Image: Supplied.

Two-time 250SX East champion Chase Sexton’s move into the 450 class will benefit from having a ‘brutally honest’ James Stewart as his coach once again in 2021.

Signed to Team Honda HRC prior to last year’s outdoors, Sexton impressed in Pro Motocross and will look to carry that momentum into Monster Energy Supercross.

Sexton, 21, has been working with Stewart since Salt Lake City last year, training at the Stewart Compound in Florida and being guided by the two-time 450SX championship winner. Bike settings, in particular, have been a major component of having Stewart in his corner while developing the new CRF450R.

“It’s not so much pressure, but James does draw a lot of attention,” Sexton admitted in the lead-up to H1. “For me, he’s been a really big help so far. I mean, I had him outdoors and he helped a lot with bike set-up, which is a big thing in the 450 class.

“Doing it so long, he’s helped me a lot with that and probably played the biggest role in helping me to set up my bike. He’s pretty brutally honest, so he calls it how it is and sees me ride every day – he kind of knows where these guys are at.

“I’m excited, he will be at Houston and we’re just going to take it race by race. I just want to be consistent, put myself in good positions, get good starts and let my riding do the talking. We’ll see where we’re at because no-one knows, so I’m ready to go.”

Stewart had been largely absent from the spotlight since stepping away during 2016, before forming a relationship with Feld Entertainment in 2020 and more recently joining forces with Sexton as he steps up to the premier category full-time.