Late in the season the 450SX class grew deeper as injured riders returned and teams resolved early bike issues, producing stronger and more consistent results across the field. Teams and riders credited better setups and cleaner starts for the turnaround, and Kawasaki said it was prioritizing cleaning up race starts to convert pace into better finishes as the season progressed.

Chase Sexton provided a clear example of the resurgence and the start-focus. In Nashville he recovered from 17th at the holeshot to finish fourth in the 450SX main, and in his heat he was shuffled to 12th at the holeshot and recovered to seventh. That fourth-place finish was his second top-five of the season and came in his third race back after a month on the sidelines. Sexton has collected two podiums this season, a win at Anaheim 2 and a second-place finish in Detroit, and he currently sits sixth in the 450SX standings. In a Kawasaki release Sexton said, “We need to put ourselves in a better position earlier in the race.” He told Kawasaki that improvement must start with better starts.

Other riders and teams showed similar gains. Malcolm Stewart scored a podium in Detroit. Justin Cooper finished runner-up in St. Louis. Rookie Garrett Marchbanks established himself with steady top-10 finishes. Dylan Ferrandis and Justin Hill posted some of their best rides of the year in Nashville. Ferrandis credited a new Akrapovic exhaust, tested in Florida, for changing power delivery and allowing chassis and gearing adjustments that produced a competitive setup. During the Nashville race Ferrandis went over a sand berm, was passed by Sexton, and was later penalized one position under AMA rules, dropping from fifth to sixth. Hill said earlier poor starts had left him “dead last” in earlier rounds and that he now believes he should be “knocking on the door for podiums.” The Supercross series is approaching the AMA Pro Motocross Championship, roughly a month and a half away.

Sources