Reason for Being
Davey Coombs
Reason For Being
By Davey Coombs
Davey Coombs
Reason For Being
By Davey Coombs
I

f you want to see just how much social media has changed the way news is reported in the moto world, look no further than the curious case of Chase Sexton and the dreaded December Surprise. That’s the unfortunate late-off-season injury that inevitably occurs just when it seems everyone is settled and ready to go for the new supercross season in January. This miserable annual mishap has ranged from a pair of broken wrists for Jeff Emig (New Year’s Eve 1999) to a torn ACL for Ricky Carmichael (Thanksgiving ’03) to Marvin Musquin (the last two years). It’s often caused by an accident on some supercross practice track, and it has the effect of shaking up everyone’s preseason predictions.

Sexton’s case was a little different. His injury was a broken collarbone, which will likely heal by the end of January. But the 2019 Monster Energy AMA 250SX East Region Champion was slated to race for GEICO Honda in the West Region, starting on January 4. Fortunately, he should be ready to go for the East Region; unlike then-premier-class guys like Emig, Carmichael, and Musquin, Sexton’s December crash won’t wreck his whole supercross season.

What it did wreck was Chase’s Instagram feed. Also unlike the previously mentioned guys, Sexton wasn’t on a supercross test track when he was injured—he was playing around on a pit bike. Or maybe a mountain bike. Or both.

Chase Sexton headshot
You would be hard-pressed to find a better young man at the races than Chase Sexton. The fastest rider out of Illinois since Mark “The Bomber” Barnett, he’s bright, hardworking, smart, and polite. He’s also growing up in the age of social media, where you’re expected to document and broadcast your everyday life. And when you’re one of the best professional motorcycle racers in the world, your everyday life often involves dirt bikes. That’s why it was no surprise to see him post an Instagram video of himself tearing up a backyard pit-bike track on a 110 for his 133,000 followers to view. It was ten days before Christmas.
Later that same day, a cryptic message was posted on Twitter: “Heard from a source (not a doctor) that a 250 championship contender who was supposed to ride West . . . broke his collarbone messing around on a pit bike today… If confirmed, I’m sure you will hear about it soon…”

The tweet was from David Vuillemin, the former Yamaha factory rider who’s coaching Dylan Ferrandis, the reigning 250SX West Region #1 for Star Racing Yamaha—the rider Sexton and his team were planning to go up against in the West Region. What happened next became another lesson in how social media has changed the way stories are reported and, well, unreported. First, Sexton’s pit-bike video disappeared. Then, one day later, he posted a photo of himself riding, and his own bad news, while also trying to make light of it.

“East coast it is! Unfortunately I had a mishap on Sunday riding 110s that led me to breaking my collarbone. This feels like deja vu to last year but I’ve already gotten surgery to fix it and we are on the mend now! Off the bike for 3 weeks and then back at it trying to defend the #1E this year!” He added a fire emoji for effect, as well as #CantFixStupid.

Sexton is familiar with December Surprises. In 2016, he snapped both wrists while preparing for his SX debut; in December ’18 he broke his collarbone while mountain biking, posting that bad news with a similar “East Coast baby!!!”

His latest Surprise took another unexpected turn when the team announced that he was hurt in a mountain bike crash, not on a pit bike as he had reported, so Chase’s own post was changed to reflect the team’s version of events. The new discrepancy was picked up by yet another former pro, Denny Stephenson, setting off another social media bonfire. So Sexton changed it back to reflect the original truth: he was on a 110.

After a full day of catching grief from friends and strangers alike for getting hurt on a pit bike, Sexton posted this social media surrender: “Just a 20 year old living his best life. Feeling really grateful/thankful the journey I’ve been and the awesome people in my corner! Looking forward to many more rad memories in the near future…”

Again, Chase Sexton is a really good kid with a great future ahead of him. But December just ain’t his month!

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