Chase Sexton | Full-Time 450 Rider
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PHOTOS | Antonovich (SX) & Cudby (450)
VIDEOS | Curtis & Honda
There’s always hype when a 250 Class champion grows up, but Chase Sexton’s move to the 450 Class seems to be getting even more attention than usual. And rightly so. The last two years have been a whirlwind for the young rider, which started when he outlasted Austin Forkner for the 250 East Coast Supercross title in 2019, showed speed in the outdoor Nationals but was held back by issues with the heat after a hard moto at round four in Florida, signed a multi-year contract with Team Honda HRC, and defended his status as the top rider in the 250 East Coast region, if not the division as a whole.
Sexton heard plenty of criticism for how “he lucked into” last year’s championship, especially after the way he was bullied by Forkner in the early part of the season, all of that which used as motivation during the offseason and against the competition this year. Winning five of the nine Main Events the East region ran during the 2020 Monster Energy Supercross Series, plus the 250 East-West Showdown at the finale, was irrefutable proof that he was the fastest rider of the small-bore division. But what might be more impressive about Sexton’s success was the way he rose to the challenge on different occasions, particularly during the Utah rounds that completed the schedule.
Two wins during the first part of the season (Arlington and Atlanta) meant Sexton had control of the championship when racing resumed in Utah, but a pair of victories by Shane McElrath early in the return and an early race crash then charge to a fourth-place finish by Sexton at SLC Two was enough to tie them in points for the third race in Utah. Sexton’s emotions were on clear display after his “poor result,” as he kept his head down on the handlebars until the TV crew told him it was time to talk, gave a short and frustrated post-race interview, and rode out of the stadium. Beating McElrath at the third SLC race was the only way to shift the series back into Sexton’s favor and the two showed up that Sunday ready to battle.
The tension between the two intensified during the muddy Main Event at SLC Three when Sexton nabbed the holeshot, got forced off the track in the second turn by McElrath, jumped into Enzo Lopes on in the opening lap, and remounted near the bottom of the running order while McElrath was in the lead. Things looked bleak for Sexton at the time, but the red flag and complete restart was an unexpected second chance he took full advantage of. The title rivals were one-two during the second attempt, with McElrath in first and Sexton in second, until McElrath’s run-in with a lapped rider put him on the ground and allowed Sexton to go on to the race win. This was a major moment for Sexton, as he built a three-point gap on McElrath that was never relinquished.
The SLC Seven race was a test of maturity and mental toughness for Sexton, as he was under constant attack by McElrath. They found each other during the Timed Qualifying sessions, which Sexton saw as interference to keep him from posting his fastest possible laps, and then ran at the front of the pack during the 250 East Coast Heat Race. McElrath went on to win the short moto after a poor start put Sexton in a stressful situation; his frantic ride was rewarded with a second-place finish even after an unnecessary risk caused him to crash into Colt Nichols on the final lap. The challenges continued in the 250 East-West Showdown, as the now-bitter rivals had a disagreement over a spot on the starting line and an issue with a holeshot device put Sexton further back in the running order than he would have liked during the early laps, but he was again saved by a red flag and complete restart.
Sexton’s strategy for the second start was clear: don’t allow McElrath an opportunity for a takeout. The two got to the front of the pack and exchanged passes for positions with each other, with Sexton even slowing to allow McElrath to go by. A second-place finish was going to be enough for Sexton to secure the title, but when McElrath missed the fast line through a rhythm section, Sexton made the deciding pass. After running a swift pace for a few laps, Sexton built a sizeable lead and ran unchallenged to the checkered flag, the final win of his 250 career, and his second straight SX title. A protest by Star Racing over suspected use of improper fuel by the GEICO Hond team caused some turmoil after the race, but Sexton wasn’t fazed by the matter, because his attention was already on the 450 Class.
Team Honda HRC and Sexton wasted no time getting on the CRF450R. A few shakedown rides earlier in the year, including a day on the bike before the Daytona Supercross and two weeks of riding during the COVID-caused pause, helped the rider get comfortable and allowed the team a chance to size up their hire. The close working relationship between Team Honda HRC and GEICO Honda has been a major help in the transition and they’ve side-stepped the usual “getting to know each other” vibe that most initial test days have. Jade Dungey, Sexton’s mechanic during both title runs, has been hired by the factory team to look after the CRF450R while “new” teammate Ken Roczen has already been Sexton’s training partner for years. Since Sexton is still technically a GEICO Honda rider, he’ll stay in the SHIFT gear/Fox Racing boots-helmet/100% goggles gear with the necessary sponsor logos.
