DEACON DENNO CROWNED SMX NEXT CHAMP

Triumph Factory Racing and Triumph Motorcycles is celebrating Deacon Denno’s success aboard the TF250-X in this season’s AMA SMX Next Championship, which runs alongside the prestigious AMA Supercross Championship. Denno claimed a final round victory in Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field, which saw the American amateur crowned the SMX Next Supercross AMA National Champion.

Denno joined Triumph’s amateur programme this season – working hard behind the scenes at the Triumph Factory Racing US facility in the state of Georgia. The 18-year-old rising star kicked off his SMX Next season in Anaheim 2, California in January with a strong fifth place aboard his TF250-X. He put in solid work before he headed out to the second round in Houston, Texas – arriving with valuable experience under his belt following his first outing in a large stadium environment. The Triumph racer powered to a strong start in his main event and went on to capture his, and the team’s, maiden SMX Next podium with a second-place finish. Denno led the race for several laps and took further steps towards the professional ranks, with the SMX Next series giving important learning opportunities for amateur racers.

Continuing his steep upward trajectory, the third round at the iconic Daytona International Speedway in March marked another huge step, as the he dominated the SMX Next main event with a career-first victory – taking the win with a four second advantage and cementing his status as a star of the future.

A tough race in Birmingham, Alabama followed as Denno sustained a leg injury during the opening sessions of the day, gating outside of the top 10. Gaining useful experience in coming through the pack, an undeterred Denno was quick to make passes during the nine-minute stint and was able to race through to a solid fifth position despite injury.

At the fifth and final event of the season for the SMX Next riders, Denno was untouchable in the challenging Philadelphia conditions following torrential rain. The rising Triumph star powered to an incredible holeshot and from there built an impressive lead in the six-lap race. Finding his form around the slick track, Denno posted the fastest lap time, more than a second quicker than anyone else. With the Texas-native’s victory in the final race of SMX Next, Denno won the SMX Next Supercross AMA National Championship – a testament to his potential and the Triumph Factory Racing amateur programme.

Deacon Denno:
“It’s been a great end to the series and a dream come true to come away with the SMX Next Supercross AMA National Championship title. My goal when I came into these events was to win races, so I’m pretty pumped to walk away with two wins and a second place. It is exciting and rewarding to have had all of the hard work pay off. The SMX Next season has brought so much experience for me and I’m definitely grateful for it; there’s been some highs and lows, but I was able to power through mentally and physically, and I learnt a lot. The highlight for me has to be Daytona – it’s such an iconic place. To win there was very special and for it to be my first SX win, and to win for the team, is definitely something I won’t forget. The bike has been great right the way through; right from the start when I joined the programme, I adapted to the TF 250-X really well, and I felt comfy on the bike straight away. The more we test and dial in the bike for me, the better it has gotten, so a big thanks to Triumph and the team for that. Having a team like Triumph Factory Racing behind me has been awesome. There’s so much knowledge and everyone has been in the industry for a long time – I’m grateful to have them behind me. I want to thank everyone in my corner; my mechanic Dillon, he puts in a lot of work for me, Jeremy, Scuba, Brownie, Ivan and Stilez have been helping me out week in, week out too. I’m grateful to the whole team for all of the hard work they do for me to compete at this level. Following Philadelphia, I’m looking forward to heading back and shifting the focus to motocross to get ready for the outdoor season.”