Chase Sexton at Hangtown. Lap by Lap.
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At the end of lap five, the deficit to first place was 25.416 seconds and Chase Sexton still had five more riders to pass before he could even consider running down Aaron Plessinger.
What happened from that point forward is why this one will be remembered as a classic.
Plessinger vs. Sexton: Lap by Lap
The chart immediately above details each lap of moto 2 at the 2024 Hangtown Motocross Classic, starting with the end of the first lap when Sexton crossed in 25th place after spinning out two corners after the start and watching the entire pack ride by.
Column two is what Plessinger’s lead was over Sexton, three is how that gap changed each lap and column four is what position Sexton was in at the end of each lap.
For posterity’s sake, we’ll remind the reader that Aaron Plessinger led all but the last two corners of the race.
Brutally for Plessinger, it would have been the first moto win of his 450MX career, in his 81st try. Even harsher is the fact that Plessinger had led a total of 12 laps in the 80 motos prior to the one we’re discussing here. He led 16 laps at Hangtown moto two alone and still didn’t get a moto win.
Ouch.
That was a year and a half built up. I don’t know, I slid out at the start. I was dead last. I’m like man, this is gonna be a hard moto. That was wide open from the start to the end. I don’t know what to say. That was the best ride, I think, of my life.
Chase Sexton
Hangtown 2024 podium
Chase Sexton/KTM Milestones
- Sexton is now the 450MX series leader for the first time since round 9 Unadilla 2022 when he had a 1 point advantage over Eli Tomac – that’s 15 rounds and nearly 2 years ago.
- At Hangtown, he was the fastest rider on the track the last 12 laps of the race and erased a 26 second lead while passing.
- KTM is now leading 450MX for the first time since July 2018 (Marvin Musquin left round 7 Red Bud with a 3 point lead over Eli Tomac.
- KTM won the first premier class moto since Blake Baggett (round 5 Red Bud 2020, moto 2).
- Sexton won the first overall for KTM since Cooper Webb (round 8 Spring Creek, 2019). Cooper Webb also went 1-1 that day.
- Sexton is the first person since Jeffrey Herlings (Ironman, 2017) to go from last to first. Ironically, Herlings also caught another KTM rider Marvin Musquin, with two laps to go for 1-1 and the overall victory.