Round 4 of the AMA Pro Motocross series–the first of two events held this holiday weekend at Buchanan, Michigan’s RedBud MX–featured a solid performance by Team Honda HRC, with Chase Sexton turning in the first overall podium result of his young 450 career, via 3-4 moto scores, while teammate Christian Craig posted a creditable seventh overall with a 7-8 moto tally.

Sexton started in fourth in the first moto, then took over third on lap one, and that’s where he stayed for the remainder of the race, establishing a comfortable margin along the way. The Illinois native then completed lap one of moto two in fifth place, moved up a spot four laps in and stayed there until the 17th and final lap. Craig enjoyed improved starts, and after running fourth for the majority of the first moto, he was thwarted by a tip-over, dropping him to seventh place. The second moto saw him finish in complete lap one sixth before slipping to eighth by the finish.

NOTES

• The RedBud schedule is quite unorthodox for AMA Pro Motocross, with this race taking place Friday and round five scheduled for Monday. It is the first time two races have been scheduled at the same venue on the same weekend, and the first time two races have been scheduled with only two days between races.
• Round four was also the first AMA Pro Motocross national scheduled on a Friday since 1973 and the first national held in the month of September since 2012. It was also the 46th time that RedBud has hosted a national and the first time in 40 years (and only the fourth time overall) that the RedBud round hasn’t been held on or around Independence Day Weekend. 
  
• Unlike the Loretta Lynn’s and Ironman events, fans are not allowed at the RedBud nationals.
• The State of Michigan did not require all event attendees to be tested for COVID-19, although everyone needed to pass a health screening prior to entering or reentering the paddock. Teams were asked to practice social distancing, wear masks properly and only permit essential personnel in the team pods.
• Chase Sexton posted the fourth-fastest lap of qualifying, at 2’03.982”. Christian Craig had an eighth-best time of 2’04.760”
• For the third consecutive time, the 250 class saw GEICO Honda’s Jeremy Martin notch the overall win, and he also took his second moto victory of the season, notching a 4-1 tally. The Minnesota rider also took over the number-one spot in the points standings, and sits 12 ahead of Dylan Ferrandis. Martin’s teammate Jett Lawrence was also competitive, earning sixth overall, with Hunter Lawrence, Jo Shimoda and Carson Mumford taking 12th, 15th and 16th overall, respectively.
• With Team Manager Erik Kehoe under the weather, Technical Director Assistant Lars Lindstrom filled his role at RedBud I. Kehoe is expected to be in Michigan for round five.
• The top three overall finishers from each class, including Sexton and Martin, participated in a virtual post-race press conference via Zoom on Friday evening. 
  

Chase Sexton 23 “It was fun being back here for the first RedBud. I’m originally from the Midwest, so it’s nice riding a familiar track. Overall, the day was good. I qualified fourth and then in the motos went 3-4, which was pretty consistent. I had a lot of good battles and got second overall. The classes were all pretty close, so it was about being consistent both motos and trying to get results. I got a pretty good start in the second moto and almost had the holeshot, but got shuffled back a little bit. Overall we had a really good day with a first outdoor podium on the 450; looking forward to Monday.”

Christian Craig 62 “Overall the first round at Redbud was pretty good. Both motos I had better starts compared to the other rounds, which I was happy with. In the first moto I ran in fourth for a while, holding off [Eli] Tomac for about half the moto, then unfortunately had a tip-over, leaving me in seventh. In the second moto I ran my own race in eighth basically the whole time. We made a couple bike changes for the second one, which weren’t in the right direction, but no excuses; I need to be better and stay with those top guys. I’m happy to have had two consistent motos and excited to be back racing here in a couple days!”

Erik Kehoe - Team Manager “Today was a solid and consistent day for both Chase and Christian. It was a great confidence-builder for the team going into the next round. We’re really looking forward to Monday’s race!”

Jade Dungey - Mechanic (Chase Sexton) “It was a great day for Chase and the team. Chase rode one hundred percent every lap at RedBud and earned himself a hard-fought second overall. It was awesome to see all the hard work the team and Chase put in day-in and day-out pay off, especially in such gnarly track conditions. I’m really looking forward to RedBud II on Monday!”

Jordan Troxell - Mechanic (Christian Craig) “It was a much better day overall for Christian. The weather was great here at RedBud. We got our starts back, with two top-five starts. He got to see the pace and run with the leaders for the first 20-25 minutes of the first moto. In the second moto he had a really good start and just lost touch with the leaders there for a little bit, but I think seventh overall was our best solid day from start to finish, so it’s something to build on and look forward to Monday with.”