Overall Win for Sexton at Washougal National

Team Honda HRC kicked off the second half of the AMA Pro Motocross series at the Pacific Northwest’s scenic Washougal MX Park, where Chase Sexton had an impressive outing to take his first 450MX overall victory of the season, earned via a solid 1-3 moto tally. Meanwhile, 6-10 finishes put his teammate Ken Roczen ninth overall in the same class. Racing action in the 250MX division saw Jett Lawrence take fourth overall with 7-2 finishes, and brother Hunter was seventh overall via 5-10 moto results.

Sexton launched his CRF450R to a career-first 450MX holeshot in moto 1, with Roczen right behind. Sexton stretched his advantage and eventually earned his first moto win of the season with a margin of well over three seconds. Unfortunately, Roczen struggled to maintain momentum and slipped to a sixth-place finish. Moto 2 saw both Red Riders running inside the top five in the early going. Sexton was second for most of the race but lost one position with 10 minutes remaining, putting him on top of the overall podium for the second time in his young 450MX career, while Roczen was 10th for seventh overall.

In the 250MX class, both Lawrence brothers suffered poor moto 2 starts, but they pushed forward to the finish, with Hunter finishing fifth, two spots in front of Jett. Hunter lost rear traction and went down at the halfway point of moto 2 but remounted and climbed back to 10th for seventh overall. As time expired on the 30-minutes-plus-two-lap moto, Jett pushed hard and posted the fastest lap on lap 11, eventually moving up to finish second for fourth overall.

NOTES

• AMA Pro Motocross’s return to Washougal MX Park (after the venue was skipped last year due to the pandemic) was marked by ample sunshine and warm temperatures, with the mercury reaching 90º F by late afternoon.
• In the days since the previous round, Ken Roczen spent time in Southern California testing and preparing with the Team Honda HRC crew, while Chase Sexton, Hunter Lawrence and Jett Lawrence prepared for the Washougal National in Florida.
• The event ran at 100% capacity, but the pro pits remained closed to the public with the exception of VIP ticket holders. Pro pit access for the general public will be reviewed as the series progresses.
• This year’s Washougal National–the largest sporting event in Clark County–was the first since the passing of track owner and patriarch Ralph Huffman, a fixture in the Pacific Northwest motocross community. Huffman was honored with the dedication of “Ralph’s Rock” near the announcer’s tower, right in the heart of the spectator area. The tribute features the track logo and a bulldozer, representing two of Huffman’s favorite things. The event trophies also featured Huffman’s likeness.
• The series’ seventh round served as a milestone moment in the sport’s broadcast history, as all four motos were showcased live on one network (MAVTV), for the first time.
• This was the first time at Washougal MX Park for both Lawrence brothers. Hunter was active in AMA Pro Motocross in 2019 but injured his collarbone in a practice crash prior to the Washougal National.
• Jett posted the sixth-fastest time in 250MX qualifying, with a 2’15.235” in the final session, while Hunter was seventh-best at 2’15.464”. FXR/Chaparral Honda rider Carson Mumford posted the 19th-best time.
• Roczen was third-fastest in qualifying for the 450MX class, posting a 2’11.825” in the final session, and Sexton was fourth-fastest at 2’11.949”. FXR/Chaparral Honda’s Coty Schock was 13th-best and privateer Honda rider Jeremy Hand was 19th-best.
• This was the second 450MX overall win of Sexton’s career, the first having come at last year’s Fox Raceway season finale, where he went 3-1 on the day. It was also Team Honda HRC’s second overall win of the season, with Roczen having topped round 2.
• The top three overall finishers from each class, including Sexton, participated in a virtual post-race press conference via Zoom on Saturday evening. Sexton also participated in the post-race media-corral interviews, for which the top 15 finishers from each class are invited.
• Roczen remains second in the 450MX title chase, 47 points behind leader Dylan Ferrandis, while Sexton sits fifth. In the 250MX title chase, Jett sits second, with an 8-point deficit, while Hunter Lawrence remains third, 44 points out of the lead.
• The AMA Pro Motocross series now takes its final break of the year, with two weekends off before the season enters its home stretch on August 14 in New Berlin, New York, for the legendary Unadilla National.

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