Image: Octopi Media.

450MX title challenger Chase Sexton has been ruled out of Hangtown’s second round of the 2023 Pro Motocross Championship, Team Honda HRC announced today after sustaining a concussion and being diagnosed with mono this week.

The new Monster Energy Supercross champion was a close second to teammate Jett Lawrence at Fox Raceway’s opener, but will be sidelined for round two – and likely beyond that – as he takes the time to make a complete recovery.

Sexton, 23, crashed on Tuesday at Pala and that led to him being confirmed with the concussion and mono. He was already ‘banged up’ following a heavy crash in qualifying at round one, but managed to pressure Lawrence in moto two on his way to second overall later that afternoon.

“I’m super-bummed to miss this weekend’s race,” Sexton explained. “I feel like I rode well at Pala, and I was really looking forward to Hangtown because it’s a good track for me. Unfortunately, I was already pretty banged up from my qualifying crash on Saturday, and now with mono and Tuesday’s concussion on top of it, I want to do the right thing and hopefully be back on the track soon.”

As per a press release from Honda, ‘a return date isn’t yet certain, but Sexton hopes to return to the series as quickly as possible’. The addition of national number two Sexton to the sidelines further adds to what has been a depleted 450MX field in these early stages of the Pro Motocross season.