The illnesses that usually run rampant through the paddock in the winter rounds of Monster Energy AMA Supercross have caught up to another rider, as Red Bull KTM's Chase Sexton, eager to avenge a costly early crash in last weekend's race, couldn't quite get back to the podium at Anaheim 2. Sexton, who won Anaheim 1 at the same stadium two weeks ago, had to settle for fourth.
Sexton was in a huge battle the whole way, following Ken Roczen through traffic to arrive near the podium spots. He could never get close enough to Roczen to make a pass, then later go to the rear wheel of Jason Anderson on the final lap. Sexton dug deep but couldn't make that pass, either,
"Anaheim 2 was a bit of a struggle," said Sexton in a KTM statement. "I had to rest from Tuesday until yesterday as I’ve been sick this week, but I was able to come out and ride as well as I could today. I didn’t feel 100 percent, so it was good that I was able to push through. I rode pretty well in the Main Event – it obviously wasn’t the result we wanted, but fourth was okay to salvage what I could. I’ll continue to work on getting healthy again and get ready for the Triple Crown next week."
Sexton's teammate Aaron Plessinger had a worse night. After crashing out of last weekend's race, Plessinger crashed into Dylan Ferrandis early in this one and damaged his throttle beyond repair.
“Anaheim 2 was going good all day, right up until the Main Event," said Plessinger. in a KTM statement. "I got a decent start, but I think I tried to force the issue a little too soon and ended up missing the rear brake jumping into a turn. My throttle got caught in his rear wheel and caused some damage, unfortunately ending my night. We’ve made some improvements to my bike settings, I’m healthy, and looking forward to the next round now."
Main photo courtesy KTM Images
Anaheim 2 - 450SX Main Event
January 26, 2025Rider | Time | Interval | Best Lap | Hometown | Bike | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() Jett Lawrence | 22 laps | 1:00.053 | Landsborough, Australia ![]() | Honda | |
2 | ![]() | 2.496 | 1:00.075 | Mattstedt, Germany ![]() | Suzuki | |
3 | ![]() | 1.358 | 1:00.545 | Edgewood, NM ![]() | Kawasaki | |
4 | ![]() | 1.729 | 1:00.157 | La Moille, IL ![]() | KTM | |
5 | ![]() Hunter Lawrence | 4.541 | 1:00.292 | Landsborough, Australia ![]() | Honda |
Position | Rider | Hometown | Points |
---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() | Newport, NC ![]() | 168 |
2 | ![]() | La Moille, IL ![]() | 158 |
3 | ![]() | Mattstedt, Germany ![]() | 152 |
4 | ![]() | Edgewood, NM ![]() | 125 |
5 | ![]() | Haines City, FL ![]() | 124 |