Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s 250 Team Scores Double-Podium Finish in Detroit

19-03-2023

Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s 250 Team Scores Double-Podium Finish in Detroit

Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Nate Thrasher returned to the podium with a runner-up finish at last night’s sixth round of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX East Championship in Detroit, Michigan. His teammate Haiden Deegan crossed the line third to earn his second-career podium in the class. Unfortunately, Jordon Smith did not transfer to the main event.

Thrasher showed strength straight away in the challenging hard-packed conditions at the Ford Field and had a solid qualifying result in third. He then got a great start to remain unchallenged en route to his third heat race victory of the season. Starting with the number-one gate pick, he got a decent start in fourth and quickly passed his rookie teammate to take third. The Tennessee rider made the pass for second on Lap 5, but unfortunately, the series points leader had already amassed a healthy gap up front. Thrasher made up some time but ultimately rode a smart race to secure second place and advance to the runner-up spot in the points standings.

Deegan also made championship gains with a strong performance at the Detroit Supercross. The rookie earned his best qualifying result and was fourth behind his teammates. He got a flying start to grab the holeshot in his heat race but was shuffled to second after he and Smith came together during the heat of battle. Deegan’s second-place finish gave him the fourth gate pick for the main, where he executed another great start in third. Although he was passed by Thrasher early on, the 17-year-old put his head down and made the pass for third after the halfway mark. His third-place finish moved him back into third in the points standings as the 250SX East Championship heads into the break.

With success in Detroit in the past, Smith was optimistic heading into the weekend. He got the day off to a great start and led the way for the team with second in qualifying. Unfortunately, the night show got off to a tough start as he went down after coming together with his teammate in the heat race. Smith quickly rejoined and tried to make up lost ground in a short amount of time but went down twice and would have to go to the LCQ. Although he fought his way back from a difficult start in the LCQ, Smith narrowly missed the final transfer spot in the final run to the finish line.

Next weekend the Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 250 West team returns to action for Round 5 of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX West Championship and the 11th round of the SuperMotocross World Championship at the Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington, on March 25.

2023 Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX Detroit Results

2023 Monster Energy AMA Supercross 250SX East Championship Standings

Nate Thrasher

Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing

“It was a good main event. I got a solid start, but just wish I could’ve been a little better there in that area. Once we got around J Mart (Jeremy Martin), the gap was already pretty big. I got it down to three or four seconds, but that was all we could do. We started hitting the lappers, so I just kind of settled into a pace and then had to pick it up at the end a little bit. It was a good race. We’re just going to keep striving for more.”

Haiden Deegan

Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing

“Today was pretty good. It’s the best I’ve ever qualified, and we’re making improvements by having these races every weekend. My heat race was good, and I ended up finishing second. The main event was good as well. I got a great start and had to pass Jeremy (Martin) for third. Once I made the pass, I just kept charging, trying to catch Nate a little bit, but those guys were running really well up front. I’m excited to get back up on the podium.”

Jordon Smith

Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing

“That was definitely not how we wanted the night to go. I’m sorry to my whole team and sponsors. Everyone works too hard for stuff like this to happen. We’re just going to put this behind us and get back to work. At the end of the day, I’m leaving here healthy, and I’ve been in a lot worse positions. I’m going to go home with my wife and baby and hit the reset button, and go ride again on Monday. We will be back.”

Jensen Hendler

Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing 250 Team Manager

“It was a good day overall, with another double podium for the team before we head into the break for the East Coast. We’re looking forward to getting back on the West Coast next weekend and seeing what our guys can do there in Seattle. It’s Levi’s home race, and Stilez has been putting in the work to finish off the series strong.”