250SX East Coast Monster Energy rider
Darian Sanayei was the surprise holeshot winner in the penultimate round of the 250SX East Coast class with heat winners
Shane Mcelrath and Geico Honda's
Chase Sexton hot on his heels which bode well for an entertaining fifteen minutes ahead. Both the championship contenders got by the Kawasaki rider within the first lap and set out to make a break on the field. Troy Lee Designs- Red Bull- KTM's
Pierce Brown was third.
Things settled for the first third of the moto with not much in the passing department happening anywhere on the track until Sexton made a decisive move for the lead. The move ran the Start Yamaha Racing rider high into the berm which was enough to give Sexton some breathing room and establish a few bike lengths gap to stop any counter move by Mcelrath. Brown still had a firm hold on third three seconds back while
Colt Nichols sat eight seconds of the lead in fourth.
With half the race down Sexton started to ease away as Mcelrath began to make a few uncharacteristic mistakes. The only on-track action was a charge by Colt Nichols who was closing in on Brown for the final podium position.
The final half of the race became somewhat of a procession with Sexton going onto take a flawless six-second win with the 20-year-old extending his points lead to six points in the championship over McLerath with one round to go. Nichols got by Brown in the final laps to finish third, sixteen seconds off Sextons winning time.
"Overall, I felt really good out there. It was a super fun race tonight," Sexton said. "The hardest part of the race tonight was figuring my way around the lappers. I am now looking forward to the shootout."
"That was a good race, I felt like I pushed hard, Chase just had a little bit of an edge on me," McLerath said of his second place. "I just didn't connect stuff and had too many mistakes. I would start reeling him back in then screw up or get caught up with lappers. It's a little disappointing with second, but man I felt like I rode hard and tried; Chase was just on it, so it's do or die for the showdown on Sunday. I'll be ready," he concluded.
The final round of the 250SX East Coast takes place next Sunday when the top twenty riders from the East and West meet for the season-ending 250SX showdown.
