PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania: Championships often feature a rollercoaster of circumstances and emotions. The 2025 SuperMotocross World Championship epitomizes as much.
Chase Sexton came back from the only off-week of the 2025 Monster Energy Supercross championship at a 15-point disadvantage to Cooper Webb and at the conclusion of the round in Indianapolis, the race before the break, he vowed to come back strong.
He made good on his promise and cut Webb's lead in half with the overall win in the Birmingham, Alabama, Triple Crown versus Webb's fourth-place finish. Sexton finished second in the following round.
Then, Mother Nature rained on Sexton's parade. Round 12 in Foxborough, Massachusetts, was arguably the muddiest conditions faced by riders in recent years and it took a toll on the entire field. For much of the nine-lap feature, Sexton led Webb by three or four positions and it appeared Sexton would cut further into Webb's lead.
"Last week was really tough," Sexton told NBC Sports, standing in the back of the Red Bull KTM hauler to escape the Friday afternoon rain. "[I] didn't get the great start in the Main Event that I needed and after that I was just kind of surviving."
Weather Could Play a Factor Again
The regular Press Day ride was canceled for rain that began falling overnight and that continued into the afternoon. As of this writing, rain is scheduled to end early Saturday morning with cloudy conditions persisting up until the gate drop on the Main events at 2:30 p.m. ET.
"It was unfortunate, but this week I don't think we're going to see the mud that everyone thinks there will be," Sexton continued. "The track is covered and we will be able to actually race this weekend and not just survive. I like it here; had a good race last year, so I'm looking forward to that and moving on from last weekend."
Sexton believes this race will mirror the conditions of Seattle where rain leading into Saturday created loose dirt conditions, but not mud. And that was the race in which he finished second two weeks after the break.
The problem was, it was also a race that marked Webb's fourth win of the season.
Resetting the Points
"[The points' battle] kind of resets every week," Sexton said. "Last week: There's not much that you can take away from it. You saw with the 250 podium, it was just a chaotic race. Anything can happen. We got sixth, which wasn't great but I made my way up there and then fell on the finish line and was stuck there for a while. It was an unfortunate spot to go down."
Finishing sixth, Sexton lost ground to Webb, who finished third after an incredible last lap saw him advance from outside the top five. Now the differential is the same 15 points it was heading into the break. And time is becoming a factor.
Five rounds remain in the 2025 season and with three points separating first from second-place in AMA's dirt bike scoring, Sexton still controls his own fate. Should Sexton win every round and Webb finish second, they would be in a tie at the conclusion of the season finale in Salt Lake City.
"I just need to win, Sexton said. "That's pretty much the bottom line. It's not really win or bust, but that is my goal — to win races — and if I win out, I'll be the champion."
There is no race more important than the next one. Weather's uncertainty aside, everyone will face the same conditions on Saturday in Philadelphia and it is important to gain the mental advantage.
"[Cooper has] one more than me and I plan on changing that this week," Sexton concluded.
More SuperMotocross News
