AMA-SX 2023 Review: Sexton Wins First 450SX Championship, Brings Honda First Premier Class Title in 20 Years

Team Honda HRC was represented by Chase Sexton, in his third year in the 450SX class, and his new teammate Colt Nichols, the 2021 250SX East Regional Champion.

Sexton Chases Title, Nichols Injured and Out for Four Rounds

The season opener was held on January 7 at the Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Sexton got the season off to a good start with a dramatic race that saw him take the lead at one point, and finish third. Nichols, making his class debut, immediately took the holeshot and eventually finished 6th, showing a glimpse of the 250SX champion's ability.

This season, a three-race Triple Crown format was introduced at Round 4, Anaheim, Round 7, Arlington, and Round 12, Glendale. In this format, three races are held in a short race format of 12 minutes plus one lap, series points are awarded for overall performance. In Round 4, the first Triple Crown race of the season, Sexton took the checkered flag in races 1 and 3, his first victory for the season. Sexton followed with second place finishes in rounds 5 and 6 to close to within two points of the championship leader. Meanwhile, Nichols was unable to race until Round 11, after crashing and suffering a concussion during timed qualifying for Round 8, as Sexton continued to battle for the lead with top finishes.

Round 9, Indianapolis, kicked off the bottom half of the season. Sexton crashed on lap 7 and finished tenth, but he maintained his third place in the point standings. Round 10 was held in Detroit, one of the Illinois native's home tracks, and despite being slightly off the pace, trailing in seventh on the first lap, he caught up with the battle for second place within the first five minutes and was in second by the halfway mark. He took the lead in the last two laps and went on to win for the second time this season.

Three in a Row Gives Sexton the Championship

In the second triple crown, Round 12 in Glendale, Nichols was back in action, and rode consistently to finish eighth in all three races. In Round 13, Atlanta, Sexton took the lead from the first lap and was far ahead all the way to his third win of the season. In Round 15, Nashville, Sexton started fifth, but soon took the lead and held off his closest rivals to take the win by 14.5 seconds and move into second place in the point standings. Nichols also had a good ride, finishing fourth, his best result in the 450SX class.

Sexton went on to win Round 16, making it two in a row. With his championship rival Eli Tomac (YAMAHA) crashing out of the race, Sexton finally took the overall lead with one race remaining.

Going into season finale with the title on the line, Sexton had a good start and took the holeshot, and was unchallenged for all 25 laps to finish 18 seconds ahead, taking his sixth win of the season and his first, and Honda’s first in 20 years, premier class title.

Although Nichols was out due to injury for five rounds, he nonetheless was ranked 14th overall, and was awarded 450SX Rookie of the Year.

Lawrence Brothers Dominate East and West

In the 250SX class, Team Honda HRC was represented by last season's East Region champion Jett Lawrence in the West Region Championship, and brother Hunter Lawrence and newcomer Chance Hymas in the East Region. The team was aiming to dominate both  East and West regions.

Jett Lawrence got off to a good start with a win in the opening round in Anaheim, and continued to win consistently, winning six of the 9 rounds, finishing on the podium in every round to take the title.

In the East Region which started with Round 5, Hunter Lawrence was in the zone. He won five of the first six races to lead the series, then took his seventh win in Round 15, Nashville, to win his first 250SX East Region title.

Hymas, who raced in four rounds from rounds 5 to 8, kept up consistent top-10 finishes despite it being his 250SX debut season, with his best result coming in Round 8 where he finished sixth.

By Jett Lawrence winning in the west and Hunter in the east, for the first time in history brothers dominated both the 250SX east and west regions. The records did not stop there either. Including the 450SX class, Team Honda HRC became the first team to take the triple crown.

Race Report

Rd.01 Anaheim1：Jett Lawrence Wins 250 West AMA Supercross Opener at Anaheim 1

Rd.03 San Diego：Jett Lawrence Lands Another 250SX West Win

Rd.04 Anaheim2：Chase Sexton Tops Anaheim 2 Triple Crown Supercross

Rd.05 Houston：Hunter Lawrence Kicks off 250SX East Battle With a Win in Houston

Rd.06 Tanpa：Hunter Lawrence Takes Dramatic 250SX East Win at Tampa SX

Rd.02 Oakland：Jett Lawrence Wins 250SX West at Oakland Supercross

Rd.07 Arlington：Chase Sexton, Hunter Lawrence Improve Title Chances at Arlington Triple Crown SX

Rd.08 Daytona：Hunter Lawrence Takes Daytona Supercross 250SX East Win

Rd.09 Indianapolis：Hunter Lawrence Wins Again at Indianapolis Supercross

Rd.10 Detroit：Team Honda HRC Sweeps Detroit Supercross

Rd.11 Seattle：Jett Lawrence Takes His Fourth Win of the Season at Seattle SX

Rd.12 Gleandale：Jett Lawrence Wins Glendale 250SX West Triple Crown

Rd.13 Atlanta：Double Wins for Team Honda HRC at Atlanta Supercross

Rd.14 East Rutherford：Honda Sweeps 250SX East-West Showdown Podium at Muddy East Rutherford Supercross

Rd.15 Nashville：Championship, Double Win for Team Honda HRC at Nashville SX

Rd.16 Denver：Second 250SX Title in Two Weeks for Team Honda HRC

Rd.17 Salt Lake City：Sexton Completes Honda 2023 AMA Supercross Title Sweep

450SX - Standings

250SX East - Standings

250SX West - Standings