Chase Sexton secured the AMA Pro Motocross 450 title this weekend, and he couldn’t have confirmed it more positively: he won both heats at the Ironman National to give Hunter Lawrence no chance. The Illinois rider secured victory in the championship after the first race and confirmed his dominance with another win in the second.
The start of the first heat was marked by a collision between Vincent Luhovey and Dylan Ferrandis in the first corner, allowing Phil Nicoletti, Lawrence and Aaron Plessinger to take the top positions. Plessinger overtook Lawrence and took the lead, but soon after it was Sexton who made the decisive overtake to lead the race, pulling away from the rest of the chasing pack along with Plessinger, Eli Tomac and Lawrence.
Sexton won the first race and immediately secured the much-desired title before the last race of the championship, which would serve as his “only” consecration.
But even the title he had already secured didn’t make Sexton relax, as he retook the lead from the start, sealing the championship with a flawless victory. Plessinger maintained his consistency and finished second, followed by Eli Tomac, who completed the podium after an impressive recovery to third place. Justin Cooper and Jason Anderson rounded out the top five, while Lawrence finished sixth. Phil Nicoletti, in his last full race in Pro Motocross, finished eighth.
The 1-1- was the icing on the cake for Sexton, who ends up the winner. Plessinger (2-2) and Tomac (4-3) completed the overall podium with strong displays.