These are the words from Chase Sexton after he landed at podium at the season-opening Anaheim round of Monster Energy AMA Supercross.
“A couple of weeks ago if you had seen me, you would have said, 'This guy is not doing good at A1.'"
The off-season was filled with rumors of Sexton not jiving with his new Red Bull KTM, and indeed the supercross season followed an up and down ride of two steps forward and one step back on a semi-weekly basis. They never really seemed truly dialed in, and not even just measured against the juggernaut that is Jett Lawrence. It’s not like Sexton was finishing second to Lawrence every week. This year’s indoor season featured way under par rides, days where he didn’t have speed in qualifying or even in the race. Nights off the podium. Only toward the very end did he find something, actually going really fast (but crashing) in Denver, and then winning the final race of the year in Salt Lake City. He was on pace from the start of Pro Motocross, and now with Jett out with injury, we’re hearing words from Sexton that seemed impossible to imagine after so many months of frustration to start the season.
“I would say it's (motocross) been a lot easier,” Sexton said. “There were some dark times in supercross for me. I was struggling really bad. I was having weird crashes in the whoops during the week and get myself hurt. I immediately, when I got on outdoors, I felt like I had a better feeling and the bike maybe not suits me better for outdoors, but it feels more comfortable. So I knew I was gonna be better this year than I was last year. I just didn't really know how much better. It's, it's been really fun. I haven't really touched my bike a lot, a few tweaks here and there. But my riding I feel like has been a lot more calm, a lot more stable and more centered in the bike for me at least. And that's helped me a lot to kind of minimize those mistakes. So hopefully keep that going.”
So many weeks and months of Sexton not happy. So many stories and rumors of rough test days. Even Ricky Carmichael wondering out loud why Sexton didn’t sign with Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing instead. As Sexton admits, there were dark times. Yet, in July, he’s the hottest rider in the game, and let’s not forget, again, he was battling Jett in motocross before Jett exited. Would he be sitting on an easy-looking seven moto win streak if Jett was still around? Probably not. That's the stuff that can only be figure out in bench racing circles. Is Sexton way, way better than he was a few months ago? That is a fact.
It sure didn’t seem like Sexton would be here in July when you see what was happening in March. Long seasons, man. Long seasons.
Go look at the FIM Motocross World Championship (MXGP) right now. Sexton’s Red Bull KTM 450 counterpart over there, Jeffrey Herlings, started the season well off of former glory, admitting many times, with staggering honesty, that he didn’t have the pace of the leaders. Watching Jorge Prado walk away with dominance early in the season, it created an easy narrative. Prado was now the guy, and former champs Herlings and Tim Gajser had been relegated down a peg.
MXGP, though, runs one giant season, with 20 rounds, each consisting of two motos plus a RAM Qualifying race that pays points. Herling’s famously drew the road map when he mentioned 57 remaining motos to go after a rough season opener.
“Just a terrible weekend result wise with P8, the track was unbelievable sketchy, I saw many riders go off on stretchers, and I didn’t take any risk and just wanted to go home safe as there are 57 moto’s to go. But we definitely have plenty of work to do to be fighting for podium spots.”
From then, back in March, to now, and guess what….Herlings is making a case for his old FMOP role again. He went 1-1 last time out in Lombok, then won the first moto over the weekend in Czech Republic. Moto two, he started last, then went down TWICE on the first lap, then crashed AGAIN, and yet still had third in his sights on the final lap of the race. Take his two first lap crashes down to maybe just one, and he’s threatening a worst-to-first, just like Sexton at Hangtown.
“I felt like my old self from a few years ago today,” Herlings told Geoff Meyer. Next up comes Lommel, a track where Herlings often logs legendary rides. He might just show a level that had seemed lost for him. To put it simply, he might be fully…back.
"I have missed maybe two or three seasons in total, due to injuries," Herlings said. "[In] 2022, a full year out, 2023 half a year out. That is also why at the beginning of the year I was a bit off, because, it takes time to get the race rhythm, also Tim [Gajser, now leading MXGP points] took a few races to get going [due to being out all of 2023 with a broken leg], also Jorge [Prado] when he was injured, it took him time to come back and it takes time to come back from a major injury. I am looking forward to the rest of the races."
Contrast Sexton and Herlings from when their seasons began, and how they feel now, it seems like such a drastic and sudden change. Yet, when you realize how many months and how much racing has transpired, then this is not quite so sudden. Considering the riders we're talking about, and their ceiling for talent and speed, and it's definitely not so shocking, either.
