Page 22 - ISSUE_77

CHASE SEXTON
250 MX / 6TH
IMAGE / KILPATRICK WORDS / MATTINGLY DESIGN / MOTOPLAYGROUND
>> As the weekend of May 19th, 2018 came to fruition, the fans of the Hangtown Motocross Classic become more and more enthusiastic. Packing full hours in advance, there were seas of attendees herding the fence-line the moment bikes were beginning to re up throughout the pits. Air-horns, towels waving, and posters plastered all throughout the facility, provided Chase Sexton with a burst of energy. His morale would heighten every lap of practice, when both the sights and sounds of thousands ran through his sense of vision and hearing. Although he loved the technical- ity of Supercross, there isn’t anything like the proximity and raw passion of outdoors, when the summertime comes rolling in; and he couldn’t express his love for the series anymore, after giving numerous positive interviews, and a solid practice time. He would then head to the line to choose his speci c gate, eyeing a position that would generate the straightest shot possible. Launching out of the hole, the bikes were two and three wide for the rst lap, and he would register fourteenth for timing and scoring. The rush to the front would be imminent, with the rotors of his motorcycle steaming, trying to slow the chassis down from all of his charging. Jousting with Garrett March- banks, the two would nearly touch bars in the right-hander prior to the uphill rollers; it was then a race to the following left. As Marchbanks would swing from the right, it was a contest to see who would grab the front brake at the latest point. The barreled into the inside grove, and he would emerge ahead. Keeping near the eleventh position as the time clock punched zero, the two laps would go by in such lethargic fashion; it was a true test of focus, as he wanted to be nished with the race so badly. It was over, and his result at the conclusion would be eleventh. The eld would swing forty wide around the rst turn to begin moto number one, and he truly wanted to just stay up right for the green ag. Fifth to commence, he and the bike began to be on the same page. There wasn’t any unnecessary swapping or wasted energy, it was just he and the 250, the two lugging around as swiftly as possible. Caressing the machine around the off-cambered two ways at the top, his frame would begin to drag through these deepening ruts, as they were chiseled more and more each lap. In close company with Marchbanks yet again, the two felt as though they had to keep each other in check, otherwise Justin Cooper would begin to creep up. Battling hard with the Kawasaki, he was actually passed by the number 182 for a split second; however, after the stair- way rollers, he would slam the door, almost bring the rookie to a halt. To his delight, his newfound pace would be strong enough to withstand the charge of everyone behind and as he climbed up this rutted nish line face, his nal placing would be fth, good enough for sixth overall.
22 GRITMOTO • MAY 21, 2018