News 15 Apr 2023

Sexton reduces points deficit with Atlanta triumph

Honda rider adds to Anaheim 2 and Detroit wins with third of 2023.

Chase Sexton lights the candles at Atlanta Motor Speedway in April 2023.

Image: Octopi Media.

With a wire-to-wire victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Chase Sexton moved further past his array of mistakes during the 2023 Monster Energy Supercross season and reduced his deficit in the 450SX championship standings.

Ken Roczen (Progressive Insurance Ecstar Suzuki) started out front with Team Honda HRC rider Sexton after the day’s final gate drop, with Jason Anderson (Monster Energy Kawasaki) and Justin Barcia (TLD Red Bull GasGas) next on track.

Barcia moved into second as Anderson dropped back slightly, with Sexton leading comfortably.

At the checkered flag, 7.006s stood between Barcia and the victorious Sexton, who ensured Atlanta joined Anaheim and Detroit as venues at which he won during his 2023 Supercross campaign.

Roczen held on for third at the finish, a further 4.2s back from Barcia. At the same time, Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) had his race-long pursuit of Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM) end 2.477s behind his championship rival.

While Tomac took the checkered flag fifth, Webb’s factory KTM stablemate Aaron Plessinger turned an LCQ win into a sixth-place result — his best since he took the checkered flag fourth four rounds ago in Indianapolis.

Adam Cianciarulo (Monster Energy Kawasaki) recovered from a violent whoops crash while battling for the lead in his heat race to finish seventh in the main event.

A finish of eighth for Dean Wilson (Fire Power Honda) is his new high mark for the season and his best since two seventh-place finishes at Indianapolis and Seattle last year.

After Wilson, Colt Nichols (Team Honda HRC) and Justin Hill (Team Tedder Monster Energy Mountain Motorsports) completed the top 10 in the Atlanta main event.

Anderson left the track early aboard his Kawasaki KX450SR, finishing six laps down in 21st.

Heading to the season’s 14th round at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Tomac holds a six-point advantage over Webb in the standings. Sexton is now 17 points back following his win.

Detailed results

Recent