Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Chase Sexton fought his way back to the 450MX podium in Round 4 of the 2024 AMA Pro Motocross Championship at High Point Raceway, finishing second overall after delivering 3-2 moto results and leading his share of laps in the second encounter this afternoon.
Riders were met with rutty, technical conditions, but Sexton was up for the challenge on his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION. After racing to third in Moto 1, he was engaged in a spirited battle with defending champion Jett Lawrence throughout Moto 2, before unfortunately tipping over while leading in the closing laps.
Sexton managed to quickly remount and hold onto second position, which was enough to take P2 for the weekend, and he also maintains second in the championship standings – six points outside of the red plate with seven rounds remaining on the outdoor schedule.
Chase Sexton: "Round 4 was better than Thunder Valley, my speed was a little better, but I just made way too many mistakes. These next two weeks, I'll be trying to rest because I've been physically exhausted the last couple of weeks. I've gotta get back to 100 percent and we'll come out swinging for the upcoming middle four races of the season."
The High Point National was also a convincing one for Aaron Plessinger, recovering from a bad start in Moto 1 to slice his way through the pack to fifth, and he repeated that result in the second outing. Those 5-5 scores placed him fourth overall for the weekend, currently positioned fifth in the point standings and with increasing confidence on his side.
Aaron Plessinger: "Overall, today was the most comfortable I've felt on the bike in a long time or, really, ever. I was just gelling. Qualifying went pretty good in seventh, and then in the first moto I really botched the start and had to come from around 20th to fifth. The result didn't reflect how awesome I was riding, because I felt so good, could really push, and get going! Second one, I got a better start and made my way into fifth early, so it was 5-5 for today. I ended up fourth overall, which isn't too bad. I'll take a relaxing weekend off and come back swinging at Southwick – I'm ready for it!"
This weekend was a frustrating one for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 250MX title challenger Tom Vialle, who qualified in fourth position, but had to settle for eighth following a difficult first moto. He stormed to the front of the pack in the early stages of Moto 2, but an untimely error cost him a chance of the race victory, and he took the checkered flag in P4. That placed him fifth overall, now P3 in the championship following four rounds.
Tom Vialle: "High Point was not really a good day. I finished with 8-4 moto results, and went down in both motos. I was leading the second moto and crashed, so we were a little bit better in that one, but that's not where I want to be, and it's kind of frustrating. I look forward to Southwick and being back in the sand in two weeks, so hopefully it will be a better race there."
250MX rookie Julien Beaumer recorded his best career finish to date in sixth overall, continuing to build experience in the professional ranks on his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION. The teenager charged to sixth in Moto 1 after starting inside the top 10, and then in the final outing he raced forward to eighth position. He sits ninth in the 250MX standings following what was another impressively consistent performance this weekend.
Julien Beaumer: "It was a way better day for me today at High Point. Qualifying wasn't good, but my starts were better, and I had good rides both times for my best overall of the season in P6. I'm happy with where we're at right now, so am going to keep building on this. I'm excited to get back to work, try to fix some things that we need to improve on, and try to finish strong for the rest of the season. It will be my first time to Southwick, so I'm going to practice in some sand and be ready!"
Next Race: June 29 – Southwick, Massachusetts
Results 450MX Class – High Point National
1. Jett Lawrence (AUS), Honda
2. Chase Sexton (USA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
3. Hunter Lawrence (AUS), Honda
4. Aaron Plessinger (USA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
8. Justin Barcia (USA), GASGAS
9. Malcolm Stewart (USA), Husqvarna
18. Christian Craig (USA), Husqvarna
Standings 450MX Class 2024 after 4 of 11 rounds
1. Hunter Lawrence, 171 points
2. Chase Sexton, 165
3. Jett Lawrence, 163
5. Aaron Plessinger, 134
7. Justin Barcia, 121
9. Malcolm Stewart, 113
11. Christian Craig, 67
Results 250MX Class – High Point National
1. Ty Masterpool (USA), Kawasaki
2. Haiden Deegan (USA), Yamaha
3. Chance Hymas (USA), Honda
5. Tom Vialle (FRA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
6. Julien Beaumer (USA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
7. Ryder DiFrancesco (USA), GASGAS
8. Pierce Brown (USA), GASGAS
17. Casey Cochran (USA), Husqvarna
Standings 250MX Class 2024 after 4 of 11 rounds
1. Haiden Deegan, 191 points
2. Chance Hymas, 159
3. Tom Vialle, 153
8. Pierce Brown, 109
9. Julien Beaumer, 103
12. Ryder DiFrancesco, 73
15. Casey Cochran, 51