“Everyone is wondering why I’m switching halfway through the year. I think me going to the 450 Class for the outdoors is a little bit less of a change than doing a 17-round Supercross championship,” Sexton shared in his SML Show interview. “I’m really looking forward to it and I think that it’s going to be good for me, racing these outdoor races and kind of getting my feet wet so I can go to Supercross next year and try to improve.”
“I feel like the bike means a lot in the 450 Class because everyone is really good. I feel like the Honda is a good bike and we have a new one coming to us next season, so I’m really looking forward to that,” Sexton mentioned of a redesign CRF450R that was debuted by Team HRC Tim Gajser and Mitch Evans earlier this year. “My riding style is made for the 450 because I’m not really erratic. Being able to ride like I want to, I feel really good on the bike and it’s easier to ride.”
“The 250 was hard because I had to try so hard on it. Now I can kind of relax, but it is a lot more weight and a lot more power,” he continued. “I think it will depend on the track, too. At Indiana, where it’s not so much about horsepower and more about being smooth, I think it will be easier. But then tracks like Southwick, which is rough and has big bumps, it’ll wear me down. Tracks that are more technical I think will be easier to ride and it’ll come down to the track and bike setup, having it where it won’t beat you up for 35-minutes.”
Sexton knows that the move to the 450 Class means he’ll be one of many past champions, many of whom have already established “best in the history of the sport” legacies, but it’s a challenge he seems up for. “I don’t know how fast they really are until I go racing with them,” he admits. “I know how fast Kenny rides and how everyone is on a practice day, but going racing, I really don’t know. I have a lot of confidence on the 450 and I think that if I get a good start, I think I could run with those top guys. But coming through the pack is going to be a lot harder… I want to try and get good starts and run up front as much as I can. By the end of the season I want to be on the podium and contending for race wins. I think that’s where I belong.”
One major detail to Sexton’s program has recently come to light: James Stewart has stepped in and taken an advisory role, his first significant involvement in motocross since stepping away from racing. “I think James wanted to work with people, he had a select few, and I was one of them. I knew Roger (Larsen, Seven MX Brand Manager and close friend of Stewart) and that came together pretty easy. When the coronavirus hit, I met James and played golf with him, which was kind of nerve-racking,” Sexton shared. “I met once at Tampa and he’s a legend, so to go the golf course and playing with him, he’s pretty good, too. I was blown away with how down to earth he is, especially with how good he was, but he is the coolest guy and you don’t hear about him because he keeps to himself.
“After we played golf, I went to his place and rode the 450 and he came out to the track. We went back to the Moto Sandbox and he came out almost every day so we could work on some stuff. I think it paid off and it’s been fun,” he continued. “I call him after every race. After that first race, he kind of laid into me, because I basically ‘trail rode’ behind Shane the whole race and James was not very happy. He said before the third race, in the mud, that if I didn’t win I had to babysit his kids. It’s cool and to have his experience is the biggest thing for me. It’s why the partnership came together because with the 450 he is going to have a lot more experience and intel than me. I’m really looking forward to building our relationship because it’s only been two or three months.”
Sexton said that Stewart’s advice played a role in his riding at the Supercross finale, as it helped him to expect and counter McElrath’s on-track tactics. “James helped me a lot with deciding when to attack. Fifteen minutes, yeah you want to go fast the whole time, but there are also parts when you need to sprint, then back off, then sprint. It’s a chess game,” Sexton stated.
The success that Sexton has accomplished in the last two years completely overshadows the mistakes and setbacks that struck at different points in his career. No one thinks about the broken wrists and snapped femur that he suffered in 2017, which was supposed to be his rookie year, or even the broken collarbone in December 2019 that led to a last-minute change in coasts (Sexton was supposed to race the West Coast region as a way to gain race experience until the injury forced an unplanned title defense). Instead, he’s viewed as a two-time 250 Class champion and a future contender in the 450 Class. Will he progress as quickly in the premier division? We’ll see soon enough.
