Image: Octopi Media.

After going winless and missing multiple rounds of the 2023 Pro Motocross Championship, Team Honda HRC’s Chase Sexton is determined to improve on what was admittedly a ‘trying’ outdoors campaign.

Sexton went head-to-head last year with eventual championship winner Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing), racking up a total of four overall wins and taking it down to the wire.

The 23-year-old then claimed the premier class title in the Monster Energy Supercross Championship earlier this year and entered 2023 450MX as a favorite to take the crown, until he was injured just days following the opener at Fox Raceway. He’s expected to transfer to Red Bull KTM for his 450SX defence.

A return at RedBud saw him continue to rebuild and he showed that he had the speed to challenge Team Honda HRC rookie teammate Jett Lawrence, but small mistakes at times proved costly for him to land on the top step – as Lawrence raced on to the perfect 22-0 results sheet.

“I feel like I rode good, I really gave it my all,” Sexton explained. “The theme for my outdoor season was never quitting. It was a trying outdoor season, I gave it my all and left it all out of the track, so that’s all I can do and I just have to get better. I can tell you, it stings very bad, but it’s just going to make us better.

“I feel like my riding has been really good. I think people are trying to say that I’m not as good as I was last year, but still think that if you take Jett away, I feel like my riding has been getting better and better. It’s obviously tough to get beat every race in a series, but like I said, I feel like I have improved and I think Jett has just elevated the game.

“I’m going to take that into this off-season and just work my ass off and come out in Supercross and be better. We’ve still got three races left, but I’m ready to strap that Supercross suspension back on because this outdoors series has been tough, so I’m looking forward to it. I’m obviously frustrated, but we’re here to fight another day and looking forward to those SMX races.”

Sexton concluded the season with another 2-2 scorecard at the Ironman National and to his credit he finished second in all but one of the 450MX races he contested this season, the other occasion being moto two at RedBud where he was third.

Attention now shifts to SuperMotocross Finals series, commencing on 9 September at zMAX Dragway. Sexton currently leads the SMX point-standings in the 450 class with 710 points, with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Aaron Plessinger in P2 on 622 and Lawrence on 550 points.