The second half of the 2024 Pro Motocross Championships in the United States got underway on Saturday with the series’ annual visit to the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” and the Spring Creek MX Park.
The FXR Spring Creek National represented round seven of the summer campaign, where high humidity and temperatures in the mid-80’s gave way to late thunderstorms to present arguably the most challenging race conditions of the season.
In the 450 class, Chase Sexton further asserted his ascension to the top of the division with a second straight sweep of the motos, one week after he moved atop the championship standings.
In the 250 class, a season already filled with memorable performances added another as Levi Kitchen broke through for his first career Pro Motocross victory following a 1-1 effort.
The opening moto of the afternoon saw the field emerge from the longest start straight on the schedule with Australian Hunter Lawrence at the head of the pack ahead of Aaron Plessinger and Sexton, with Jason Anderson in fourth. From there the top four settled into their respective positions through the opening 10 minutes.
After biding his time for the opening period of the moto, Sexton started to pick up his intensity and was able to make a pass on Plessinger for second, which put the points leader just a few bike lengths behind Lawrence.
The championship rivals traded momentum, showing strength at different points on the track, which allowed Lawrence to manage a lead hovering around one second.
Their battle heated up at the halfway point, but Lawrence kept Sexton at bay. However, the KTM rider persisted and was able to get a run going up the 500-foot Mount Martin that allowed him to make the pass.
Lawrence battled back, but Sexton completed the pass on the downside of the hill.
Once out front, Sexton built a comfortable gap over Lawrence and the rest of the field, surpassing 10 seconds.
He brought home his sixth moto win of the season, and his fourth in a row, by 10.1 seconds over Lawrence. Plessinger finished solidly in third, while Anderson and Justin Cooper rounded out the top five.
The second and deciding moto got underway with Cooper out front ahead of Lawrence and Anderson, while Sexton narrowly avoided going down and found himself outside the top five.
Cooper withstood early pressure from Lawrence to establish his hold of the lead and led to the top three settling in.
Meanwhile, Sexton bided his time in fifth after Plessinger went down in front of his team-mate. Sexton then took fourth from Frenchman Dylan Ferrandis.
As the first 10 minutes of the moto wound down, Lawrence began to push the pace and apply pressure on the lead.
Behind them, Sexton made the pass on Anderson for third and was the fastest rider on the track. Soon enough the battle for the lead became a three-rider affair as Sexton joined Lawrence and Cooper.
Lawrence sensed the moment and muscled his way by Cooper to take the lead right at the halfway point of the moto.
Sexton then went to work for second and made the pass on Cooper to set the stage for another head-to-head battle with Lawrence.
The pace of the leaders increased dramatically, which allowed them to sprint away from the field.
Sexton was patient and made his move count, seizing control of the moto with 10 minutes to go.
Once in the lead, Sexton sprinted out to a three-second advantage that he continued to build on. As Sexton distanced himself from the field Lawrence found himself in a battle for second with Cooper.
Heavy rains came on the final lap, but the championship leader put the finishing touches on a sweep of the motos by 12.9 seconds over Lawrence, who withstood Cooper’s late charge.
Sexton’s second straight 1-1 outing secured his third win of the season and the ninth victory of his career.
Lawrence’s 2-2 performance placed him in the runner-up spot and continued the unblemished podium streak to open his 450 Class career, which now stands at seven.
Cooper’s strong second moto landed him on the overall podium for the second time in the premier division in third (5-3), earning a tiebreaker over Plessinger.
Sexton’s back-to-back sweeps have now placed him 13 points ahead of Lawrence in the championship standings with four rounds remaining. Cooper remains third, 61 points behind Sexton.
“These last two races I’ve been wanting to capitalise on,” Sexton explained. “I’ve been sluggish in the middle of the season [previously] so I’ve been focusing on turning that around. I got a decent start [in Moto 2] and the track was in better shape, and that allowed me to get a really good flow. It’s been fun and I want to keep this going.”
“I was tired and Chase has been riding unreal all day today,” second-placed Hunter Lawrence said. “I tried to make it tough on him, but he was like a freight train. It’s been a tough day today and we’re working through it. It’s my job to give 100% and that’s what I did today.”
Photo courtesy KTM
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2024 RESULTS & STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 7:
450 Class Overall Results (Moto Finish // Points):
1 Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., KTM (1-1 // 50)
2 Hunter Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda (2-2 // 44)
3 Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha (5-3 // 37)
4 Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, KTM (3-5 // 37)
5 Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Kawasaki (4-4 // 36)
6 Dylan Ferrandis, Avignon, France, Honda (6-6 // 32)
7 Christian Craig, El Cajon, Calif., Husqvarna (7-7 // 30)
8 Phil Nicoletti, Cochecton, N.Y., Yamaha (9-8 // 27)
9 Harri Kullas, Tallinn, Estonia, KTM (10-12 // 22)
10 Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Husqvarna (8-15 // 21)
450 Class Championship Standings (Round 7 of 11):
1 Chase Sexton, La Moille, Ill., KTM – 310 Points
2 Hunter Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda – 297 Points
3 Justin Cooper, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Yamaha – 249 Points
4 Aaron Plessinger, Hamilton, Ohio, KTM – 239 Points
5 Jason Anderson, Edgewood, N.M., Kawasaki – 221 Points
6 Jett Lawrence, Landsborough, Qld., Australia, Honda – 210 Points
7 Dylan Ferrandis, Avignon, France, Honda – 204 Points
8 Malcolm Stewart, Haines City, Fla., Husqvarna – 185 Points
9 Justin Barcia, Monroe, N.Y., GASGAS – 148 Points
10 Christian Craig, El Cajon, Calif., Husqvarna – 136 Points
250 Class Overall Results (Moto Finishes // Points):
1 Levi Kitchen, Washougal, Wash., Kawasaki (1-1 // 50)
2 Haiden Deegan, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha (3-4 // 38)
3 Casey Cochran, Portsmouth, Va., Husqvarna (9-2 // 35)
4 Max Anstie, Newbury, England, Yamaha (7-3 // 35)
5 Dilan Schwartz, El Cajon, Calif., Suzuki (10-6 // 28)
6 Ryder DiFrancesco, Bakersfield, Calif., GASGAS (12-5 // 27)
7 Tom Vialle, Avignon, France, KTM (2-17 // 27)
8 Ty Masterpool, Paradise, Texas, Kawasaki (8-10 // 26)
9 Jordon Smith, Belmont, N.C., Yamaha (6-13 // 25)
10 Julien Baumer, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., KTM (15-8 // 21)
250 Class Championship Standings (Round 7 of 11)
1 Haiden Deegan, Temecula, Calif., Yamaha – 314 Points
2 Levi Kitchen, Washougal, Wash., Kawasaki – 263 Points
3 Tom Vialle, Avignon, France, KTM – 260 Points
4 Chance Hymas, Pocatello, Idaho, Honda – 251 Points
5 Jo Shimoda, Suzuka, Japan, Kawasaki – 231 Points
6 Ty Masterpool, Paradise, Texas, Kawasaki – 214 Points
7 Pierce Brown, Sandy, Utah, GASGAS – 162 Points
8 Jalek Swoll, Belleview, Fla., Triumph – 159 Points
9 Jordon Smith, Belmont, N.C., Yamaha – 149
10 Ryder DiFrancesco, Bakersfield, Calif., GASGAS – 147 Points