Image: Octopi Media.

National number two Chase Sexton has welcomed the Pro Motocross continuation of defending champion Eli Tomac, the 450MX runner-up from last year motivated at the prospect of competing against his title-rival once again in 2023.

Following increased speculation, Tomac confirmed that his competitive tenure will extend beyond Monster Energy Supercross this season, his revelation confirming he will line-up in both Pro Motocross and the SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) finals series at the end of the year.

It also paves the way for another spectacular 450MX title fight, with Sexton and Tomac last trading blows in what will go down as one of the hardest-fought Pro Motocross seasons, with the pair ultimately separated by seven points after the title went down the wire in moto two at Fox Raceway.

“I’m excited, it’s going to be fun,” Sexton said. “There are so many other guys that are good, but it’s cool to see [Eli] keep racing. Obviously, he’s not getting worse [laughs] – I feel like he’s getting better and better. It’ll be fun, we’ll also have Cooper [Webb] and all the other guys out there too, I’m excited.”

However, before the Pro Motocross season commences there are 10 rounds of Monster Energy Supercross remaining, continuing at the Daytona this Saturday which Tomac approaches with a two-point red plate advantage ahead of Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), while Sexton sits only five points from the 450SX lead.