Round six of the Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship brought the action to Detroit’s Ford Field, where freezing temperatures outside were no match for the heat on the track.
As injuries continue to shake up the season – Jett Lawrence, Eli Tomac, and Hunter Lawrence among the key names missing – the battle for points and podiums is only getting more intense.
450SX CLASS
Chase Sexton laid down the fastest lap in 450SX qualifying, setting a 47.353-second time to claim pole position. Ken Roczen and Cooper Webb rounded out the top three, while last week’s winner, Malcolm Stewart, slotted into fifth.
In heat one, Jason Anderson wasted no time charging to the front, making quick passes to take the lead and hold off Roczen for the win. Justin Cooper rounded out the top three.
Heat two saw Sexton start strong, moving past Aaron Plessinger early to take the win. Stewart, fresh off his first career 450SX win last week, kept the momentum rolling by finishing second, while Webb took third. Plessinger crossed the line in fourth.
Plessinger grabbed the holeshot as the 450SX main event got underway, while his team-mate, Sexton, had a nightmare start. He hit the gate and left himself with a massive challenge from dead last. His troubles didn’t end there, as he crashed just a few corners later after colliding with another rider.
At the end of lap one, Roczen emerged from the early chaos in the lead after a brief battle with Plessinger.
The German rider controlled the race for 22 laps, with Webb lurking behind, patiently waiting for the right moment to strike. With three laps to go, Webb made his move and took over the lead.
Roczen fought hard to reclaim the top spot but ultimately had to settle for second, crossing the line less than a second behind Webb.
Despite his disastrous start, Sexton put in a remarkable charge through the technical track, carving his way through the field. After an intense battle with a determined Anderson, Sexton secured a podium finish in third—though nearly 20 seconds adrift of the leading duo.
Last week’s winner, Stewart, had another strong showing, running fifth for most of the race before making a late pass to claim fourth and collect valuable championship points. Justin Cooper followed closely behind, finishing just half a second back in fifth. Meanwhile, heat one winner Anderson had a frustrating night, crashing in the final moments and ultimately settling for sixth place.
“I really liked where I was by lap three when I got around Aaron [Plessinger] and was with Kenny. I knew he was riding well today so it was going to be a good pace, and we had some good laps… He felt the pressure and rode well all through the main event. I was trying hard, and he picked up on some of my lines. It was a tough main event … I’ve been in that position before and it felt great. I’m stoked to get that first win and get the red plate. It just felt awesome,” Webb, said when asked at what point he felt he had the win.
Roczen reflected on his performance with a positive outlook, emphasising his composure under pressure and satisfaction with his podium finish:
“It was a really fun race… I kept my cool the whole time even though he was revving behind me. I didn’t let anything faze me,” Roczen said. “I know the stigma of when we go to battle and him getting me toward the end, but I just tried to do what I could; it’s honest work … I’m happy with a podium, I really am, even though we only got two points closer [to the points lead], I’m doing whatever I can out there and we’re executing our plans that we have coming into the [racing].”
Sexton remained upbeat despite a tough start, highlighting his aggressive riding and determination to turn things around:
“I was dead last, and I was like, ‘Well, time to send it!” Sexton said. “I felt like I rode really well; probably the best ride of the season, but it’s obviously not the result we wanted. But I made the most of a bad situation… I was smashing the whoops and that’s more like it for me. I’m looking forward to keeping this season going; that ride was fun.”
In the championship standings, Sexton and Webb are now tied for the lead with 121 points each. Roczen sits 16 points back in third, while Anderson is 21 points off the lead in fourth. Stewart rounds out the top five.
250SX EAST CLASS:
Levi Kitchen (pictured above) took the top spot in 250SX East qualifying, narrowly edging out team-mate Seth Hammaker by just 0.03 seconds. England’s Max Anstie, the Tampa round winner, clocked the third-fastest time, continuing his strong start to the season.
Despite riding with a broken finger, Nate Thrasher fought through the pain to lead every lap and take the win in heat one. Chance Hymas finished second, seven seconds back, while Hammaker claimed third.
Heat two saw Kitchen back up his qualifying speed with a hard-fought win over championship leader Anstie, who grabbed the holeshot but had to settle for second. RJ Hampshire rounded out the podium in third.
Meanwhile, Austin Forkner and Max Vohland were forced to take the long route into the main event, battling through the LCQ to secure their spots.
Opening-round winner Anstie grabbed the holeshot and put himself in prime position for another victory, leading 16 of the 18 laps in dominant fashion. Kitchen settled into second early, while Tom Vialle made a strong start before being passed by Hampshire.
The race took a dramatic turn when Cameron McAdoo crashed hard in the whoops late in the main event, bringing out the red flag. Despite over 90% of the race being completed, officials issued a staggered restart with just a lap and a half remaining – a decision that sparked plenty of debate.
Anstie, who had a seven-second lead before the restart, led the field back to racing, with Kitchen right on his rear wheel. Kitchen wasted no time applying pressure, making a move on Anstie. The two swapped positions multiple times, allowing Hampshire to close in. When Kitchen ran Anstie high, Hampshire capitalised and slipped into second.
After an intense final lap, Kitchen emerged victorious, taking the Detroit 250SX win in a wild conclusion to the race. Anstie fought back to reclaim second after passing Hampshire in the whoops, while Hampshire settled for third – a solid result considering he had his own crash earlier in the race.
Despite the thrilling battle to the checkered flag, questions remain about the restart ruling, leaving riders and fans divided on whether it was the right call.
“Max rode so good in the beginning of that event … then the red flag came out and I was like, ‘It’s time to reset and I can capitalise on this.’ I took a few deep breaths and just treated it like I was doing a two-lap sprint at Sandbox [Training Facility],” Kitchen explained.
“I sent it, made a pretty aggressive pass, and was able to get that [triple jump] out of the turn and got a little gap. We’ll take that. I had to bounce back after last weekend … [After the re-start] I knew it was [going to be] green flag, white flag, checkers, so I tried to plan to get a pass and get some room, and that’s what I did.”
Anstie was frustrated by the untimely red flag but remained confident in his speed and overall performance:
“That red flag threw a bit of a spanner into the plan there. I was in a tough spot, because I knew Levi was fast, and the track was quite open. There were a lot of places to send it down the inside, and I would have done the same thing … I had it in the bag.
“I was literally cruising around the last two laps, and then the red flag [came out]. It is what it is. Big picture: I’m solid, I feel really good, I’m fast, I’m comfy where I’m at so, yeah, what a bummer,” Anstie said.
After a tough outing last weekend, third-placed RJ Hampshire was happy to get his season back on track.
“We needed a podium so bad after last weekend,” Hampshire said. “There was no one that pulled a worse card than me last weekend [getting the bike stuck on a track marker] … We came up with a pretty good setting for that Main Event and that’s the best I felt all day. We’ll take it. If you noticed, on the re-start I was hanging back a little bit. I didn’t want to throw it away for no reason.”
After two rounds of 250SX East, Anstie retains the championship lead with a seven-point advantage over Kitchen. Defending champion Vialle sits third, just two points further back, after finishing fourth in Detroit.
Riders continue the 2025 season as the championship now moves to Arlington, in Texas, for round 7 next weekend.
Photo courtesy Kawasaki
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