Chase Sexton won the opening round of the 2023 SuperMotocross World Championship Playoff Series with a commanding 1-1 performance at zMAX Dragway at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. Sexton was the #1 seed going into the three-round playoff, and extended his lead to 12 points as Aaron Plessinger (#2 seed) and Jett Lawrence (#3 seed) struggled.
Ken Roczen converted a pair of P3 finishes to take P2 overall. Roczen started the first moto in P7 and moved up to P3 by the midway point, where he finished behind Sexton and Dylan Ferrandis. In the second moto, Roczen led the first 10 of 17 laps before surrendering the top spot to a surging Sexton. On lap 14, Lawrence moved into P2 and Roczen dropped to P3, where he finished.
Dylan Ferrandis’s 2-4 day gave him P3 overall, losing the battle for second overall with Roczen on the tiebreaker—the second moto finish. Ferrandis started in P5, moving up into P3 on lap 2. Ferrandis locked down P2 when he passed moto 1 holeshotter Justin Barcia on lap 6. In moto 2, Ferrandis again started in P5, but only moved up one spot by the finish, trailing the trio of Sexton, Lawrence, and Roczen.
Jett Lawrence came into the SuperMotocross Playoffs series with the momentum of 22 consecutive Pro Motocross moto wins. However, Lawrence was in P8 after the first lap and only improved one position by the end. Lawrence rode much more aggressively in moto 2, again starting in P8, before moving past Cooper Webb, Barcia, Ferrandis, Ty Masterpool, Jason Anderson, and Roczen to take P2 on lap 14 of 17. However, Lawrence was never able to challenge Sexton.
Lawrence’s 7-2 ride gave him P4 overall, ahead of Anderson (4-5). Plessinger (5-6), Barcia (6-8), Webb (8-7), Garrett Marchbanks (10-9), and Colt Nichols (12-10) rounded out the top 10 in that order.
The 2023 SuperMotocross World Championship Playoff Series resumes next week in Joliet, Illinois, at Chicagoland Speedway. The race pays double points. Check out our 2023 SuperMotocross Television Schedule for viewing details.
Photography courtesy of Feld Sports
2023 SuperMotocross Round 1 Results, zMAX Dragway at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, NC
- Chase Sexton, Honda
- Ken Roczen, Suzuki
- Dylan Ferrandis, Yamaha
- Jett Lawrence, Honda
- Jason Anderson, Kawasaki
- Aaron Plessinger, KTM
- Justin Barcia, GasGas
- Cooper Webb, Yamaha
- Garrett Marchbanks, Yamaha
- Colt Nichols, Kawasaki
- Ty Masterpool, Kawasaki
- Fredrik Norén, Kawasaki
- Phil Nicoletti, Yamaha
- Grant Harlan, Yamaha
- Justin Hill, KTM
- Adam Cianciarulo, Kawasaki
- Shane McElrath, Yamaha
- Kyle Chisholm, Suzuki
- Dean Wilson, Honda
- Josh Hill, Yamaha
- Kevin Moranz, Honda
- Jerry Robin, Yamaha
2023 SuperMotocross Playoff Series Standings (after 1 of 3 rounds)
- Chase Sexton, Honda, 50 points
- Jett Lawrence, Honda, 38
- Aaron Plessinger, KTM, 38
- Dylan Ferrandis, Yamaha, 37
- Ken Roczen, Suzuki, 36
- Jason Anderson, Kawasaki, 32
- Cooper Webb, Yamaha/KTM, 30
- Justin Barcia, GasGas, 27
- Adam Cianciarulo, Kawasaki, 24
- Garrett Marchbanks, Yamaha, 22
- Fredrik Norén, Kawasaki, 21
- Ty Masterpool, Kawasaki, 19
- Grant Harlan, Yamaha, 18
- Colt Nichols, Kawasaki/Honda, 15
- Justin Hill, KTM, 14
- Kyle Chisholm, Suzuki, 10
- Phil Nicoletti, Yamaha, 9
- Shane McElrath, Yamaha/Suzuki, 7
- Dean Wilson, Honda, 8
- Josh Hill, Yamaha/KTM, 4
- Kevin Moranz, Honda/KTM, 1
