Historic Ride for Chase Sexton
The Pro Motocross Championship returns to drop the gate for round 2 at the Hangtown Classic. The 450 premiere class is stacked with competition. Jett Lawrence enters round 2 with a 24 moto win streak, seemingly diminishing hope to a majority of his competition to claim that top spot on the podium. There is one rider however that has shown he is not willing to give up, and he showed everyone just that and more in Hangtown.
Moto 1 starts with the Lawrence brothers out front. Something we are getting used to seeing. However it was only about halfway through lap one when Jett Lawrence made a costly mistake... Miscalculating a down hill jump Jett attempts to triple down hill, something he was doing earlier in qualifying. However this time Jett came up way to short to even have the possibility of saving it. He was ejected violently from his bike and crashed laying there on the side of the track. Something no one wants to see, from fans to fellow competitors. Luckily he managed to get back up and finish the race banged up.
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Chase Sexton found himself in 5th place after the start of Moto 1. He worked his was through the pack and found himself battling Hunter Lawrence. After securing the lead Sexton put on the charge the final laps to finish with a 7.9 second gap.
Moto 2 however was a different story. Chase Sexton found himself on the ground after spinning out in the first turn. Quickly picking himself up Sexton now had to battle his way up from 40th place. Meanwhile his Red Bull Factory KTM teammate Aaron Plessinger secures the lead early and leads the pack around the track for what would be a majority of the race. As the crowd cheers follow Plessinger around the track Sexton is a ways back putting on the charge. Passing 35 riders climbing back into the top 5, a feat in itself. With around 5 minutes left Sexton continues making passes. Jett Lawrence, Jason Anderson, Hunter Lawrence, closing on Justin Cooper for 2nd.
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Taking a moment to gather himself, Sexton now realizes that he may still have a chance to take this win. Securing 2nd he now sets his eyes on his teammate Plessinger. Within striking distance and on the final lap with only a few turns to go Sexton makes the move and makes history going from 40th to 1st! Finishing just .999 seconds ahead of Plessinger. Ending the day with a more than impressive 1-1 moto finishes. His first win since the 2022 season and ending the 49 winless drought for the KTM team. The teammates celebrate together on the podium with their 1-2 finish.
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Chase Sexton's win now puts him as the points leader going into round 3. What feels like a bit of a reset, with Jett's 24 win streak now over, it just goes to show how exciting and unpredictable the sport of Motocross really is. Everyone will be going into round 3 with a different mindset and fans will be excited to see if Sexton can keep his momentum going.
