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RED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING AND CHASE SEXTON BACK ON TOP IN PHILADELPHIA

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Chase Sexton earned a pivotal victory at Round 13 of the 2025 AMA Supercross Championship in Philadelphia, gaining valuable points toward his 450SX title prospects with just four rounds remaining.

Sexton recorded the fastest qualifying time via a scorching final lap onboard his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, before charging to a convincing Heat Race win to open his race day.

A come-from-behind ride after a first-turn tangle in the Main Event saw Sexton progressively climb his way through the 450SX field, with a measured performance seeing him take the lead around the halfway point. From there, he would keep the gap to second place to just above four seconds, claiming what was a stellar result for his fourth win of the season.

Chase Sexton: “All I can do, really, is win from here on out, so today was good! I haven’t won a normal Main Event since Anaheim 1, so that was a big focus for me today, and I am happy to have been able to do that. The track was tough, I came into the first turn with AP [Aaron Plessinger] in the Main Event and maybe cut him off a bit too much, and he went down, and I went way wide, so I had my work cut out for me. Overall though, the ride was really good for me. I felt the flow all day today, so that was nice.”

450SX Class teammate Aaron Plessinger posted the sixth quickest time in the afternoon’s qualifying sessions, dialing his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION in on the rutted, technical Lincoln Financial Field layout.

A fast start in his Heat Race saw ‘The Cowboy’ circulating in second place, before a decisive move at the middway mark earned the number 7 the second Heat Race victory for the event. Getting another good jump in the Main Event, Plessinger went down in the first turn, clawing his way back to eighth by the time the checkered flag flew.

Aaron Plessinger: “We had a really good day going here in Philadelphia. I felt so good! Great start in the Heat Race, managed to win that one after passing Coop [Webb], then went into the Main Event with first gate pick. Then someone ran it in really hot to turn one and took me down, which really sucked because I felt like I could’ve made a really good run in the points here for the end of the season. It happens, we’ll go into New Jersey and pick up where we left off in the Heat, and hopefully pick up another win before the season is over.”

Defending 250SX East Class Champion Tom Vialle qualified sixth in the 250SX combined times, before a fall while running in a transfer position sent the Frenchman to the LCQ. From there, he would qualify for the Main Event and power his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to sixth place on the night – now sitting within two points of the red plate.

Tom Vialle: “I had a pretty good afternoon going, a good start in my Heat Race, but then had a pretty big crash on lap two, and pretty lucky to be alright after that crash. Went to the LCQ and qualified through there for the Main, and yeah, I didn’t start great with my gate pick. I think I was around 10th and ended up coming back to sixth. The good point of today is that we’re only two back for the championship with three to go, so we’re still right there.”

250SX West Class contender Julien Beaumer returned to action in style in Philadelphia, charging his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to the fastest overall qualifying time of the afternoon. The Arizona native then went to piece a strong Heat Race together, capturing third place entering the 250 Showdown.

A difficult start to the Main Event following an early restart had Beaumer right at the rear of the field, with the number 23 mounting a charge for the remainder of the race and climbing to 12th.

Julien Beaumer: “I started good by qualifying first, Heat Race was decent, and then I had a good first start to our Main Event, but then it got red-flagged. I spun off the gate on the restart and I was dead-last and struggled to get going from there. Not much more to say, we’ve got work to do, and we’ll come out swinging in Denver.”

Next Race: April 19 – East Rutherford, New Jersey

Results 450SX Class – Philadelphia
1. Chase Sexton (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)
2. Cooper Webb (Yamaha)
3. Ken Roczen (Suzuki)
4. Malcolm Stewart (Husqvarna)
8. Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)
9. Justin Hill (KTM)
14. Justin Barcia (GASGAS)

Standings 450SX Class 2025 after 13 of 17 rounds
1. Cooper Webb, 278 points
2. Chase Sexton, 266
3. Ken Roczen, 240
4. Malcolm Stewart, 204
6. Aaron Plessinger, 184
7. Justin Barcia, 181
9. Justin Hill, 149

Results 250SX East/West Showdown – Philadelphia
1. Cole Davies (Yamaha)
2. Haiden Deegan (Yamaha)
3. RJ Hampshire (Husqvarna)
6. Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)
12. Julien Beaumer (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)

Standings 250SX East Class 2025 after 7 of 10 rounds
1. RJ Hampshire, 117 points
2. Seth Hammaker, 117
3. Tom Vialle, 115

Standings 250SX West Class 2025 after 8 of 10 rounds
1. Haiden Deegan, 171 points
2. Cole Davies, 154
3. Julien Beaumer, 145

