Anaheim 2 saw Chase Sexton on the top step of the 450SX podium for the first time with Monster Energy Kawasaki, as Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Haiden Deegan made it back-to-back wins in 250SX West. Both riders spoke to media following the main events for these Debrief interviews.

450SX

Image: Octopi Media.

Chase, congratulations. This is a big one and a breakthrough. Throughout the course of the day, was there maybe a range of emotions that you experienced? Just take us through the day, start to finish.

Yeah, I qualified fastest, but I didn’t finish the last session. It was a little bit unfortunate going down on the loose. I was pretty upset with myself. I couldn’t finish the practice if my bars were bent, so I just went back. And then the heat race felt good again. It went down. I was just like, this can’t be happening. I feel like I’ve been kind of fighting an uphill battle a little bit the last, well, honestly, since SMX. So this one feels good to kind of finally break through. And yeah, it feels like I haven’t won in a very long time. And it feels good to get the first one for the team. They’ve been working their butts off. Made some really good changes with the bike. I kind of told them after the heat race that we got to make some changes, and I don’t really know what to do. And my turning and my whoops were way better for the main event. So it was good, and it’s nice to finally win one.

Can you talk about the relief this win gives you? Also, talk about the mentality just from press day, because you looked like you were ready to win from Friday.

I had a really good day of riding on Wednesday. The team again crushed it this week with testing, and I had finally a feeling on the bike that I’ve been looking for for a while since really since I got on it. And I finally felt freed up. I kind of put the bike where I wanted. And even from press day, I just felt normal again, and I felt like I could ride how I wanted. And yeah, it blew over into the day. Obviously, my speed was good. Maybe it was overriding. I wanted to win so bad that I was overriding it a bit. And honestly, for the main event, I just told myself I’m going to go out there and ride it. Not 80 percent, but I was going to go out there and ride a good pace and get into a flow and see what happens. I knew my speed was good enough to be able to ride not at 100 percent and still win. So it was good. Track was tricky, very rutted, and it was crazy. I felt like I was at Detroit or not Indy, but some East Coast race where it was super soft in the transitions and the turns were obviously a little more hard packed. But it was a tricky track. When I got out front, just logged my laps, read the pit board and just rode her in.

Can you talk to us a little bit about the signature gear you were wearing this weekend?

The gear was really cool. Cool to win wearing this stuff. Obviously, I’ve everyone knows I’ve been going to Hawaii the last five, four or five years. And even before that, I ended up, I think it was my agent Beaker got me to watch Kissed By God, which is Andy Irons documentary and based on his life story. The guy had the best style, was the only guy to straight up beat Kelly Slater three years in a row. I think his surfing did the talking. I got to know Axel, his kid, and his wife, Lindy, when I went to Kauai, and all my buddies obviously are pretty close to them. So I kind of got to know them and Axel started riding, and I have ridden with him a little bit. And it just kind of seemed natural to do a gear set in tribute to Andy, and I got to, actually Lindy and Axel were down there at the podium. And then his brother Bruce was on FaceTime, he was super stoked. So it’s pretty cool to wear something that’s really not, it’s not for me. It’s for Andy. And they’re very happy about it, which was really special. So I’m pumped I got to win in it. And yeah, it was, it was nice to be in cool gear and also win.

Any factory team has quite a bit of staff, but everybody’s very close, particularly with one person that’s their mechanic. Rango’s new for you this year. I watched you two have quite an emotional moment. You’ve been pretty vocal lately about putting him through the wringer. Can you touch a little bit about what you put him through lately and just kind of emotional release at the end of the race?

Yeah, Rango, I’ve known him since I rode at James [Stewart’s] when I was there from like 2020 through 2022. And he was Malcolm [Stewart’s] mechanic, obviously. So I got to got to know him there. Then when I came here, I was pretty comfortable, obviously, right off the bat. And we did a lot of testing, a lot of switching parts, suspension. He was working his butt off and didn’t have my race bike because they tested. I think it was a week before Anaheim in Florida. And that was the final test, so he had to build the race bike basically a week before the race, and then I didn’t even ride it. [Broc] Tickle broke it in for me. So it was pretty last second. It was cool to see how emotional he was after the race and how much it means to him. That’s pretty cool. It kind of gave me chills and almost made me tear up because obviously winning is awesome. But when it means that much to somebody and obviously it means a lot to me and also the team, it makes it that much sweeter. So it’s good to have Kawasaki on top again. I want to keep them there. They deserve it, they’re a really hard working team. So it’s cool to finally get up here and plan to stay up here.

