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SPIRITED RIDE EARNS RED BULL KTM'S CHASE SEXTON DETROIT PODIUM FINISH

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Chase Sexton put in a spirited performance during Round 6 of the 2025 AMA Supercross Championship, charging from last place on the opening lap of the Main Event to finish in third position on the podium.

Sexton powered his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to the top of the 450SX Class qualifying timesheets for the second successive round, notching pole position with a 47.353 laptime around the indoor Ford Field layout.

Continuing the momentum in his Heat Race, Sexton rocketed out of the gates and crossed the stripe behind teammate Aaron Plessinger, making it a Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 1-2 during the opening laps. Sexton would eventually make a pass on his teammate, and breeze to the Heat Race victory.

The Main Event didn’t get off to the best of starts for Sexton, who mistimed the gate and was held up whilst the field took off. However, in true championship form, the former red plate-holder clawed his way through the field, never giving up as he surged to third place to maintain the joint series lead.

Chase Sexton: "It wasn’t a win, although sometimes these are the ones that stick with you more because you put so much heart and fight into it. These types of rides mean a lot, even though it wasn’t a win, it was the best that I could do tonight.”

It was another holeshot for ‘The Cowboy’ in the Main Event, who held tough at the front of the 450SX Class during the early stages. Feeling the effects of being under the weather at around the halfway mark, Plessinger would finish his night in Detroit with P9.

Aaron Plessinger:  "I felt pretty good all day on the bike in Detroit, although off the bike wasn’t ideal. My chest was burning a bit, and it was a struggle. Holeshot the Heat Race, led the race and then got fourth. Same deal with the Main Event, I holeshot, led early on, and ended up finishing in ninth. We’ll go back, recover, and come out swinging in Arlington.”

Defending 250SX East Class Champion Tom Vialle opened his Detroit weekend by recording the fourth-fastest qualifying time onboard the KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, before racing to fifth place in his Heat Race after a minor mishap.

A mid-field start for Vialle in the Main Event had the Frenchman's work cut out for him, as he steadily made his way forward throughout the duration of the race. In a solid performance, Vialle finished with a fourth-place finish in Round 2 of the Eastern Division.

Tom Vialle: "I finished fourth in Detroit, very close to the podium. We had a great Main Event, started around position six or seven, came back to third, and then they red-flagged the race toward the end. I ended up with fourth, although we’re going in the right direction – the speed is good, and we’ll get ready for Daytona in two weeks.”

Next Race: February 22 – Arlington, Texas

Results 450SX Class – Detroit
1. Cooper Webb (Yamaha)
2. Ken Roczen (Suzuki)
3. Chase Sexton (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)
4. Malcolm Stewart (Husqvarna)
7. Justin Barcia (GASGAS)
9. Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)
10. Justin Hill (KTM)
18. Kevin Moranz (KTM)
20. Anthony Rodriguez (KTM)

Standings 450SX Class 2025 after 6 of 17 rounds
1. Chase Sexton, 121 points
2. Cooper Webb, 121
3. Ken Roczen, 105
5. Malcolm Stewart, 95
7. Justin Barcia, 83
10. Justin Hill, 69
13. Aaron Plessinger, 53

Results 250SX East Class – Detroit
1. Levi Kitchen (Kawasaki)
2. Max Anstie (Yamaha)
3. RJ Hampshire (Husqvarna)
4. Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)
14. Gage Linville (KTM)
20. Ayden Shive (KTM)

Standings 250SX East Class 2025 after 2 of 10 rounds
1. Max Anstie, 47 points
2. Levi Kitchen, 38
3. Tom Vialle, 35
14. Gage Linville, 18
25. Ayden Shive, 2

KTM NEWS

TOM VIALLE AND RED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING CLINCH THIRD IN 250SMX FINALS

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Tonight's 2025 SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) Final saw Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle clinch third overall for the weekend and 250SMX standings following a dramatic season-ending round at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Two-time MX2 World Champion and reigning 250SX East title-holder Vialle qualified fifth fastest onboard his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, before racing to a strong fourth-place finish in the opening moto. In Moto 2, Vialle progressed at a rapid rate throughout the race after a troubled start, finding himself running as high as P2 with the clock counting down. Ultimately, third in the final SMX race of the year contributed to the Frenchman earning third on the podium in Las Vegas, and delivering P3 in the series classification. The 2025 SMX season marked another convincing year for the 24-year-old, who claimed his second-consecutive 250SX East Championship in Supercross, as well as fifth in the Pro Motocross 250MX point standings. Tom Vialle: “The track was really fast today and I had a tough start in Moto 2, but I pushed hard until the very end! I'm pretty satisfied with third in the SMX Championship – I feel like I maximized what was possible for today. Overall, I'm happy with the way that I have ended my 250 career, I pushed as hard as I could in that second race, and I was satisfied in the end with how it worked out tonight." Equipped with the KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION in the 450SMX division, Chase Sexton qualified sixth as he adapted to the unique four-lane, dragway-based layout, which featured a range of hybrid-style conditions and obstacles to complete the SMX post-season. In Moto 1, Sexton completed the first lap in sixth before eventually crossing the finish-line in P7. While running inside the top-five in Moto 2, the 25-year-old would unfortunately crash heavily during the latter stages of the moto, later confirming a mild concussion and a weak shoulder that he will have further evaluated this upcoming week. Sexton's 2025 SMX season was highlighted by finishing second in the 450SX standings at the conclusion of Supercross, however, he would go on to miss a large portion of 450MX outdoors. Despite his incident in the Las Vegas SMX Final tonight, he was ranked eighth in the series. Results 450SMX Class – SMX Final 1. Jett Lawrence (Honda) 2. Hunter Lawrence (Honda) 3. Eli Tomac (Yamaha) 6. RJ Hampshire (Husqvarna) 9. Justin Barcia (GASGAS) 10. Justin Hill (KTM) 14. Chase Sexton (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) Standings 450SMX Class 2025 after 3 of 3 rounds 1. Jett Lawrence, 166 points 2. Hunter Lawrence, 151 3. Eli Tomac, 135 7. RJ Hampshire, 109 8. Chase Sexton, 92 10. Justin Barcia, 86 12. Justin Hill, 62 19. Malcolm Stewart, 20 22. Aaron Plessinger, 14 Results 250SMX Class – SMX Final 1. Jo Shimoda (Honda) 2. Seth Hammaker (Kawasaki) 3. Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 8. Lux Turner (KTM) 22. Ryder DiFrancesco (GASGAS) Standings 250SMX Class 2025 after 3 of 3 rounds 1. Jo Shimoda, 167 points 2. Seth Hammaker, 144 3. Tom Vialle, 127 12. Lux Turner, 56 16. Ryder DiFrancesco, 41 22. Julien Beaumer, 15