The return of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship to the “Gateway City” St Louis was headlined by the east-west clash between Haiden Deegan and our very own Cole Davies, with Davies taking a P2 to extend his East Coast Championship lead.
“I’m happy with tonight,” Davies said after the race. “That track was gnarly. I just rode it home. I’m happy I gained points [in the Eastern Divisional Championship], because there was no need to push it in those conditions. Congrats to Haiden [Deegan].”
The annual Love Moto Stop Cancer Supercross honouring the kids at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the fight against childhood cancer featured specially decorated race bikes and gear that will be auctioned off for fundraising. This is the 12th race of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship.
Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan came into St. Louis with a shot at securing a second straight Western Divisional 250SMX Class Championship and did so by dominating against a full field of top talent during the East/West Showdown.
The return of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship to the “Gateway City” was headlined by the annual Love Moto Stop Cancer Supercross honoring the kids at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the fight against childhood cancer. Photo: SMX
With a win, Deegan needed a finish of sixth or worse from teammate Max Anstie to secure the title. But, it was fellow Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing teammate Cole Davies, the Eastern Divisional points leader, who grabbed the holeshot and seized control of the early lead over the Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki duo of Seth Hammaker and Nick Romano. Deegan started sixth but wasted little time making his move to the front, as he quickly stormed into second place just a few minutes into the race. Just over three seconds separated the Yamaha pair, but Deegan took chunks out of his deficit and soon made a quick pass on Davies to grab the lead with just over nine minutes to go.
Deegan proceeded to open a margin of more than 15 seconds over the field and cruised to his sixth win of the season by 15.6 seconds over Davies, who was never challenged in second. Hammaker rode to a quiet fifth consecutive podium finish in third.
The most dominant win of the season for Deegan, combined with a 15th-place finish for Anstie, was more than enough to wrap up the Western Divisional Championship. It’s the sixth career title for Deegan and puts a finishing touch on one of the most decorated 250SMX Class careers of all time. Davies, meanwhile, added to his lead over Hammaker in the Eastern Divisional title fight, with 11 points now separating the pair with four races remaining.
Cole Davies leads out the 250 field at St Louis. Photo: SMX
