race recap
AARON PLESSINGER | GRIT-207 | 450SX
February 7, 2023 · Aaron Plessinger
AARON PLESSINGER | GRIT-207 | 450SX
Exhibiting one of his strongest rides in quite sometime, Ohio's Aaron Plessinger would rekindle his momentum from previous year's while stationed in Houston, Texas. Something about this circuit seemed to gel with the number seven from the moment his wheels rolled onto the raceway at NRG Stadium; generating applause and acknowledgment from his fellow KTM assembly, as well as the crowd that began to fill the stadium seating early in the afternoon. Plessinger's ability to scrub and keep the machine low to the ground was remarkable; and translated into his heat race narrative, where be began third behind Cooper Webb and Jason Anderson. He stalked the first two riders with an intent to pass them as quickly as possible, but with Anderson moving to the lead, he would then have to deal with the number two machine as they approached the halfway point of the moto. Just near the three-minute mark, Plessinger's bold move to the outside of the tunnel jump (where he toggled both balance and substantial speed) would have him swiftly moving around his teammate before approaching the final set of jumps on the race track! Now in the runner-up designation, he would hold strong within the second-place position from that point and onward. Finishing the moto there, would be a definitive statement to all in the industry that his talent was at the highest level for Saturday's racing action. He coupled his heat race performance with an excellent beginning the main event, starting just behind Eli Tomac as they stormed through various sectors of the NRG stadium racecourse. Nearly making the move on the red-plate holder on multiple occasions, it was apparent that Plessinger's control of the KTM 450 was world-renowned; even attempting to pass Eli just prior to the red-flag being thrown, which caused the field to cease their momentum immediately. Now in a single-file(d) starting grid, Plessinger would do his best to defend the runner-up position from Jason Anderson; though the Kawasaki rider worked his way past, rather quickly before taking the green flag. Chase Sexton would then approach the number seven with around fifteen and a-half minutes to go, moving forward near the finish-line and diverting Plessinger to fourth place. From that moment forward, Plessinger remained explosive on the Houston circuit; besting the likes of Cooper Webb, Ken Roczen, and countless others while sprinting toward the finish-line. With this fourth place result, "AP" proved that his talent is second-to-none, as the series continues to move forward.