Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Chase Sexton earned his fourth-straight overall victory as the 2024 AMA Pro Motocross Championship returned to action at Unadilla, marking Round 9 of the season. Aaron Plessinger made it a double podium for the team in 450MX in third position overall.
Sexton qualified fastest onboard his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION and then took the checkered flag in second position following Moto 1. He stepped up in the second moto to get out front instantly and sprint away from the chasing pack, winning by 7.107 seconds to seal the overall. His series lead continues to sit on 28 points with two rounds remaining.
Chase Sexton: “I’ve worked on my starts a lot, that was my first holeshot of the summer in Moto2, and I felt so good at the beginning of the race. I sprinted away and managed it from there – that was a fun moto! The track felt a lot better to me in that second moto, so I’m excited for the next two to finish out the season.”
The opening moto saw Plessinger storm to the holeshot in technical conditions, eventually finishing in P3, but he had his work cut out for him in Moto 2 after a bad start. A hard-fought ride from outside of the top 15 to fourth place enabled him to salvage the podium overall and, as a result, he has also climbed to third in the championship standings.
Aaron Plessinger: “Man, I was so far back on the first lap! It felt like they held the gate for 20 seconds and I almost sat up, then sure enough, they dropped it. I was not ready at all, but it was a hard-fought ride and I just clicked another gear – I felt so good, it was such a good ride. Definitely hard-fought, I could hear the fans and I knew I just had to keep taking over the positions. In the end, we found ourselves on the podium for the weekend.”
The 250MX round at Unadilla saw Julien Beaumer finish in ninth overall on his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, which was delivered via a consistent 8-10 scorecard. The rookie is now 11th in the series, continuing to gain important race mileage in the professional ranks as the series reaches its final stages.
Julien Beaumer: “It was a good day. Qualifying wasn’t the best, but I turned it around in the motos. In both races I had bad starts, but really good riding. In that second one I made a mistake late in the moto, but came back to ninth, so I’m happy with my day and the progress we were able to make over the three-week break.”
Two-time world champion Tom Vialle endured a mixed day at the office, qualifying in fifth position, but crashing on the opening lap of Moto 1. That proved costly for the Frenchman as he worked his way back to 22nd – just outside the points – and then further rebounded in the final race for P3 in the moto. He’s now third in the title race with two rounds remaining.
Tom Vialle: “I had a big crash in the opening lap of the first moto and was last, then had to stop to make some adjustments on the bike, so came back to P22 and that was the best I could do. In the second moto, I started around seventh or eighth and finished the moto third, so of course I am a little bit frustrated, but we will keep fighting across these two races to go.”
Next Race: August 17 – Budds Creek, Maryland
Results 450MX Class – Unadilla National
1. Chase Sexton (USA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
2. Hunter Lawrence (AUS), Honda
3. Aaron Plessinger (USA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
8. Christian Craig (USA), Husqvarna
9. Malcolm Stewart (USA), Husqvarna
Standings 450MX Class 2024 after 9 of 11 rounds
1. Chase Sexton, 407 points
2. Hunter Lawrence, 379
3. Aaron Plessinger, 319
7. Malcolm Stewart, 238
9. Christian Craig, 188
11. Justin Barcia, 148
Results 250MX Class – Unadilla National
1. Levi Kitchen (USA), Kawasaki
2. Haiden Deegan (USA), Yamaha
3. Jalek Swoll (USA), Triumph
6. Pierce Brown (USA), GASGAS
9. Julien Beaumer (USA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
10. Ryder DiFrancesco (USA), GASGAS
11. Tom Vialle (FRA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
16. Casey Cochran (USA), Husqvarna
Standings 250MX Class 2024 after 9 of 11 rounds
1. Haiden Deegan, 408 points
2. Levi Kitchen, 338
3. Tom Vialle, 327
7. Pierce Brown, 225
9. Ryder DiFrancesco, 204
11. Julien Beaumer, 174
12. Casey Cochran, 164
Photocredits – Align Media
