Image: Octopi Media.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing has moved to clarify the race-ending incident involving Chase Sexton at Ironman on Saturday, further detailing the brake issue that ultimately ended Sexton’s weekend.

After winning moto one, defending 450MX champion Sexton crashed out of position to challenge for the overall, and the team has outlined what led to Sexton going down and subsequent exit.

“After inspecting the bike Saturday evening, and reviewing the bike data, we now have a clearer understanding of what led up to Chase’s crash in moto two at Ironman, and I want to clarify that it was neither rider nor mechanic error,” Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team manager, Ian Harrison stated.

“Initially, we thought it was a front brake issue, but we now know that debris got into the rear brake system, preventing Chase from activating the rear brake. This forced him to reduce all his speed using only the front brake. We can also see from the bike data that he left the jump on this lap at a much higher rate of speed than at any other lap during the day.

“This issue, in turn, caused Chase to crash. The bike landed on the right side first, which then caused the front brake lever to get packed with mud and activate. Chase was unable to continue because of this.

“We will actively look for a solution to prevent this from happening again, but as we know, in racing, motocross is tough on the equipment, and when you add the speed and intensity that our riders race at, this exaggerates everything. This was disappointing for both Chase and our team, as well as the fans.”

As a result of his points scored in the opening race, Sexton managed to salvage 10th overall at round nine of the Pro Motocross Championship. He’s currently seeded third in the combined SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX).