Ryan Villopoto is back with Ricky Carmichael to break down a wild night in Denver, including Haiden Deegan’s pass on Cole Davies and if it is time for a 450, Chase Sexton’s pass on Cooper Webb, the cross rut that sparked a victory, team tactics, fixing safety by changing the bike, and preview of Championship Saturday in Salt Lake.
Ryan Villopoto and Ricky Carmichael gave their take on Hayden Deegan’s aggressive pass on teammate Cole Davies, which helped Deegan clinch the 250 West title. Villopoto said, “I don’t like what I saw… but Cole left it completely open,” and added, “If it wasn’t his teammate, I’m 100% okay with that pass.” He understood the pressure with the East-West showdown coming, saying, “There’s so much chaos that can happen.”
Carmichael agreed: “Do I condone that kind of riding? No… but I understand what was at stake.” He noted the risks of waiting another week: “You could get hurt, your bike could blow up.”
Both agreed the pass wasn’t overly dirty, but the fact that it was on a teammate made it uncomfortable. Carmichael put it clearly: “I’m not promoting what happened — but I understand it.”
