race recap
CHASE SEXTON | GRIT-211 | 450SX
March 6, 2023 · Chase Sexton
CHASE SEXTON | GRIT-211 | SX 450
The speed of Illinois Chase Sexton was unquestionable, and one of the highest tier; which had many enthusiasts betting on his success, as round eight of the 2023 Monster Energy Supercross Championship came to fruition. His speed within the outdoor series (which this layout resembled) was unquestionable; and rose to relevance one more as practice was underway, after the noon hour. He was flying in all facets, charging through sections that were already battered and beaten, proving that his speed would be sustainable as the track deteriorated throughout the evening. This translated to his heat race, though an uncharacteristic lack of urgency appeared to come out on behalf of the number twenty-three. RJ Hampshire, Cooper Webb, and Jason Anderson were all ahead of him; creating an unprecedented scenario of sorts, compared to what we were used to seeing. And it wasn't as if they were holding up Sexton, as laps progressed and he remained in the fourth-position (after moving around Christian Craig), as well. However with only a few minutes remaining, Sexton saw an opportunity to push Anderson to the outside while passing for third. Which was completed with precision as he funneled into the line of fire, just behind RJ Hampshire and Cooper Webb. Though unable to make his way around the top two competitors, Sexton would leave the heat race with third-place in hand. Hoping to capitalize on his mistakes for the main event, Chase began third with his two biggest rivals (i.e. Webb and Tomac) leading the field around just ahead. He remained calculated, despite his adversaries inching away over the period of the first few laps. This would precede a lapse of focus occurring on behalf of Chase, who became off-balanced when entering into the brief sector of jumps before the "SX" triple. The uneven weight distribution would have him leaping to the right, where Justin Barcia would reside...and instantly forced Barcia off-track! Unfazed by what occurred, Sexton continued to chip away at the lead that Webb and Tomac had created. But, another mistake then arose; when he stalled the motorcycle in the elevated corner, and tried to re-fire the engine while simultaneously scurrying away. This led to another brute impact with Barcia, who leapt from the top of the platform and into the same inside line that Sexton desired! Justin subsequently crashed to the ground, but Chase would retain third, now with a bit of a gap over Barcia and Anderson who trailed. Hanging onto the final podium registry from that point forward, Sexton appeared thankful to walk away unscathed while obtaining a solid sum of points in the 2023 championship fight.