Haiden Deegan’s first 450 round of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship is done and dusted. There was a lot of hype for the opening round (a large portion of which has been done by Deegan himself) and we got to see him and Jett Lawrence battle some back and forth in the first moto.

Deegan moved forward in both motos and at the checkered flag came through 5-4 for fifth overall. He did not win like some people thought he would, but he rode well and put in two excellent results inside the top five. If you watch his YouTube vlog below, his dad Brian even says at one point during the morning the big picture goal is two motos inside the top five. Box checked. Learning and leaving healthy is a key and he did both as well. Could he land on the podium this weekend at the Hangtown Motocross Classic?

Here is what Deegan said in Yamaha's post-race report:

“Today was good. I qualified sixth and then Moto 1 had a good start until I tucked it in the first turn. I saved it, but man, it was sketchy. I came from 25th to fifth, so that was a good ride. I had good battles with all these guys in the top 10, who are champions. So it was a fun time learning and battling those guys. Then Moto 2, I got a little better start, but obviously we’ve got to work on that, because if we can start up front, I think we'll have a better chance of getting on the podium. I made my way back up to fourth from 15th on the start. So a 5-4 on the day, for fifth overall. I'd definitely say it was a good first-round rookie debut. We'll go back to work this week, get the bike dialed in, do great starts, and come out swinging in Hangtown.”

Said Rich Simmons, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s 450 team manager:

“Overall, it was a pretty good day. It was a good first round for Justin and Haiden, coming away with fourth and fifth overall. Justin got on the podium in that first moto. Then both he and Haiden had bad starts in Moto 2, which didn't help, but Haiden did a really good job coming through the pack. Webb had a good start in the second one, but just didn't have the results I'm sure he wanted. I think there were a lot of positives to take away from here. The guys are happy with their bikes. We’ll just keep building off this.”

You can watch Deegan’s YouTube vlog from the opener below.

Main image by Mitch Kendra