Image: Octopi Media.

Navigating the soft, rutted track inside Lucas Oil Stadium, Chase Sexton and Hunter Lawrence delivered a familiar Team Honda HRC sweep of qualifying for the 2023 Monster Energy Supercross visit to Indianapolis.

First to produce a 45s lap, Sexton extended his 2023 450SX qualifying prowess to Indianapolis by a narrow margin over Progressive Insurance Ecstar Suzuki rider Ken Roczen.

Sexton’s 45.215s lap put his Honda CRF450R 0.12s clear of Roczen’s best time in Q2, backing up chart-topping speed from Sexton in the first qualifying outing earlier.

Justin Barcia (TLD Red Bull GasGas), Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing), Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM), and Christian Craig (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna) were the only other riders to contribute 45s lap times to the timesheet on the quickly fading track characterized by constant ruts.

At 0.872s back from Sexton, Monster Energy Kawasaki’s returning rider Adam Cianciarulo placed eighth in the second session, just Team Tedder Monster Energy Mountain Motorsports.

In preparation for his second consecutive 450SX outing, Craig’s Husqvarna stablemate RJ Hampshire was 15th, while Fire Power Honda’s veteran rider Dean Wilson notably was only quick enough for 19th.

Image: Octopi Media.

Immediately preceding the final 450SX qualifying outing, Hunter Lawrence dominated the second 250SX East session, getting around the problematic circuit a full 0.545s quicker than Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Jordon Smith.

Seven-tenths of Lawrence’s 46.06s time, Nate Thrasher added a second Star Racing-prepared Yamaha YZ250F to the top three. Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s fill-in Chris Blose and Muc-Off FXR ClubMX Yamaha rider Jeremy Martin completed the top five.

Returning to the track after reaching the podium a week ago at Daytona International Speedway, Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing rookie Haiden Deegan was sixth. Tom Vialle was seventh for Red Bull KTM, while Devin Simonson and AJ Catanzaro benefitted from superior track conditions in the B-group session to land eighth and ninth overall entering the night program.

Max Anstie will look to follow up his second-place outing in Daytona with another strong result in Indianapolis but will have to spring from a 10th-place qualifying position to do so.

Detailed results