Kawasaki explains: It was not a defect, Sexton braked out his engine

Immediately after his crash during the press day, Kawasaki factory rider Chase Sexton explained that an engine failure was the cause of his crash. When the engine suddenly locks up during the flight phase, the motorbike receives a forward momentum that can no longer be controlled. This is how his take-off is said to have happened. Now it turns out: it was different.

Using the brakes to correct the trajectory

The rear brake in particular is used by riders to correct the position of the motorbike during the flight phase. If the front wheel is too low, the rider can lift the front by applying full throttle. If he steps on the brake, he achieves the opposite effect: the front tilts downwards. These 'course corrections' can often be observed in motocross and supercross.

Analysing the data

Kawasaki team boss Dan Fahie explained that the analysis of the data recording showed that there was no malfunction of the engine. However, Sexton applied the rear brake during the flight phase, causing his rear wheel to lock up and the engine to stall completely due to the braking effect. This could have been avoided if he had pulled the clutch.

Maybe we should have told him that you stall the engine when you step on the brake.

Dan Fahie

Injured knee

Chase Sexton was unable to compete after this crash in Thunder Valley because his knee was badly swollen. He himself has not yet commented on the incident again. In his first statement after the crash, he claimed that a bike problem was the cause of his fall. Fahie reacted with sarcasm: "Maybe we should have told him that you stall the engine when you step on the brakes."