Fifth for Sexton at Hot, Humid WW Ranch, Craig Finishes 11th

The seventh round of the 2020 AMA Pro Motocross Championship took place in Jacksonville, Florida, where Team Honda HRC’s Chase Sexton and Christian Craig faced a challenging race day due to high temperatures and sandy, rough track conditions.

Sexton showed great speed, qualifying fastest in both practice sessions and finishing fourth overall, via a 4-5 moto tally. Sexton enjoyed solid starts and battled in the top three in both motos, but a late-race mistake set him back to fourth in the first outing. He posted a consistent fifth-place finish in moto two, earning that position overall.

Craig enjoyed one of his best qualifying performances thus far, notching the fifth-best time. Thwarted by a bad start in the first outing, Craig worked his way up to 10th, and that’s where he stayed for the remainder of the race. The Californian improved on his start in the second moto but wasn’t able to ride to his potential, and the heat eventually contributed to his posting 11th overall, via 10-10 finishes.

NOTES 

• In the days since the last race, the Team Honda HRC crew spent time testing and prepping in Southern California with Christian Craig, while Chase Sexton remained in Florida. In addition, test rider Trey Canard joined the team at the Honda supercross test track to ride and provide feedback on the 2021 CRF450R.

• Unlike the cool, fall-like temperatures the series saw at the last round, the WW Ranch National featured hot, humid weather that made it one of the most challenging rounds of the season for the riders.

• On Friday, the state of Florida announced phase three of reopening amid the pandemic, lifting restrictions on restaurants and other businesses. Though the governor’s new order removed a statewide mask mandate, MX Sports continued to follow COVID-19-related guidelines that were already in place.

• Tickets were available for the WW Ranch National event, but spectator capacity was limited in order to comply with social-distancing protocols. Fans were not permitted in the pro paddock, and there were no autograph sessions, although teams provided pre-signed posters for MX Sports to distribute to fans.

• Team Honda HRC’s Ken Roczen made an appearance at the Jacksonville race, supporting the team as a fan. Roczen was also a guest TV announcer during the first 450 moto. 

• The top three overall finishers in each class participated in a post-race virtual press conference the evening of race day. Several other riders are scheduled to participate in an additional post-race conference on Monday.

• Sexton posted the fastest lap times in both 450 qualifying sessions, at 2’03.209” and 2’04.885”. Craig had the third-best time, at 2’05.617”.

• During the 250 racing, GEICO Honda’s Jeremy Martin showed great speed, battling forward in moto one to finish third. In the second outing, the CRF250R rider battled back from a poor start and fought with Shane McElrath for a top position. Martin finished third overall with a 3-3 moto tally and maintains second place in the points standings. Teammate Jett Lawrence also enjoyed a solid ride, earning a career-best second place in the first outing and finishing fourth overall, with Jo Shimoda, Carson Mumford and Hunter Lawrence earning eighth, ninth and 14th overall, respectively.

• The AMA Pro Motocross series continues next weekend with the second-to-last round of the 2020 season, in Lakewood, Colorado.

Media contact:

Kayla Mead // Jonnum Media // kayla@jonnummedia.com // +1 (760) 822-4786