CHASE SEXTON | GRIT-213 | 450SX

CHASE SEXTON | GRIT-213 | SX 450

Once again presenting the case for being one of, if not the, "Fastest" rider in the 450cc division, Illinois' Chase Sexton would exhibit an outpouring of excitement (and speed) for all to see as practice began on Saturday. His subtle techniques of shaving airtime and rolling through the corners wouldn't go unnoticed, and were reflected with the pole position being clenched as day-time qualifying concluded. This would set the stage for heat two, where the Honda rider did his best to generate an immaculate clutch release and shifting points as he dashed into turn number-one. Seeing that of Ken Roczen out front, Sexton would battle with Aaron Plessinger for second while zeroing-in on the Suzuki rider atop the leaderboard. Continuously looking for advantages and means of advancement to the rear wheel of the German rider, Sexton would find a definitive faster line when leaping through the rhythm section after the largest double, with only a few laps remaining. He would wheelie over the first single, and conduct a large double just after, before quading and tripling into the corner that followed! It was a pattern that couldn't be ignored by Roczen, who he passed and sped away from on lap five. From that point forward, it was Sexton's race to lose; but the Honda rider proceeded to display perfection as he sped toward the finish-line, taking the win with flying colors. The main event was next, where the perseverance of Sexton trumped all other attributes throughout the finalé. He took the green flag in seventh, and would march through the field with calculation; as the entirety of championship contenders were in front of him, blazing a trail that was hard to ignore. But Sexton wouldn't become discouraged, picking off Ken Roczen and Adam Cianciarulo who'd began to fade. This would push him to fifth, right around Justin Barcia (who was riding aggressively) in a line of defense as they both riders closed in on the top three. He'd move past Tomac as the field completed lap eight, taking advantage of the number one's mistake(s) while staying as close to the rear wheel of the GasGas rider as possible. It was then Cooper Webb who was slated to be overtaken, where Sexton pushed past the KTM combatant (in the right-handed corner, before the last rhythm lane on the circuit) while forcing the North Carolina native to the outside with just under eleven minutes on the clock. Now Sexton would eye Barcia, who he passed on the outside as they both skimmed the whoop section on the following lap! Residing in second (despite Barcia countering with multiple blatant passing attempts), many who were watching believed the gap that Aaron Plessinger had accrued (over seven-seconds), would be far too much for Sexton to overcome. Yet the Honda rider was resilient, and managed to close the gap to under four-seconds as the final few laps came to fruition. And it was in the latter three circuits, where chaos would erupt...as Aaron Plessinger had crashed, and handed Sexton the lead! Now with the reigns of the field, Sexton remained composed with only seconds to go; taking an outright victory, and seeming to gain a significant sum of points prior to heading into round eleven of the series. However, after officials would examine an incident during the middle of the moto (which was easy to go unnoticed within all of the action), it was found that Chase had doubled the largest obstacle (in the middle of the circuit) while under a red cross/medical flag designation. This would lead to a furthered gap being built over Cooper Webb at the time, as they attempted to track-down Aaron Plessinger. And as a result, Sexton would still be granted with the victory, though docked seven points (for a total of nineteen) as the case was settled hours, after the event had concluded.

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