Team USA member loses two points after three falls at Maryland circuit.
One week after reclaiming the points lead, Chase Sexton avoided losing significant ground to Eli Tomac in the 450MX standings after an adversity-filled opening moto.
The Team Honda HRC rider entered the Maryland round with a single-point advantage over reigning Monster Energy Supercross champion Tomac.
A strong start in moto one went to waste when Sexton found himself on the ground early in the first lap. Scored 29th after one lap, the points leader faced further trouble when he went over the handlebars of his Honda CRF450R for a second time due to unavoidable contact with a downed privateer.
A third of the way into the race, Sexton had reached the 15th position and entered the top 10 as the clock wound down. The newly announced Team USA member occupied the seventh spot by the checkered flag.
“Man, today was not my day,” Sexton said. “Even from practice, I never felt that good — just too many mistakes. In the first moto, I hit neutral and went over the bars, and then I ran into another rider and had my work cut out for me. I had a big effort and knew I had to bounce back and amass points in the second moto.”
With a bit of luck and fewer dismounts from the motorcycle, Sexton lost just two points to Tomac by taking the victory, while his title rival followed his first-moto win with a fifth in moto two.
“I got it done — fell over but still knew I could win and just kept fighting,” Sexton said of his day-ending ride. “You don’t win championships on your good days; it’s your bad days you win them, so if we manage the points and come back strong next weekend and ride a lot better, we’ll be in a good spot.”
Reversed from the pre-Budds Creek standings, Sexton is a single point down to Tomac heading into the penultimate round on August 27 at Ironman.