This past weekend at the Supercross event in St. Louis, Ken Roczen was able to win for the second week in a row and tighten up the points battle in the 450 class, while Haiden Deegan clinched the 250 West title two races early.
Roczen closed the gap to five points on the tied title-leaders, Eli Tomac and Hunter Lawrence. Tomac and Lawrence are at 245, with Roczen at 240.
Roczen was dominant all day. He had a 1-1-1 day, which is when a racer is the fastest qualifier, heat race winner, and a main event winner on the same day.
He checked out relatively quickly in the main event and brought home the win with a 13-second lead over Monster Energy Star Racing Yamaha’s Justin Cooper. This marked Cooper’s third career second-place finish, although he has not won a 450 Supercross main event yet.
Lawrence took home the third spot and got back into the championship lead, after losing it last week to Tomac.
This is the second race in a row in which Tomac finished off the podium. Something is up with these finishes, as Tomac has been off of the podium two weeks in a row, with fifth- and sixth-place finishes.
In the history of Supercross, this is the first time that the 450 class championship has been this close between three racers through 12 rounds.
However, in the 250 West Class, that championship was decided two races early for only the third time in history. Deegan is now a two-time Supercross champion, which leaves him in a rare group of racers. He has won back-to-back 250 Motocross titles and two 250 SMX World Championship titles. He has amassed six professional titles before turning 20.
As it is widely known, Deegan will be moving up to the 450 class this summer, so this is ultimately the end of Deegan’s 250 career. He has done a lot in a short amount of time, and it is time for him to move on to the next level.
If Deegan had not been penalized in Birmingham a few weeks ago and lost his win, he would be on a seven-race win streak. It is undeniable that Deegan has left a permanent mark on the 250 class, and he is sure to do great things in the 450 class.
This weekend, racing goes to Nissan Stadium in Nashville. This is the first afternoon race of the season, with qualifying starting at 9 a.m. and the racing action starting at 3 p.m. With titles coming down to the final races, the action is sure to be present this weekend.
