Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Chase Sexton swept to his third-straight AMA Pro Motocross Championship round victory at Washougal to extend his advantage in 450MX, as Aaron Plessinger joined him on the podium in second overall, and Tom Vialle raced to the opening moto win on his way to second overall in 250MX.
Sexton has been the class of the field during the middle stages of the 2024 season on his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, winning the past seven motos in succession. He put forward a measured performance amidst the tree-lined shadows of Washougal to go 1-1 once again on Saturday, building a 28-point lead in the championship with three rounds remaining.
Chase Sexton: “It feels nice, because I wanted to get this win before the break, and to go into that with some momentum. We’ve got two weekends off, so I plan to go back and rest, because I haven’t been feeling the greatest these last few days. I felt really good on the bike, was able to push through and find a flow, which got me to the end. This crowd’s awesome and I love coming to this track every year. We’ll keep the hammer down from here and go for it!”
While Sexton had to make his way through the field in both motos, teammate Plessinger started up front and managed to lead the majority of Moto 1, until a late stall allowed a charging Sexton – who had gone down earlier in the race – to power by. Plessinger was just as strong in the final encounter, slicing his way to a P3 finish to secure second overall. He’s currently ranked fourth in the title race.
Aaron Plessinger: “These fans at Washougal are unreal! It’s cool to see this same support country-wide and that these people have the same passion for dirt bikes that I do. I’m still achieving the goals that I set for myself, even if unfortunately last week I had a crash that kept me off the podium in fourth, but we’re back here now and I’m happy. We’ll take some weeks off for now and do some things I don’t usually get to do with the family!”
After qualifying fastest in 250MX this morning, Vialle rode his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to a commanding victory in Moto 1, and then backed that effort up by leading his share of Moto 2. A fast-starting Vialle eventually took the checkered flag in second position, which placed him P2 on the podium. The Frenchman has now climbed to second in the standings.
Tom Vialle: “Today was a good day! We were able to go fastest in qualifying and won the first moto, and then Haiden [Deegan] beat me in the second moto. The track was tough and I did my best – it’s nice to finish on the podium before the break. We’ll keep training and hopefully we can come back and win these last three races.”
250MX rookie Julien Beaumer started his day in convincing fashion by qualifying in fifth place, but could only manage a 16th-place result in Moto 1. The teenager bounced back in the second moto to finish in eighth position, which put him 11th overall for the weekend, and Beaumer sits 13th in the championship following Round 8, which was the Military Appreciation Round of the outdoor season.
Julien Beaumer: “It was a decent day at Washougal. I was good in practice, and then struggled in that first moto – I don’t really know what happened there. In Moto 2, I was able to come back with better riding, so in this break we will look to make further improvements and come out swinging in Unadilla.”
Next Race: August 10 – Unadilla, New York
Results 450MX Class – Washougal National
1. Chase Sexton (USA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
2. Aaron Plessinger (USA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
3. Jason Anderson (USA), Kawasaki
Standings 450MX Class 2024 after 8 of 11 rounds
1. Chase Sexton, 360 points
2. Hunter Lawrence, 332
3. Justin Cooper, 284
Results 250MX Class – Washougal National
1. Haiden Deegan (USA), Yamaha
2. Tom Vialle (FRA), Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
3. Jo Shimoda (JPN), Honda
Standings 250MX Class 2024 after 8 of 11 rounds
1. Haiden Deegan, 361 points
2. Tom Vialle, 307
3. Levi Kitchen, 291
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