Chase Sexton on: Points Deficit, Pittsburgh | Transcript 1

Chase Sexton's streak of 450SX main event wins failed to extend to three, as he was bested by his title rival inside Pittsburgh's Acrisure Stadium. Sexton placed an immense amount of pressure on Cooper Webb across the 20-minute main event; an opportunity to pass failed to materialize and so he faces a 12-point deficit with just two rounds remaining.

Although his destiny is no longer in his hands, just a small mistake would open the door and so he must continue his relentless pursuit at the last two stops. In Pittsburgh's post-race press conference, Sexton talked about what lies ahead and the decisions that he made in Saturday's main event. There is a lot to unpack from the transcript that lies below.

Press Conference: Why did you start jumping the whoops in the main?

Chase Sexton: I do not know if you guys saw them, but they were pretty mangled. It took a lot of energy to skim; I wanted to see if I could run a similar speed, jumping them to save myself. It was hard to skim and took a lot of effort. They were really sketchy. I could have possibly skimmed them for the whole main event and not crashed, but you are running the risk of having a big one. I started jumping. I made the one mistake when I was following [Cooper] Webb, jumping them, and he roosted the crap out of me when he got on the gas. I could not see anything – I jumped off the track. Other than that, I felt I was pretty good in them. I felt it was just as fast once I got in a flow of doing it. You just had to figure out how to do it. It was a risk versus reward thing and whether or not you could get away with it through the whole main event.

What do you feel was your 'moment' of the race? Was there a point where you had it or one where you felt you lost it?

I had that one mistake, but I could regroup and catch him again. I had good speed, but I knew it would be hard to pass when he got the holeshot. The whoops were going to be a big part – it was tough. It was hard to push because you would lose the rear a lot. Cooper lost it a few times, and I lost it behind him. Like he said, lappers were tough, but he probably had the worst of it because he was out front. I feel like we lapped some of the same guys two or three times, which is crazy. I felt I rode well but could not get close enough to make a pass. 

You were behind in the main event. Were you searching for bike set-up and line? Looking back, what could you have done differently to get the win?

I was riding well in practice, but I felt it was because I was good in the whoops. I do not feel that I had my turns how I needed today. After the heat race, I thought, "I don't know if I even know how to ride a dirt bike anymore." I just got beat by 15 seconds in a six-minute race. I was able to regroup, but I was struggling mainly in my turns and for traction tonight. Obviously, that was the case for a lot of guys, but I did not have the greatest feeling. I think the main event was the best I rode all day, which I needed with Coop getting the holeshot. I was forced to ride good. It was a track you could not override and it could bite you fast. 

Were you struggling with traction due to the bike set-up or missing lines?

The dirt was tricky. It reminded me of Foxborough back in the day, before they got the new dirt. It was a little pebbly and got soft in some of the transitions. The rhythm section after the start straight was really soft, while the rest was hard as a rock. It made it difficult to go back and forth. "Am I too soft or stiff?" You needed both tonight, and that is what we struggled with. 

This was a brand-new venue for supercross, and it has been decades since we have been to Pittsburgh. Do you have any thoughts or comments on the crowd tonight or just racing in Pittsburgh?

It was cool to see such a packed stadium. The last couple of weekends have not been as packed. Tonight, it was a good crowd and it was cool. It's not that far from Philadelphia, so I don't know if it was new people or what. They showed out tonight – it was cool to see.

Cooper winning the race tonight puts you in a situation, so where does the championship situation sit now? The math is heavily in his favor. Was this the biggest race of this series?

I wanted to win tonight – that was the goal. Unfortunately, I put myself in a tough situation prior to this. I knew I needed to win every race from a few back. It is a bummer to not get it done tonight. As I've said, I feel I've been riding really well. Throughout my career, I believe I have had speed during the day and then lacked it during the main event. I've turned it around these last five or six races and felt better in my riding and looser. I've been more able to think clearly.

I've been doing a lot of work during the week off the bike with that, and it's been helping. I still rode a great race tonight and didn't make too many mistakes. It was a dog fight. I put a lot of pressure on Coop and most people I've raced made mistakes under that pressure. He didn't. That goes to show how good mentally he is as well as how good of a rider and racer he is. Congrats to him. Like I said, I want to win every race. The two of us may hate losing more than everyone else. We get another chance next weekend. Anything can happen.