Officially confirmed earlier this month, Chase Sexton’s departure from Team Honda HRC draws to a close a successful multi-year professional tenure with the manufacturer, where he won championships in red, highlighted by the 2023 450SX crown. In this Rewind feature, MotoOnline reflects on Sexton’s stint with Honda since turning pro, as he switches to Red Bull KTM Factory Racing from 2024.

Marking one of the greatest achievements in Sexton’s racing career to date, the Illinois native stayed fit when it counted to wrap up the premier class title in this year’s Monster Energy Supercross Championship.

While some could argue that Sexton’s path to the championship was paved when both Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing) and Cooper Webb (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) were injured, he did, to his credit, win six rounds on his way to the title.

Sexton entered the 2023 Pro Motocross Championship as a favorite, but after finishing second overall at Fox Raceway’s opening round, he was unfortunately ruled out of the following races following a practice crash at the same venue in the days afterwards – halting his momentum in the process.

Sexton returned and finished third overall at RedBud, and from there endured admittedly a disappointing remainder of the 450MX campaign. Nonetheless, the then number 23 was the biggest challenger to teammate Jett Lawrence and only missed the overall podium on one occasion, when he was fourth for the round at Budds Creek.

Fired up entering the SuperMotorcross World Championship (SMX) post-season, Sexton held the number one 450SMX seed ahead of the opening playoff in Charlotte. Delivering a statement performance, he won both motos on his way to taking the round win and starting his bid for the $1-million dollar championship prize in the best possible way.

Third overall at the second playoff in Chicagoland saw him enter the LA Coliseum finals right in contention, however, a crash while leading the last race of the season ruled out any chance he had of being crowned the inaugural 450SMX champion. Still, he was able to finish a commendable third overall in the title-race.

It was back in 2015 when Sexton first joined Honda after he signed with Factory Connection’s amateur program. After three major injuries delayed his pro debut, Sexton made his first 250MX outing in 2017 at High Point with the Geico Honda team, finishing 13th overall. As the season progressed he edged closer and closer to a top-five overall round finish and also was P6 overall in the MXGP of USA that year in the MX2 category.

Season 2018 marked his rookie 250SX championship campaign, in which Sexton scored three main event podiums in the western region – Houston, San Diego and Seattle – on his way to fifth in the final standings, before securing back-to-back 250SX East titles in the following two seasons, 2019 and 2020.

From there, he stepped up to the 450 class with Team Honda HRC for a high-profile maiden 450MX campaign during that same year in 2020, winning the Fox Raceway National to conclude his rookie stint in the premier category of Pro Motocross.

After an injury-impacted 2021 Monster Energy Supercross tilt, Sexton scored a breakout first-career 450SX victory at San Diego in 2022, then going on to land a further six podiums that season. He also delivered a standout outdoor run at the championship that year to take the title fight right down to the wire with Tomac.

Capping off a strong end to 2022, Sexton was part of Team USA’s Chamberlain Trophy-winning effort in the Motocross of Nations (MXoN) at RedBud, also finishing second individually in the Open category, setting him up for what would eventuate as his finest – and final term – at Team Honda HRC in 2023.

Following Sexton’s 450SX title, it’s rare to see the champion take the number one plate to a new home. However, it’s believed that his deal was largely agreed upon with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing in the middle of 2022, and now, with the opening round of the 2024 Monster Energy Supercross Championship to take place inside Angel Stadium, Anaheim, on 6 January, we look ahead to the next step in his decorated career so far.