The United States has finalised its squad for the upcoming Motocross of Nations at Matterley Basin, near Winchester, in England in just over five weeks’ time.
Just-crowned national 450cc class champion Chase Sexton has been named as the MXGP rider and also as captain, while fellow KTM rider Aaron Plessinger will be the Open Class rider for Team USA in the Motocross of Nations (MXoN), which will be held in southern England on the weekend of October 4-9, 2024.
There weas a delay in announcing the team’s 250 rider, with just-crowned national 250cc class rider Haiden Deegan being evaluated after a recent wrist injury.
Teenage Honda rider Chance Hymas was subsequently selected when medical tests on Deegan ruled him out.
At just 19-years-old, Hymas is the youngest member of the team, but the significance of the event is not lost on the budding motocross star.
Hymas will race on behalf of the United States in the MX2 Class. This will be only his first MXoN appearance. Hymas finished 4th overall in the AMA Pro Motocross standings with three podiums and the maiden overall win at Red Bud in Michigan.
“It’s an honour to be chosen to represent team USA this year. It’s been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember to race Motocross of Nations,” Hymas said.
“It means so much to get the support from Team Honda HRC and the AMA. I can’t thank Mike Pelletier enough for believing in me and giving me this opportunity to go represent my country against the best in the world!”
Sexton was crowned the 2024 Pro Motocross champion at Ironman Raceway in Crawfordsville, Indiana, a week ago after sweeping the round.
Plessinger finished second in both motos and third in points behind Sexton and Australia’s Hunter Lawrence, making these the two highest-finishing Americans in their domestic motocross championships.
In the post-race press conference at the final round of the US nationals at Ironman in Crawfordsville, Indiana, former MXoN representative Eli Tomac removed himself from consideration as the Open Class rider, saying that the honour should rightly go to Plessinger given his performance this season and the number of rounds Tomac was forced to miss because of a thumb injury.
Plessinger returns to the MXoN team he led in France in 2023 to a sixth-place overall finish.
Plessinger said he hopes to redeem his performance from last year when he finished fifth in his first race and struggled in the second race, losing a lap and finishing 18th.
Team USA last won the MXoN in 2022 when the race was held at RedBud MX Park in Buchanan, Michigan. Sexton was the Open Class rider that year and Tomac was the captain.
Meanwhile, Motorcycling New Zealand have had to re-jig their squad after Australia/New Zealand dual passport-holder Nathan Crawford was recently struck down with injury.
The other two riders who had earlier been selected for the Kiwi squad were Tauranga’s just-crowned Australian MX2 (250cc) motocross champion Brodie Connolly and West Auckland’s current national MX1 champion Hamish Harwood.
Tauranga’s Josiah Natzke, currently racing in Canada, accepted the late call-up to join the squad and he will now be New Zealand’s Open Class rider.
Photo by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com
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