After stalking the early leader,
Jason Anderson, Sexton passed
for the lead in the decisive
rhythm section and set sail from
the rest of the field. Shortly after
setting the fastest lap of the
race, he stalled the KTM in a
tight, left-handed rut but recov
-
ered without losing the lead—
barely.
This proved to be his
only mistake of the night, as the
number-four hardly put a wheel
wrong on the slick California
dirt. Sexton cruised to victory,
leading 16 of 20 laps on the
night and opened the series with
a statement win.
"It's cool to win Anaheim 1
since it's a pretty hyped race,"
said Sexton. "I've come close in
the past, so it was nice to come
out on top tonight. I had a lot
of fun riding today—had a good
time on the track, which was
busy, and I think that kind of
plays into my favor. We put a lot
of work in during the off-season
to get back to where I need to
be, so it's been a long road, but it
makes this win feel even better."
VOLUME 62 ISSUE 2 JAUARY 14, 2025 P55
to go racing, so I went into the LCQ
and salvaged what we had. In the
main event, I thought if I could top 10,
that'd feel like a win. Sure enough,
we got 10th, so we leave on a high
note due to the circumstances and
how I feel."
70 JORGE PRADO
14TH 450SX
Jorge Prado made his full-time debut
in the States. He grabbed the hole-
shot and ran up front before crashing
and finishing 14th. "I placed second
in my heat race, grabbed a holeshot
in the main event, and even led some
laps. This shows that I mean busi-
ness, and I can fight for the top spot
any night."
MYOWNRACE
25 RYDER DIFRANCESCO
4TH 250SX WEST
Ryder DiFrancesco earned a career-
best finish with a fourth. "My heat
race was good, and in the main
event, I ran third until a lap and a half
to go. We're close! This was a huge
confidence gain tonight."
Ken Roczen used his veteran
experience to take second.
