race recap
AARON PLESSINGER - GRIT 232 450SMX
September 13, 2023 · Aaron Plessinger
AARON PLESSINGER | GRIT-232 | 450 SMX
KTM's Aaron Plessinger had been at the front of winning conversation for the entirety of 2023, and had no plans of stopping anytime soon as competition began in Charlotte for this early September Saturday. As always, Plessinger seemed ecstatic about what was to come within the two-moto format, and following a notable practice effort where he battled amongst the top riders in the division, he would seek to climb to the pinnacle of the overall leaderboard in the racing format that was set to take place. He would find himself in fourth behind Kawasaki's Ty Masterpool to complete the first full lap of action, but while making the pass on the Texan, he would be surpassed by Yamaha's Dylan Ferrandis. It was at that point when Plessinger seemed to adopt a sustainable flow and would reside here until the seventh circuit. Ken Roczen and Jason Anderson were on a superb charge of their own and would unfortunately pass "AP" as well which diverted him to sixth in the running order...while he then had to withstand a charge from Yamaha's Cooper Webb when heading into the latter stages. However, the elevated pace was enough to pass Justin Barcia all the while...leading to an admirable fifth-place standing being garnered as he jumped the finish-line double on the final circuit. Not long thereafter, would festivities begin for the second moto and Plessinger's ninth-place residency was considered a solid platform to work from. His stamina appeared to be a bit more applicable on this occasion, where he was shuffling between Justin Barcia, Jett Lawrence, and Cooper Webb for quite sometime. There was an urgency to move forward as he wheel-tapped his way through the sand rollers and the moguls as well before the "SX" triple, where his surge forward (and into sixth) by lap nine was anything but lackadaisical. His ability to scrub through the prolonged rhythm lane would be superior to many in the division, gaining time when infiltrating the sweeping right-handed corner thereafter...which led to him closing the distance between he and Jason Anderson (who was fifth) in the final moments of the moto. Though in conclusion, Plessinger was forced to be solidified in the sixth-place residency - gaining an admirable sum of points amongst his 450cc SMX competitors and heading into the second round of the championship aspiring to work even further up the leaderboard.