KTM NEWS

CHASE SEXTON AND RED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING EARN CHARLOTTE SMX PLAYOFF PODIUM

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A weather-affected commencement to the 2025 SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) Playoffs at Charlotte’s zMAX Dragway saw Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Chase Sexton earn second overall as a result of his Moto 1 score this afternoon, with the second 450SMX and 250SMX motos canceled following an extended delay due to lightning in the area. Sexton powered his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to the fastest time in combined qualifying while working his way back into racing after a stint on the sidelines, before charging to a hard-fought P2 finish in Moto 1 as he surged forward through the field. With lightning emerging directly following the first 450SMX race, teams and riders were then placed in a holding pattern waiting for the weather to pass, however, it didn’t materialize as the event was eventually called altogether. As a result, Sexton’s Moto 1 score is where he would finish overall in the first of three post-season rounds, with the next event taking place at The Dome at America's Center in St. Louis, Missouri, next weekend. He has also climbed to second in the overall SMX standings. Chase Sexton: "Round one of the Playoffs here in Charlotte was a good day. I qualified first, then finished second in Moto 1 after getting a really good start – I just went too wide and had to come back from fifth or so. I had a good flow, even if the track was really sketchy today, so I’m happy to be leaving healthy. We go into the next race nine points down, and we have double and triple points upcoming. It’s time to shine and have some good upcoming weekends.” In 250SMX, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Tom Vialle qualified eighth fastest onboard his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, navigating the ultra-technical zMAX Dragway layout to earn P7 in Moto 1 after making a strong start. Without contesting a second moto, the two-time MX2 world champion and reigning 250SX East title-holder collected seventh overall for the day. Tom Vialle: “We couldn’t ride the second moto here in Charlotte because of the weather, which is unfortunate. I had a great start in Moto 1, and I think I was in fourth, but I was struggling a little bit with getting comfortable on the track – it was really deep all weekend on both Friday and Saturday. I finished seventh and that was the result for today, as they canceled the second moto. We’ll get back to training and be ready for next weekend and then the Final, which will be very important with all the points on the line.” 250SMX teammate Julien Beaumer endured a more difficult day at SMX Playoff 1, recording the 11th fastest time in the opening 250SMX qualifying session on his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, before an incident in the second timed session ended his weekend early. The 19-year-old was transported to hospital, where it was confirmed that he sustained a burst fracture of his L3 vertebra and has since undergone surgery to stabilize the injury. Next Race: September 13 – St. Louis, Missouri Results 450SMX Class – SMX Playoff 1 1. Jett Lawrence (Honda) 2. Chase Sexton (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 3. Eli Tomac (Yamaha) 5. RJ Hampshire (Husqvarna) 10. Justin Barcia (GASGAS) 13. Justin Hill (KTM) Standings 450SMX Class 2025 after 1 of 3 rounds 1. Jett Lawrence, 47 points 2. Chase Sexton, 38 3. Justin Cooper, 36 7. RJ Hampshire, 29 9. Justin Barcia, 25 12. Malcolm Stewart, 20 13. Aaron Plessinger, 14 Results 250SMX Class – SMX Playoff 1 1. Haiden Deegan (Yamaha) 2. Seth Hammaker (Kawasaki) 3. Jo Shimoda (Honda) 6. Ryder DiFrancesco (GASGAS) 7. Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) Standings 250SMX Class 2025 after 1 of 3 rounds 1. Haiden Deegan, 50 points 2. Jo Shimoda, 42 3. Seth Hammaker, 34 4. Tom Vialle, 33 9. Ryder DiFrancesco, 23 14. Julien Beaumer, 15

ONGOING RECOVERY RULES AARON PLESSINGER OUT OF SMX FINALS SERIES

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Red Bull KTM Factory Racing fan favorite Aaron Plessinger has unfortunately been ruled out of the 2025 SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) Finals series, prioritizing his health while still working to regain 100 percent fitness. Plessinger sat out the final four rounds of the Pro Motocross season while aiming to recover in time for SMX Playoff 1 scheduled for this Saturday, September 6, at zMAX Dragway in Concord, North Carolina, but the decision has now been made to focus on 2026. After finishing sixth in the 450SX standings at the conclusion of Supercross, 'The Cowboy' went on to claim P8 in 450MX outdoors despite missing the final portion of the series. As a result, he earned his place in the playoffs as the eighth seed overall. Although he will be unable to mount his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION this weekend, Plessinger will be on location to meet fans alongside his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammates Chase Sexton, Tom Vialle and Julien Beaumer, who are all READY TO RACE and will be back on track for the playoffs. Aaron Plessinger: "Unfortunate news, but as much as I would like to race these next few races in SMX, what I've been dealing with is taking a little bit longer than expected to come back around, so I'm sitting these next three out. I will be at Charlotte though, signing autographs and hanging out so come and see me, but as far as training and racing goes, I will be getting ready for 2026 once I am back on the bike. For myself and also my health heading into next season, this is the best move. I just wanted to say good luck to all my team and all of my teammates – go get 'em, boys!" Ian Harrison, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: "As much as we love having Aaron at the races every weekend, recovery is the top priority and although he is on the mend he is still not one 100 percent just yet. With that, he will miss the three SMX rounds, but all is not lost for his race fans as The Cowboy will be in Charlotte this weekend to meet with fans and cheer on his teammates."