Travis Steward
I know I know, the results say that Haiden Deegan crossed the finish line in 5th place while his teammate and childhood rival pulled off a win. BUT!!!! Let’s take a look at the big picture here and maybe see if there is something we can learn from past “generational talents”.
Deegan actually left with more potential than he would have had he holeshotted and checked out. I call his rookie debut of Supercross Futures A WIN and here are a few examples that solidify my view.
Before anyone sends me hate DM’s I understand fully that this was just his “Futures” debut. That being said, the talent on that gate and the pressure of a full stadium is justification enough for me to make these comparisons.
Ricky Carmichael | January 18, 1997, P-11
I will always remember when Ricky hit the scene. He was going to come in and destroy everyone BUT his debut was completely overshadowed by (drum roll please) BRIAN DEEGAN’s incredible win and ghost ride off the finish line. Fast forward a couple rounds and all of a sudden Ricky is winning races and soon becomes the GOAT.
Jett Lawrence | January 4, 2020, P-9
Another highly anticipated debut that really turned into a very quiet night. Unfortunately for Jett, he did not turn his speed into immediate results. He did however smack the ground in spectacular enough fashion to build a massive fanbase and then turned it all around a year later with a championship. Today he is poised to be one of the greats of our sport.
James Stewart | January 5, 2002, P-2
This one is a bit different because Bubba’s first round was actually pretty decent. I will however point to round 5, Anaheim 3 where his season started to fall apart and ultimately cost him the championship. It’s more of the same. JS7 was highly touted as the next big thing and he was incredibly exciting. This bit him in the butt after an early crash. He was coming through the pack and over committed the front wheel and put himself crossing the finish line in 11th. We all know the following seasons put him on the Mount Rushmore of SX.
Haiden Deegan | January 28th, 2023, P-5 (Futures)
The kid was the fastest qualifier on Friday and was second fastest on Saturday. I can only imagine the pressure on him was incredible knowing he had a stand full of fans (and haters) as well as sitting on the line with his childhood competitors. Sometimes it’s better to NOT know everyone on the gate with. Haiden did himself no favors with the start and then made a huge mistake that was really too great to come back from in such a short race.
Now, the rest is up to him to write the story. Rumors of a pro debut this year would be fun to watch. He’s gotten the rough night out of the way. Maybe the script is different for his REAL pro SX debut?
So there is it. I’m not claiming Haiden will be the next big thing in our sport. I’m just saying I think he got more from Saturday night than the kids on the podium.
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Main image: Yamaha
