, for sure.
15:14I mean, little things like that 100%.
15:16Especially now in my career I feel like I've kind of, I've done a lot.
15:19I've accomplished a lot of goals.
15:21I mean, I've accomplished every goal I've had as a little kid.
15:23So now it's just adding.
15:24And I feel like those are little things I can chase, you know.
15:27Pit my name in the record books, you know.
15:29Adding, adding my names to the list.
15:31So, that's a goal.
15:33Well, with this win, if he gets it, it's going to be his 13th career 250 win.
15:40That's going to put him in a tie for third with Jeremy McGrath, Austin Faulkner, Chet Lawrence.
15:47Yeah, he's in a rarefied air.
15:52Certainly.
15:53And he has earned it.
15:54And JT, I think about it.
15:55He wasn't even supposed to move up as early as he did.
16:00And they, that Monster Energy Star Yamaha team put him in there.
16:05And man, did he step up.
16:07Well, Ricky, think about that year that he moved up.
16:10He could not have a good performance in Anaheim 2 when it was called Futures now as SMX Next.
16:16I think he was fifth on the night.
16:17It was not very impressive.
16:18And then they move him up and he immediately goes to fourth place in the East Coast in Houston.
16:23So, to your point, yes, this has been remarkable.
16:27JT and Ricky, you know, he was chasing at that point, JT.
16:31He was chasing, sort of getting better, right, and going for the wins.
16:34And then after a couple of goes and not getting it, getting that Supercross title on a 250.
16:39And Ricky, you were talking about all the accolades and everything that they've now wrapped up.
16:43That is what I've been told has been his motivation.
16:47Obviously, when he's doing as well as he is and he's the class of the field, that motivation,
16:51and he's spoken openly about it, starts to wane a little bit.
16:54So, all those goals, his dad told me that I need them.
16:57That's what keeps him going every week.
17:02There is Dad, Brian.
17:05There's his sister, Hayley.
17:07I saw I was in the paddock a little bit earlier.
17:11A whole lot of his family is here.
17:13Got some friends as well.
17:15Huge moment.
17:16Oh, man.
17:17Here's Levi Kitchen.
17:18Look at that inside line again.
17:19And look at that.
17:20Oh.
17:21Right at D.
17:22Right at D.
17:23There is no stopping him.
17:25He's on a mission.
17:26Oh, yeah.
17:27He's rolling right now.
17:30Levi was nice to him.
17:32He could have charged that corner a little bit harder to defend the position.
17:35But he did it.
17:37Oh.
17:39Two Rockstar Energy Factory House.
17:40Varner riders there running in fifth and seventh.
17:44So, Daxton Benick had to go by the last chance qualifier.
17:47But still a good right.
17:48He's got a shot at getting by Kitchen for sixth.
17:59You have to wonder if Levi probably not 100% still.
18:02Oh, man.
18:04This track is getting brutal.
18:05You can see Levi kind of sitting up a little bit, coming into the corners, probably feeling it.
18:12Oh.
18:14There you go.
18:15Yeah, we're good.
18:16Nice to come back for Benick.
18:18One more lap to go.
18:20Quick look over his shoulder to double-check that it was the white flag.
18:24Yes, it is indeed, Hayden.
18:27One more to go.
18:28And you're going to back up your West Division championship of a year ago.
18:32Just like Dylan Ferrandez did in 2019 and 2020.
18:37Just like Cooper Webb did in 2015, 2016.
18:42What a magical time for this super talented 20-year-old who has his eyes on moving up to the
18:49premier class to the 450s.
18:51He's been riding the 450 a lot.
18:53He told us yesterday he loves it.
18:56Oh, absolutely.
18:57And he wants to race the best in the business, guys, that he has looked up to.
19:02And it is going to be a lot of fun to watch this summer and the SMX playoffs when we
19:08get there.
19:08And he has earned it.
19:10Like it or not, you've got to respect the talent.
19:13And he put a straight beat down.
19:15Just have a look at the clock.
19:1715 seconds, 16 seconds over his teammate.
19:20Danger Boy has done it again.
19:23Hayden Deegan is a champion for the second year in a row.
19:29The 250 West Division champ, back-to-back years.
19:37Monster Energy star Yamaha's number one man aboard the 250 has done it again.
19:46What a solid performance, Lee.
19:49I mean, straight up domination.
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