2023 SuperMotocross Power Rankings after Spring Creek: Chase Sexton closes competitive gap

Lawrence failed to win the holeshot in either round at Spring Creek and in the early stages of both races, there were moments when it appeared he could be beaten. That slight glimpse of vulnerability may be all it takes to galvanize the competition.

Adam Cianciarulo led briefly in Moto 1; Sexton took the top spot coming out of the Moto 2 gate, but they bobbled before completing the lap and allowed Lawrence to pace every circuit.

The veteran Sexton had a plan. His rookie teammate had not been tested often in the 2023 Pro Motocross season and if he could get to Lawrence's back tire, there might be an opportunity to force him into a mistake. But it was Sexton who made the mistakes, crashing in both motos. The falls took him out of contention, but Sexton had enough strength to climb to second for the seventh time in eight motos. The points that accompany those runner-up finishes give Sexton a commanding lead in the SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) standings, but frustration at his inability to pass Lawrence is beginning to show.

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Dylan Ferrandis has been less consistent than Sexton, but when he finds the right rhythm, he's been just as strong. His second-place finish in Moto 2 at RedBud is the only time he has managed to put himself between Lawrence and Sexton at the end of a race, giving him a legitimate shot of spoiling Lawrence's perfect record if he can stay out of trouble. Poor starts have slowed Ferrandis and made the races difficult, but he now has 12 top-fives in 14 motos. His other two results were a sixth at High Point and seventh at Thunder Valley in their first motos.

For the fifth time in seven rounds this season, Aaron Plessinger finished fourth overall at Spring Creek. Fittingly, he was fourth in both races and during the course of the season, he has been fourth in eight of 14 motos. If Sexton is frustrated by missing the top spot each week, Plessinger must be getting tired of standing under the podium and watching his competition climb up the steps.

Despite competing in the 250 class for the first two motos, Garrett Marchbanks climbed into the top 20 in SMX points and with the two riders immediately ahead of him in the standings not currently competing in Motocross, he will give himself a little breathing room at Washougal this coming week. A second-place finish at High Point is his crowning glory, but he attained the top 20 with a perfect record of top-10s in 10 motos.

250 Rankings

Justin Cooper earned his second Motocross victory last week when Hunter Lawrence crashed in lapped traffic. No one was more surprised than Cooper that he was the first to see the checkered flag and he kept looking around to see if Lawrence was in front of him. A fourth-place finish in Moto 1 at Spring Creek kept him from making up any ground in the points and unless Lawrence stumbles again, like he did at RedBud and Southwick, he is going to be hard to catch. Cooper can take consolation in the fact that he was a perfect record of moto top-fives.

Jo Shimoda is riding a three-race podium streak. He won Moto 2 at Southwick and led 15 of 17 laps in Moto 1 at Spring Creek. He refused to give way when Lawrence caught him at the end of that race and the battle between them was the highlight of the afternoon. While he ultimately lost the position, his pair of top-three results last week puts him in sight of the SMX top-five.

With one Monster Energy Supercross Series (SX) win and two in Motocross, RJ Hampshire has been the most successful rider in the 250 class other than the Lawrence brother. His record is not consistent enough to keep the cameras on him for an entire race and he's hurt himself in the points standings with six results outside the top five in 14 MX motos.

Haiden Deegan was riding high with his first overall win at RedBud and the assumption of the red plate in Round 23, but the rookie rider was not able to hold onto it very long. He was disappointed with a 10th in the Southwick sand and could not have been overly proud of his distant fifth in Moto 1 last week or the eighth he earned in the second race at Spring Creek. He'll continue to improve, but if it does not happen quickly, he will not be able to challenge Lawrence for the championship.

Levi Kitchen owes his position in the top five to consistency. He has failed to finish among the top 10 in a moto only once this year and that 12th-place result in High Point cost him in the standings, but with Lawrence finishing outside of the points in two motos, it is apparent anything can happen during a race. With one SX win and another in MX, Kitchen has proven he is capable of taking advantage of other riders' misfortune.

As for Lawrence, he continues to be drug down by a 40th-place finish after a RedBud crash and the mechanical failure at Southwick that dropped him to 26th. The NBC SuperMotocross Power Rankings reward consistency and strength over the course of a 45-day period so it will not be long before we see Lawrence in the top five again.

* The NBC Power Rankings assign 100 points to a Main event winner in Supercross and overall winner in Motocross. It awards 90 points for each Moto, Heat and Triple Crown win. The points decrement by a percentage equal to the number of starters in the field until the last place rider in each event receives three points, (five in fields of 22 riders). The Power Ranking is the average of these percentage points over the past 45 days.

POWER RANKINGS AFTER WEEK 23 SOUTHWICK: Halfway home and Jett Lawrence is still undefeated
POWER RANKINGS AFTER WEEK 21 HIGH POINT: Lawrence brothers still perfect in overall finishes
POWER RANKINGS AFTER WEEK 20 THUNDER VALLEY: Lawrence brothers dominance continues
POWER RANKINGS AFTER WEEK 19 HANGTOWN: Jett Lawrence pulls away from the field
POWER RANKINGS AFTER MX OPENER AT FOX RACEWAY: Jett Lawrence debuts in first place
POWER RANKINGS AFTER SX FINALE AT SALT LAKE CITY: Chase Sexton ends with win
POWER RANKINGS AFTER WEEK 15 AT NASHVILLE: Eli Tomac back on top
POWER RANKINGS AFTER WEEK 14 AT NEW JERSEY: The top 20 settle in
POWER RANKINGS AFTER WEEK 13 AT ATLANTA: Justin Barcia leapfrogs the Big 3
POWER RANKINGS AFTER WEEK 12 AT GLENDALE: Eli Tomac gains momentum
POWER RANKINGS AFTER WEEK 11 AT SEATTLE: Cooper Webb, Eli Tomac overtake Chase Sexton
POWER RANKINGS AFTER WEEK 10 AT DETROIT: Chase Sexton narrowly leads Webb
POWER RANKINGS AFTER WEEK 8 AT DAYTONA: Chase Sexton unseats Eli Tomac
POWER RANKINGS AFTER WEEK 7 AT ARLINGTON: Jason Anderson narrowly trails Eli Tomac
POWER RANKINGS AFTER WEEK 6 AT OAKLAND: Perfect night keeps Eli Tomac first
POWER RANKINGS AFTER WEEK 5 AT TAMPA: Chase Sexton, Cooper Webb close in
POWER RANKINGS AFTER WEEK 4 AT HOUSTON: Eli Tomac rebounds from A2 crash, retakes lead
POWER RANKINGS AFTER WEEK 3 AT ANAHEIM 2: Consistency makes Ken Roczen king
POWER RANKINGS AFTER WEEK 2 AT SAN DIEGO: Ken Roczen moves up, Chase Sexton falls
POWER RANKINGS AFTER WEEK 1 AT ANAHEIM 1: Eli Tomac, Jett Lawrence gain an early advantage