Chase Sexton's Reset – Champion Turned Underdog 7

Chase Sexton entered the off-season with more than just lessons from his maiden term aboard the KTM 450 SX-F – he carried the burden of expectations and unspoken doubts. Now a former champion, Sexton aims to reclaim the dominant form that defined his 2023 season and rewrite the narrative of his turbulent switch to orange.

2024 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, Sexton's first season with the Austrian manufacturer, came under intense inspection. There were many reasons for this; it is so rare for a current champion to take the number one plate to a new team, the KTM's fundamentals are unique in comparison to Honda's CRF450R and the manufacturer had just suffered an abrupt end to its relationship with Cooper Webb.

The fact that Sexton won twice last year, compared to the six victories that marked his farewell Honda season, piqued interest, as did his ineffectiveness in timed qualification. Critics focused on statistics that did not favor him or KTM. Yet, it is overlooked that he was in title contention until a freak crash in Tennessee. The pair perceived the start of their two-year partnership as educational and remained optimistic about the foundation that it had laid for the future.

In order to capitalize on these lessons, Sexton had to reset and relinquish his clasp on pessimistic views from the previous year. Had he entered this off-season with preconceived notions then it would've been impossible to move forward. "I had time off after the season, which I used to my advantage," said Sexton at a media junket. "I took time off the bike that I needed. I needed a reset and, consequently, the mindset is much better. I have been told that I am more positive this year a few times. 

"There was just so much pressure last year," he continued. "You want to be better when you make a change and I feel like I was not that, which was tough to overcome mentally. I have removed that weight from my back now – I feel like I have evolved as a person and rider. I feel like a different rider from last year to this year. I have ridden for a while now and it is much better than last year. I have made improvements with the bike, as well as myself, and it is just an ever-lasting evolution for me."

As Sexton looks to transfer this mindset into the new term, two critical areas of improvement have arisen; starts and raw pace. There were just five instances where he started in first last term – there were seven from the season prior – and his average starting position fell from fourth to sixth. In comparison, each of his title rivals benefitted from an average of five or lower. The most minute flaws are exposed in 450SX's deepest field and so a difference as small as that can be the difference between success and failure.

It is that which concerns him the most, as he is less worried about what it will take to rediscover his former pace. "The speed is not the hardest to fix," he continued to ponder. "I feel like that comes quite naturally. I am working on that, but the biggest thing is just starts and getting out front. I need to be in a position to make stuff happen early. I just need to get good starts and some of that spunk back." The 'spunk' that he refers to is what made him such a formidable force – feared by the competition – in his most successful season.

Sexton's position within the off-road space could not be more different as 2025 Monster Energy AMA Supercross looms. With the spotlight elsewhere, he enters round one in Anaheim, Southern California, as an underdog on January 11. That lack of external pressure will allow him to remind everyone of his promise. For Sexton, the stage is set to surprise everyone.