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<\/a><\/p>\nWil Hahn is your team manager. He said he sat you guys down this week and had a little chit-chat with you. Was it like, \u201cHey boys, you just need to settle down,\u201d or give us some insight into that conversation?<\/p>\n
Deegan: No, he was just like, \u201cMax, you\u2019re too old to be bullying the little kids still.\u201d No, I\u2019m just kidding. I\u2019m just playing, I\u2019m just playing. No, we\u2019ll keep it, lay it down, we\u2019re cool, it\u2019s good. I\u2019m focused on myself. I\u2019m focused on winning these races and that\u2019s what I\u2019m doing. And I have big goals ahead of me and the last thing I\u2019m doing is getting dragged down, or focused on something that\u2019s just really not necessary.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve seen you come out even in press day. I feel like you had a different mentality and you were just more aggressive and I feel like you had more of a focus coming into the weekend. Can you talk about that?<\/p>\n
Deegan: Yeah, I\u2019m just hungry really, man. I feel like this off season, it was the hardest I\u2019ve ever worked and I feel like I need to pay respect to myself to be serious throughout these races and really go out there and dominate. And I feel like I was able to do that the last two weekends and yeah.<\/p>\n
Well, let\u2019s talk about the track, Hayden. It was a very technical track. It seemed like it broke down. It had some very slippery spots. How was it feeling like the triple after that finish on the outside and then the triple, triple after the whoop sections? Because it seemed like those were like the really key points of the track where you needed a nail and be perfect.<\/p>\n
Deegan: Yeah, totally. I think this is one of the most technical tracks I\u2019ve ridden so far this season. There was like super, I don\u2019t know, like a lot of moisture super deep. It was everlasting. Those ruts just kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger and I enjoyed it. I mean, I like when rhythms get hard and the better guys can separate themselves. And it was tricky though, especially after those whoops. I was like, every lap. I\u2019ve worked on these whoops a million freaking times. So, I\u2019m like, \u201cJust get them good every lap.\u201d So, I get this three and it worked.<\/p>\n
I think one of the big topics of the night is in those heat races. We\u2019ve seen a triple after the finish line around the outside, that triple lip seemed to be very difficult and given a lot of the riders problems. They\u2019ve fixed it four or five times throughout the night. Can you give us some insight on why it was so hard before they fixed it and why it was easier afterwards and why that was the line of choice?<\/p>\n Deegan: Yeah. I think that, I mean, it\u2019s a hard situation because things can bite you obviously. I mean, me sliding and endoing off that three on and things can bite you here and there, but you really have to pay attention, especially in a heat race. Personally, I try and make sure there\u2019s anywhere sketchy. I mean, they just prepped the track. They just had a break. Things are covered up. I mean, it\u2019s been soft all day. They\u2019ve thrown soft dirt over it. So, it\u2019s like, I always try and pay attention, but things can bite you out of nowhere like that. And we\u2019re professionals, that\u2019s how it is. This sport\u2019s gnarly and things are going to happen.<\/p>\n What was it like finding yourself behind another teammate? Were you just like, \u201cYeah, I got to get you\u201d?<\/p>\n Deegan: Yeah. I was like, \u201cShoot, I might have to park them just so the fans like me some more.\u201d No, I\u2019m just playing. No, I try to make it a clean pass and make it stick. That\u2019s always my goal. I don\u2019t like to do a half-ass pass. I like to make a pass, make it stick and go. And that\u2019s what I did and just rode a comfortable race after that.<\/p>\n Photos:\u00a0octopi.media<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t<\/a><\/p>\n