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CHASE SEXTON
Something was different this year as the Sextons made their annual drive to the motocross proving grounds stowed away in the rolling hills of Hurricane Mills, TN. Loretta Lynn’s Dude Ranch was typically a 486 mile drive from their hometown of La Moille, Illinois. Coincidentally, those are the same exact digits that have emblazoned the number plate of the 16 year old phenom throughout his illustrious amateur career. It wasn’t a premeditated decision, although
it is one of those coincidences
that seems to be reinforced by the foundation of destiny. This year at Loretta’s, Sexton will be repping the number 22, just as his Geico Honda teammate R.J. Hampshire did when he swept both pro classes and won the coveted AMA Horizon Award
in 2014. The Sexton family will be embarking on a new journey this year; they’ll be making the 738 mile journey from their current residence in Clermont, FL to compete at the Ranch one last time. The sacrifice that the family has made to leave their lifelong home in Illinois has provided Chase with the opportunity to train with some of the fastest riders in the world. Nobody else
will line up on the gate at Loretta’s coming fresh off training sessions
at the Nest with Ken Roczen, Adam Cianciarulo, and R.J. Hampshire; there is a confidence bred by
that level of preparation that is invaluable to a rider’s mindset.
If his results so far in 2016 have been any indication, he’s more prepared to do battle at the Ranch than ever before. He earned his Road to Supercross points earlier
in the year with some impressive performances in Arenacross, only finishing outside of the top 5 once. Sexton scored some stellar results in the spring nationals with a couple of championships at Oak Hill as well as the California Classic. Despite his blazing speed as an amateur, he’s only managed to capture one championship at the Ranch, an 85cc (9-11) title back in 2011. Chase will be looking to use all of the preparation and momentum from earlier this year as fuel to propel himself to a pair of Loretta Lynn’s championships during his last week at the Ranch.
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