So, we have two of the Team USA riders announced with the two best American motocross riders in the 450 class, Chase Sexton and Aaron Plessinger, so for now, it’s still the A-team, and we wait to see if Haiden Deegan, the best American 250 riders is coming, or we get the second best American 250 rider, Levi Kitchen. So, even if Deegan doesn’t come, we are getting pretty much close to the best team on paper.

Now, with Sexton having a good season, winning his second major AMA title, with the 450 outdoor title fitting nicely with his 2023 AMA supercross championship, he is working his way up the list of top American riders. He isn’t in the legend or great status yet, because that only comes with three or four titles, at least in my books.

He added two AMA supercross main event wins this year and seven AMA National outdoor wins, and those motocross victories take his complete total to 13 overalls in the outdoors. He is now equal with George Holland o 13 and just above David Vuillemin and Grant Langston (both on 12 outdoor wins), so, while Langston is an AMA/FIM legend, Holland and Vuiillemin were good, but not legends of all-time greats. So, stats wise, he is doing okay until now.

Doug Henry is one above Sexton on 14 National wins, and Dylan Ferrandis, who won both AMA 250 and 450 motocross championships is on 15 wins and also not a legend. So, where we place Chase Sexton at the moment is a rider with huge potential and somebody, will probably at some point join the legends rankings.

For me, Sexton is still a bit of a question mark when it comes to where he is on the whole World rankings, the AMA and FIM guys all pitted together. Is he as good as the big three in MXGP, Gajser, Prado and Herlings, is he as good as 2015 World MXGP champion Romain Febvre and is he as good as say former MX2 World champion, Maxime Renaux, or multiple time World number two, Jeremy Seewer?

I don’t know and I think Matterley Basin will be a good one for the American number one to show that. I always look at the competition in both series, to decide which one is more than likely the quickest and MXGP at the moment is just mind blowing, while the AMA 450 championship has been something of a sleep-fest. Not knocking the series or its riders, but AMA 450s, 100% hasn’t been as intense as MXGP and that often tells me who performs at a Nations, who is up to the speed to win.

When Team USA won the MXoN in 2022, Sexton was on it, going 2-3 and leading Team USA to victory, but Gajser wasn’t there, and Herlings wasn’t there. Jett Lawrence went 1-2, Renaux went 1-3, Prado went 6-7, Tomac went 1-6 and Jeremy Seewer went 4-5, but the big guns from the last decade of the MXGP class, were absent.

The second place result in 2022 by Sexton, he beat Mattia Guadagnini, Justin Cooper, Ruben Fernandez, Dylan Ferrandis, Harri Kullas and so forth, so not that special on paper and his third place result, he beat Ferrandis, Seewer, Tomac, Prado, Fernandez, Cairoli and Dylan Wright, so much better, but still, not mind blowing.

Whenever Team USA have won in the past, they had a Ricky Johnson, a Ricky Carmichael, a Ryan Villopoto, Ryan Dungey or Eli Tomac, and I don’t see Sexton at that level yet, but, a 1-1 at Matterley, a circuit that will suit most of the top riders, sure would place him up there. A 3-3 on the other hand, or less, well then he stays in my list of average AMA champions for now.

The biggest problem for Sexton will be pressure, because if Deegan doesn’t come and they pick Kitchen and then with Plessinger in the Open class (his results haven’t always been good at Nations), that puts a lot of pressure on the captain. How he handles that pressure will probably decide where Team USA end in 2024.

Whatever happens to Team USA, we have to respect any riders coming after the season they have had, not to mention, the GP riders will have finished up their season a week before the Nations, and Gajser, Prado, Herlings, Febvre and Seewer will all be hunting for Team USA, who are coming off their SMX series, not the perfect preparation for an MXoN, but, they still come.

For me, that is what we need to enjoy, the fact we have close to an A-team from American and the fact these guys will jump on a plane, travel to a track they have never ridden and line-up for their country. That alone is impressive and lets get behind Team USA and wish them all the luck in the World.