HRC rider Chase Sexton burst back into contention for the 2023 AMA Supercross championship with victory last weekend. Still a bunch of points off Cooper Webb and Eli Tomac, but the youngster is coming. He spoke to the World media and below is what he told them.

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MXlarge: Huge win Chase. Anything you changed going into this weekend?

Sexton: For me, I just went to work this week. I have been pretty much all motos instead of sprints and really focusing on the main event is my biggest thing. Tonight, being in the back at the start helped me lock in and focused on pushing forward and not worrying about the race. I started at the back, made a lot of passes, overall, the best riding I have done in the main for a while. Unfortunately for Aaron, I have been in that position a lot of times and I feel for him. I was trying to click off as many laps and get as close as I could and he ended up going down, which is a bummer, but for me, I rode super solid and I was really happy with how it went down. Not a good start, clicked off my laps and that was key.

MXLarge: Chase, congratulation on the win again. I haven’t seen the points you have to have moved closer?

Sexton: Yes, I mean, who knows what they are going to do with the double in the middle of that race (Sexton jumped the double under the yellow flag), but for me, momentum wise its big for me. I have had a few tough races and especially after last weekend and going down and getting 10^th, I needed this and how I did it, that is what I needed. For me, getting momentum back on my side. Hopefully we can click a few of these things off.

MXLarge: You touched on the red cross flag situation. You rolled the first double and jumped the second. Have you been alerts about that yet?

Sexton: We have discussed it. From my opinion, Dean was up and riding and I rolled the first one when he was down. I was honestly confused what to do, if I should jump, if I should roll, I didn’t really know what to do, just because he was already on his bike, and it wasn’t even on that jump. I guess we will see, but it is up to the AMA now.

MXLarge: The battle with Justin Barcia, got aggressive and you tucked on the inside, but were you nervous the battle might end with somebody on the ground?

Sexton: I got next to him in the whoops and kind of got passed him and at that 90 (degree turn) I knew if I stayed on the gas (and went outside) I was not getting through there (Barcia would have taken him out), so I cut back and cut under him a little bit. I ran him a little bit wide on the next corner, but didn’t make any contact and then shut the door on the next corner, which I did. After the next double he hit me pretty hard, so I was happy I stayed up and kept my position. He races hard and we all know that, so it is something you have to expect.

MXLarge: How did the track feel, where did you feel good?

Sexton: Like I said, I didn’t get a good start and I could see where Eli and Coop were and we all race each other really fair and racing these guys is fun. When you have Justin, it gets a little interesting, but like I said, he races hard and it is just something that you have to make your passes in the right spot. For me I had a few spots on the track, like the whoops and that one rhythm section, where I could gain time and get to the inside, so those were my key passing places.

MXLarge: You were very emotional and excited about this win. Was this win any more important than any other so far this season?

Sexton: Definitely. It has been a rough last five races. I have been on the podium a lot, but I hadn’t won a race since A2 and that is where I expect myself to be. Being down last weekend was the straw that broke the camels back and I said what I am doing is not working and I need to change something. I did the longer motos and tried to limit the mistakes in practice and take that into the main and I did. It has been emotional and its been a tough four or five races. It is a tough class and you need to cherish the wins and keep moving forward?

MXLarge: Aaron had a great lead and then went down. Was there something difficult about that part of the track. He mentioned he was sitting down the whole race and then stood up and that is what caught his foot. Was that corner tricky?

Sexton: It wasn’t super bad, it almost reminded me of what I did last week. It was a similar section, but going the other way. It was a right hand turn and not a left. I saw the replay and he folded into the next part and it was a bummer. These tracks break down and you got to be locked in all the time. I hope he is okay and it’s a bummer for him.

MXlarge: It is crazy that you have lost some like that and you get a win because of this one to Plessinger?

Sexton: It seems a bit ironic. It isn’t the way you want to win, and I was closing on him, but I wasn’t going to get to him. I was just happy with my riding, solid riding tonight.

MXLarge: You have had to deal with a lot of adversity and stayed positive. Have you learnt a lot about yourself in this process?

Sexton: Definitely and there have been some dark times. I haven’t had horrible results, I have been on the podium a lot, but when you want to win, you keep making these little mistakes that avoid you from winning it is tough. I felt I was beating myself most times and it is hard and definitely keep grinding and stay positive to pull myself out of it. I got to keep focusing and work on my weak points.