A hard-fought second-place result was earned by Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Chase Sexton in Seattle for the 11th round of the 2024 AMA Supercross Championship, the defending champion taking the 450SX Main Event down to the wire as the checkered flag flew.
Chase Sexton was fast from the outset in technical conditions on his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION at Lumen Field, Seattle, fourth fastest in qualifying and then claiming P3 in Heat 1 after leading his share of laps. From there he also led a large portion of the Main Event, fighting all the way to the finish and coming up short of victory by only 0.592s.
Chase Sexton: “Overall, minus a few mistakes, I rode a really good race and came back towards the end – I had really good speed tonight in these gnarly conditions. This weekend definitely showed signs of improvement. These last two weekends I’ve built back some of that confidence I’ve needed, we made some bike changes before the Heat race and it was a direction I’ve been chasing for a while. I’m thankful for the team I have behind me and we’ll keep grinding. We’re climbing that ladder.”
Premier class teammate Aaron Plessinger was once again competitive in the soft, rutty conditions, qualifying in eighth position and then claiming second place in Heat 2 following a fast start. He carried that momentum into the Main Event, climbing from 10th position at the end of the opening lap to P4 in the end, only narrowly outside of a podium result.
Aaron Plessinger: “Seattle was the best race I’ve had in a month and probably one of the better races I’ve had this year. In my mind, I should have gotten on the podium. My start was decent and I went backward in the first couple of laps, but started riding well around lap three or four. I got within a second of Jett [Lawrence] at the end, but couldn’t quite seal the deal for third. It was good, I needed that result to get back into the flow, and everything’s positive, so I’m looking forward to St. Louis and another Triple Crown!”
Seattle saw the 250SX West region return to action following an extended break, where Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Julien Beaumer continued his rookie season onboard the KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION. He was a convincing third in his Heat, and then factored at the front of the pack early in the Main Event, before eventually finishing in seventh position.
Julien Beaumer: “It was a good day here in Seattle. The morning started out a little rough, just didn’t feel like myself, and then I managed to turn it around for the night show. I felt better each time out and then really figured the track out for the Main. I’m not satisfied yet though, I definitely have more in the tank, so we’ll get back to work this week and come out swinging in St. Louis.”
Next Race: March 30 – St. Louis, Missouri
Results 450SX Class – Seattle
1. Cooper Webb (USA), Yamaha
2. Chase Sexton (USA), KTM
3. Jett Lawrence (AUS), Honda
4. Aaron Plessinger (USA), KTM
9. Justin Barcia (USA), GASGAS
11. Malcolm Stewart (USA), Husqvarna
Standings 450SX Class 2024 after 11 of 17 rounds
1. Jett Lawrence, 230 points
2. Cooper Webb, 214
3. Chase Sexton, 207
6. Aaron Plessinger, 162
9. Justin Barcia, 122
10. Malcolm Stewart, 115
Results 250SX West Class – Seattle
1. Levi Kitchen (USA), Kawasaki
2. RJ Hampshire (USA), Husqvarna
3. Jo Shimoda (JPN), Honda
7. Julien Beaumer (USA), KTM
13. Ryder DiFrancesco (USA), GASGAS
Standings 250SX West Class 2024 after 6 of 10 rounds
1. Levi Kitchen, 131 points
2. RJ Hampshire, 123
3. Jordon Smith, 110
7. Julien Beaumer, 78
14. Ryder DiFrancesco, 51
