AARON PLESSINGER | GRIT-211 | 450SX

AARON PLESSINGER | GRIT-211 | SX 450

Lines were immediately entrenched in the infield of this iconic speedway on Saturday, with Aaron Plessinger showcasing his bold maneuvering aboard the KTM throughout the multitude of qualification sessions. Launching over the eye-opening "quad" that was after the finish-line, there was little that could divert him from migrating to the top of the leaderboard as laps continued to be conquered. Executing the split lane(d) "s-curve" with composure as well, there was little his team could critique prior to him heading back to the pit area. With an electric opening ceremony taking place to begin the evening, he would be registered for heat one before upshifting and clicking into gear. The inception of battle(s) weren't for the weakhearted, as bikes would leap onto the tabletop (in the second rhythm) lane, two and three wide while nearly colliding in mid-air. Scrubbing his way over the gradual tunnel jump that followed, it would be a matter of inside or outside in the sand section that followed. Ducking his head from the roost of Justin Barcia in front of him, he was persistent on the throttle when slamming into the makeshift walls that had been created by dozer blade shortly thereafter. Using the berms to his advantage he had to be mindful of the deceiving soil that as just after the "SX" triple; where many were prone to knifing the front-end to the right, especially as he was under pressure from Justin Cooper who trailed (after Plessinger would overtake him). Escaping the first few laps relatively unscathed, once bypassing the halfway point it seemed as though he was on pace to capture a position of fourth. There would be little time left to make a charge at Barcia who was in the foreground, and though he couldn't overtake the opponent, his accrual of fourth would be noteworthy prior to the main event beginning. The finalé was a spectacle for thousands of fans in the grandstands, as lap number-one came to fruition in the blink of an eye. Combatting both, the opposition and disintegrated soil beneath him, he would do his best to follow Jason Anderson and Justin Cooper who were just ahead. Sweeping beneath the tunnel jump before tripling his way through the obstacles that followed, the amplified difficulty of this course was now considered the twenty-third opponent; where lines were ever-changing and he was forced to stay on his toes (literally) while forced to execute notable lap-times. Through the first quarter, and half of the moto, all signs would lead to him being on pace for a top-ten overall. And through the concluding segment(s), his ability to maintain a steadied gap of a few seconds (ahead of Christian Craig), would be a solid ending to this Daytona Supercross affair, claiming ninth overall in the process.

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