Team Honda HRC 450MX title challenger Chase Sexton graciously accepted defeat on Saturday evening at Fox Raceway’s Lucas Oil Pro Motocross finals after losing out to now four-time premier class champion Eli Tomac.

Sexton starred this season in taking it to Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Tomac across all 12 rounds of the outdoors, entering Pala with just a single point separating the pair — in Tomac’s favor — over the weekend.

While Tomac edged him to the opening moto win at the final round, it was a mistake-filled second encounter that saw Sexton fall three times and dash any chance of him turning the tables on Tomac when it counted. Either way, it was a breakout season for the 22-year-old.

“It was a tough day for me,” Sexton recalled. “I led the first moto and felt like I rode really well, and even if Eli [Tomac] got the better of me, I left it all out there.

“I got a bad start in the second moto and made my way up; I had a few falls but never gave up. It was a good building year for me; I made a lot of progress, and it’s definitely the best I’ve ever ridden.

“We can build off this and go into next year. Not winning definitely stings today, but we’ll use it for motivation, have a good off-season and come back swinging next year.”

With Tomac not expected to defend his crown and with Sexton continuing his rise, the current national number two will enter next year as title favorite. Beforehand, however, the pair will team up to represent Team USA in the Motocross of Nations (MXoN) at RedBud this month.