One More
Race

There is hard racing between teammates, and then there is what happened in the closing laps of moto 2 at Dignity Health Sports Park on Saturday night. Haiden Deegan and Cooper Webb ride for the same team, train together, and are supposed to be pointed at the same enemy. With one round left in the SuperMotocross World Championship, they are very clearly not.

What Actually Happened

Deegan went down in the sand section earlier in the moto. Both Ken Roczen and Webb got by him while he sorted himself out, and Deegan spent the rest of the race clawing that back. Late, he caught Webb and came from the outside to the inside with a move that did not leave the room a pass like that needs. Webb hit the ground. Deegan kept going.

On a normal night, in a normal week, that is a hard block pass and the two of them argue about it on the flight home. This was not a normal week. Webb had already had a difficult night — he ran fifth in both motos and admitted afterward that he simply did not have the speed, describing himself as a fourth- or fifth-place rider on the day. Getting taken out of that by his own teammate was the part he could not let go.

Webb Does Not Hide It

Webb was still visibly angry when the broadcast got to him. He called the whole thing unfortunate given that the two of them are teammates and training partners. He was careful to say he is all for aggressive racing — Webb has built a career on exactly that — but he felt what he got from Deegan was a straightforward lack of respect. And then he said the sentence that is going to be replayed all week.

That is not a rider venting about a pass. That is a rider announcing what he intends to do with the last race of his season.

The Truck

The cameras followed Webb after the interview. He headed straight for the Star Racing truck, clearly still hot, and off-camera voices could be heard calling out that they were fighting. What was actually said behind those doors is not known — nobody involved has said — but the volume was not in dispute. A factory team with a championship live on the final weekend does not usually want its two headline riders shouting at each other in the hospitality unit.

Why It Cuts Deeper Than a Block Pass

The context is what turns this from a racing incident into a story. Steve Matthes has reported that Webb is moving to Team Tedder on a Husqvarna for 2027. Webb has not confirmed it and there has been no official announcement from any party — treat it as reporting, not fact. But everyone in the paddock is operating as if it is true, which is the part that matters here.

If Webb is on his way out, then Saturday was close to the end of his time in that truck. Deegan and Cole Davies are the team's future; Webb is the guy whose gear is coming off the wall in a few weeks. A move that would be filed under "hard racing between teammates" in February reads very differently in September when one of the two teammates already has one foot out the door. Webb's own framing — "one more race with this team" — says he knows exactly where he stands.

It is also worth saying the obvious about Deegan: he is not built to concede positions to anyone, including people in the same color gear. That has been true since he turned pro and it is a real part of why he wins. It does not become a different trait because the rider in front of him has the same sponsor decals.

One Round Left

The SMX World Championship Final is next weekend. Deegan is squarely in the title fight. Webb, roughly 20 points off the points lead after Carson, has publicly stated that his goal now includes making sure his teammate does not lift that trophy. Both of them will line up on the same gate, under the same awning, with a team manager who has to figure out what to say Saturday morning.

Whatever else the Final is, it is must-watch. Read our full recap of SMX Playoff 2 for how the rest of the night played out.