250SX

Image: Octopi Media.

Haiden, let’s talk about that pass for the lead. How long were you sitting back there, kind of sizing it up and analyzing when and where to make that pass or was it not that deep?

No, yeah, it’s a patience thing for sure. I tried to make a little push there in the middle and endoed that three on. I had a feeling that was gonna happen. I was like, this is slippery. It’s probably not the greatest idea, but I am gaining a lot of time. After that, I was just like, let’s just play the waiting game. I know I’m strong with two minutes to go. I can pick it up. So, waited that out and got them at the end.

You were tracking down Michael [Mosiman] and you seemed like you put a lot of solid laps together. How was that tracking him down and just having that comfortable factor in that main event?

Yeah, it was nice. I got into a decent start. My goal is to come around at top five. I feel like I can win these races. I personally think I can win these races if I start further back, obviously, but that’s not the goal. The goal is to start top five and get to the lead. And yeah, got a decent start and just slowly picked them off. And by the time I got to second, I mean, Mosi was riding great. He was so consistent, like I’d make a little push and it was inches like it wasn’t enough. So, you know, I had to play my cards right and wait till the end when I might, you know, maybe fitness related and mistakes kind of caught up to the other riders and I was able to capitalize.

Will Hahn is your team manager. He said he sat you guys down this week and had a little chit chat with you. Was it like, ‘Hey boys, you just need to settle down.’ Give us some insight into that conversation?

No, he was just like, ‘Max, you’re too old to be bowling in the little kids’ team. No, I’m just kidding. No, I’m just playing. I’m just playing. We’re cool. It’s good. I’m focused on myself, I’m focused on winning these races and that’s what I’m doing. I have big goals ahead of me, and the last thing I’m doing is getting dragged down or focused on something that’s just really not necessary.

I feel like – even in press day – you had a different mentality and you were just more aggressive. I feel like you had more of a focus coming into the weekend. Can you talk about that?

Yeah, I’m just hungry, really, man. I feel like this off season, it was the hardest I’ve ever worked. And I feel like I need to pay respect to myself to be serious throughout these races and really go out there and dominate. And I feel like I was able to do that the last two weekends. And yeah.

Let’s talk about the track. It was a very technical track. It seemed like it broke down and had some very slippery spots.

Yeah, totally. I think this is one of the most technical tracks I’ve ridden so far this season. There was like super, I don’t know, like a lot of moisture super deep. Like it was everlasting. Those ruts just kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger. I enjoyed it. I mean, I like when rhythms get hard and you know, the better guys kind of can separate themselves. It was tricky though, especially after those whoops. I was like every lap, I worked on these whoops a million freaking times. So I’m like, just get them good every lap. So I get this three and it worked.

I think one of the big topics of the night is in those heat races. We saw a triple after the finish line around the outside, that triple lip seemed to be very difficult and given a lot of the riders problems. Can you give us some insight on why it was so hard before they fixed it and you know, why it was easier afterwards and why that was the line of choice?

Yeah, I think that’s, I mean, it’s a hard situation because things can bite you, obviously. Like, I mean, me sliding into and off that three on, and things can bite you in there, but you really have to pay attention, especially in a heat race. Personally, I try and like make sure there’s, you know, anywhere sketchy. I mean, they just prepped the track. Like, they just had a break, things are covered up, it’s been soft all day. They’ve thrown soft dirt over it. So it’s like, I would try and pay attention, but things can bite you out of nowhere like that. We’re professionals. That’s how it is. This sport’s gnarly and things are going to happen.

What was it like to find yourself behind another teammate? Were you just like, ‘Yeah, I got to get you’?

Yeah. I was like, ‘Shoot, I might have to park them just so the fans like me some more.’ No, I’m just playing. I try to make it a clean pass and make it stick. That’s always my goal. I don’t like to do a half-assed pass. I like to make a pass, make it stick, and go. And that’s what I did and just rode a comfortable race after that.