Chase Sexton, Levi Kitchen win Anaheim 2 pro classes while Daxton Bennick claims best amateur

January 31, 2023

By Keaton Maisano

In a return to Anaheim for the first Triple Crown event of the season, the AMA Supercross podiums looked a bit different than they did a month ago for the season opener at Angel Stadium.

While Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Eli Tomac and Factory Honda HRC’s Jett Lawrence had dominated the 450SX and 250SX West standings early on, it was Team Honda HRC’s Chase Sexton and Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Levi Kitchen who broke the early-season trend to climb atop their respective podiums Saturday.

Sexton, who grabbed 1-5-1 finishes in the Triple Crown to edge out Tomac’s 3-2-13 results, claimed the second 450SX win of his career — his first coming just over a year ago in San Diego.

For Tomac, he failed to reach the podium as a 13th finish in the third main event dropped him to sixth overall for the event.

The second and third position on the 450SX podium were taken by Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Jason Anderson and Progressive Insurance ECSTAR Suzuki’s Ken Roczen, who ended the event as the only 450SX rider to finish top 4 in all three races.

In the 250SX West battle, Kitchen (4-2-2) — the 2021 Nicky Hayden AMA Motorcycle Horizon Award winner — edged Lawrence (3-6-1) to claim the first pro win of his young career. Lawrence took second position while Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Stilez Robertson (6-1-3) rounded out the podium.

In the 450SX standings, Tomac holds a 4-point lead over Sexton and Red Bull KTM’s Cooper Webb. Despite his win, Kitchen’s 44 points leave him 31 points behind Lawrence, who leads the 250SX West standings by 16 points.

AMA Supercross’ return to Anaheim also marked the first AMA Supercross Futures event of the season, a program developed to give amateurs a full AMA Supercross experience while providing a path to the pro level.

Monster Energy Yamaha Star Racing’s Daxton Bennick, who took the lead with just over a minute left on the race clock, did not waste the opportunity to race under the bright lights in front of the Angel Stadium crowd, and he dashed to the top spot on the 250SX Futures podium.

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna teammates Casey Cochran and Talon Hawkins took the final two spots on the podium.

While the AMA Supercross season resumes Saturday in Houston, AMA Supercross Futures returns Feb. 25 at the Arlington, Texas, event.