AARON PLESSINGER - GRIT 252 450SX

GRIT-252 | 450 SX

June 4th, 2024 11:00 pm

Even as the Ohio native was forced out of the final few rounds of the Monster Energy Supercross Championship, Aaron Plessinger couldn't be overlooked in regard to contending for a top-tier position on any outdoor circuit across the country. The KTM athlete was a fan favorite and possessed immeasurable talent, which translated to commendable practice times before the green flag waved in the opening moto of the afternoon. Immediately, he was paralleled with Jett Lawrence - attempting to show the athlete aboard the number one machine a wheel or two, while accelerating on the rear-end of his motorcycle. The front of Plessinger's motorcycle seemed to hover the ground while he manual(ed) rollers of various sizes, standing atop the foot-pegs while putting as much power to the ground as possible in order to minimize the gap that Jett had established. All the while, Hunter Lawrence was significantly pressuring the KTM competitor...making quite difficult for Aaron to partake in consecutive outside lines, otherwise the Australian was set to sweep to the inner portion(s) of each corner and try to overtake him! However, "AP" thwarted the aspirations of the number ninety-six on a number of occasions - until the ninth lap, when it seemed as though Plessinger's pace couldn't match the former 250cc standout...and the native of the Midwest appeared to open the door per se for Hunter to move forward. He quickly tucked-into a pace behind the Honda standout, following him through the rest of the grueling fifteen-lap moto - all the while demonstrating a world-renowned prowess, en route to occupying third atop the moto podium! After cooling down and being briefed on what was to come in the race thereafter, Plessinger stormed into the opening bend of the second moto with hopes of replicating what was previously conducted...until a tip-over caused quite the pileup of competitors, and resulted in Plessinger sustaining thirty-eighth as the first lap was completed. He wasn't going to walk away from his aspirations of a single digit overall, however...and at that moment, he decided to plunge forward with all of his might on this challenging Pala course! Flying across the hillside while wheel-tapping his way through braking bumps, he was swift as the rear end broke loose - never once letting go of the throttle as he acquired a points paying position on the fourth lap. Once noticing that Justin Cooper was ahead, Plessinger fought forward, and around riders like Shane McElrath and Romain Pape - to eventually acquire a moto score of twelfth at the checkered flag, for eighth overall on the day.

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