CHASE SEXTON - GRIT 244 450SX

GRIT-244 |450 SX

May 20, 2024 9:45 am

The rider aboard the KTM machine was relentless in his charge to the front on Saturday, beginning with the opening main event where took the fifth-place position with authority before advancing to the rear wheel of Cooper Webb. Though passed by Webb in the early going, he followed the Yamaha rider around Jason Anderson...as laps would progress and the Kawasaki rider began to fade. Showing a defensive tactic of sorts, the Illinois native quickly capitalized on the error(s) in which Anderson was revealing - inheriting fourth with around three minutes of action left to complete. He moved to third after the crash from Cooper Webb, and would manage to defend the position from Eli Tomac as the checkered flag was eventually thrown. For round two, Sexton would complete the first full lap of action in sixth; behind Justin Barcia and ahead of Cooper Webb. He resided there for a significant portion of time, before inheriting the fifth-place standing on lap five and remaining engaged with the pace around him...though Cooper had actually passed him in the meantime, putting the Yamaha athlete within the foreground of his vision. Both he and Webb were reeling-in Anderson, but somehow within that process, Sexton was able to stay upright after being slammed by Justin Barcia! The collision would jolt the bars of the Illinois native per se, but he remained completely intact with the motorcycle while (again) lessening the distance between he and Cooper Webb. Aaron Plessinger was definitively behind Sexton, along with Eli Tomac, but the aforementioned Kawasaki rider was still ahead within the third-place residency...that was, until lap ten; when Sexton took the bronze medal registry once and for all (passing Webb in the long rhythm lane). From that point onward, third-place was his for the taking, concluding the moto here while staying within the fight for a solid overall score. For the third moto, Sexton's start was just behind Ken Roczen and Jett Lawrence. This was the battle that the fans wanted, with all three displaying remarkable aptitude on this constantly evolving circuit. Chase remained stealth-like in the background, while the other two competitors quarreled for the lead...until just underneath the six minute mark, when Chase nearly overtook the runner-up position by leaping to the inside of the longest rhythm lane. Jett would shut the door, but the charge was indicative of the confidence Sexton possessed - which was the foundation for a pass to be made on Ken Roczen (for second) in the corner before the "SX" triple. Less than a minute remained, and with Sexton's polished technique through the sand, where he stood around the right-handed bend, the number one eventually powered to the finish-line for a final moto standing of second - granting him third overall, as all would cease.

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