MILLVILLE, Minn. — The second half of the 2024 Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, officially got underway on Saturday with the series’ annual visit to the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” and the dynamic layout of legendary Spring Creek MX Park.
The FXR Spring Creek National Presented by Frescados Tortillas signified Round 7 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, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s 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 Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Levi Kitchen broke through for his first career Pro Motocross victory following a 1-1 effort.
Moto 1
The opening moto of the afternoon saw the field emerge from the longest start straight on the schedule with the Team Honda HRC of Hunter Lawrence at the head of the pack ahead of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing duo of Aaron Plessinger and Sexton, with the Monster Energy Kawasaki of 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 was able to build a comfortable gap over Lawrence and the rest of the field, eventually 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 Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Justin Cooper rounded out the top five.
Moto 2
The second and deciding moto got underway with the Yamaha of 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 teammate. Sexton then took fourth from Phoenix Racing Honda’s 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.
Overall
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 capitalize on,” Sexton said. “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.”