The AMA Pro Motocross Championship points leader, Chase Sexton has been on a roll this second half of the summer. Since the second moto at Southwick, he was on a seven moto win streak, although it ended the first moto at Unadilla MX when Hunter Lawrence took the moto win in a hard-fought battle. Aaron Plessinger pulled the holeshot in moto one, but Lawrence made quick work of him. Once Sexton got around Plessinger and into second, he closed the gap but was not able to make a pass stick. Even if Sexton seemed faster everywhere else on the track, Lawrence was faster in “The Wall” section which helped buffer his lead every lap.
Chase spoke about following Hunter so closely that first moto, and having to regroup between motos, during the post-race press conference:
“Just try and get a clear mind," Sexton said. "Riding behind Hunter, it is really hard on this track when you are behind somebody to pick where you’re at for line choices. The ruts are so skinny and very hard so if you get off balance you obviously make mistakes, so when someone is in front of you it's hard to really charge and make clear choices. So, for me, I just made a few mistakes first moto, I think a lot of people made a lot of mistakes today the way track was and to me it was really fast and kind of a little bit sketchy. So, I tried to just clear that out of my head so I can go out there the second moto and attack and try to bring it home.”
Not letting a loss get to you and being able to regroup and learn from first moto mistakes is key for any championship hopeful. The other thing champions do is work hard when others are taking a break, even when they are already winning.
“Yeah, I mean, I'm just trying to get better even though the season's been going well, you can never get too comfortable," Sexton said. "And for me, I really strive to get better every week and every race. So, we took some time off during the break. But overall, I really worked on my speed and trying to get a little bit more snappy and aggressive and first moto it was good. Hunter and I went back and forth a few times. He obviously got the better of me and I knew I had to be better. I rode pretty well but not as fluid as I wanted to be. And the second one, I really try to just ride more like myself and be more free on the bike. And that seems to be kind of the tale for me this year and the second one was, not way better, but I was just more like broken in and felt more free and had more fun. So, after the first one I just tried to go back, and I was really bad on The Wall up the hill, and I just tried to fix that for a second moto and see what I can do.”
One thing that really helped Sexton the second moto was pulling his first holeshot of the season. Starts have eluded Sexton all summer, and he has always had to pass his way into the lead.
“Yeah, to be honest, I was just really excited to get a holeshot," he laughed in the press conference. "I haven’t pulled a holeshot all summer. Today we made some adjustments to the bike for the start, and it really paid off. My first one was good. The second one was even better, and I just wanted to sprint when the track was really good and just try to capitalize on getting a good start and show my sprint speed. I've been working on it a lot in the last three weeks, with Tom [Vialle] and I kind of want to show that and just try to get a gap. So, I felt really good at the beginning and then with a track like this, you have to be really on your toes the whole moto and not slack off too much but not override because it can bite you. Obviously, we saw that a lot today. So, yeah, it was a fine line of how much you could push, but I was just trying to stay steady. Had fun. I had a really good first moto, I felt solid the whole time. I made some bike changes for moto two and I told my mechanic after the site lap, 'I feel good this moto, I'm ready to go.”'So, had fun, it was good. Got to battle with Hunter and overall, a good day.”
The most surprising part about Chase’s second moto start is who he got the starting tips from. A true champion is willing to learn from anyone, and Chase admitted he took starting advice from none-other than Phil Nicoletti, who always has great starts, even without a factory bike.
“You know, who actually gave this idea and you're gonna not believe this, is Phil," Sexton said. "I'm not joking. We are sitting at Millville and I'm like, ‘Phil, how do you get such good starts?’ And he went on and on about his starts and then he’s like, ‘You know what, I think your problem is something to do with your clutch.’ And I'm like, ‘I’m going to ask the team about that.”’
Ironically, Nicoletti's second moto start was not good as he wheelied out of the gates. The gate didn't drop for an unusually long time for Moto 2, and Phil's clutch started to get hot his bike started to creep forward. So, while Sexton holeshot, Phi was in the back. Poor Phil, as per usual.
Even though Chase Sexton has three supercross championships (two 250 and one on the 450), he has not yet won a Pro Motocross championship. He did come close in 2022, battling the entire season with Eli Tomac, but he could not deliver at the last round. This year, Sexton is working hard to not put himself in a “winner take all” situation. He currently has a 28-point lead with two rounds to go. He is feeling comfortable on his Red Bull KTM and is making all the right moves a champion should make. Working on his mental game, always trying to improve and willing to learn from anyone. These are all qualities of a champion.
