Page 28 - Issue-61

AARON PLESSINGER
250 SX / 1ST
IMAGE / KILPATRICK WORDS / HARNISHFEGER DESIGN / MOTOPLAYGROUND
>> Aaron Plessinger entered the season opener last weekend at Anaheim under the radar. Much of the pre-season chatter was centered around the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki duo of Adam Cian- ciarulo and Joey Savatgy, reigning runner up 2017 250SX West Coast Championship finisher Shane McElrath, returning champion Justin Hill, and Geico Honda’s Christian Craig. Plessinger seemed to be forgotten about even though he capped the season last year with three podiums and a win in the last four races. However, he took advantage of that underdog name tag and quietly earned himself a solid second place finish to start the year. His speed was on par with winner Shane McElrath but he started too far back to give him a run. Plessinger entered Houston ready for another shot at the win. Plessinger looked great
in qualifying practice at NRG Stadium. He was able to navigate the two gnarly whoop sections better than most riders and that played a big role in him notching the third fastest lap time of the class, just one tenth of a second off McElrath. Plessinger’s heat race started with him getting through the opening lap congestion in fifth place after the field grabbed the green flag. He locked in behind rookie Geico Honda rider Chase Sexton and the two tried moving further up the pack. Plessinger struggled to keep up with Sexton early
on as the younger rider was able to make moves quicker than Plessinger. Plessinger only moved up one spot two laps in but was able to easily work around Justin Hill to take over third at the halfway point. Once in third, Plessinger attempted to make a run at the two leaders Sexton and Cianciarulo but could not make any passes and he would settle for third and an easy trip to the main event. The beginning to the main event did not go well for the Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha rider. He found himself buried in mid-pack rounding lap one in tenth position. He was in a less than ideal situation but the track was deteriorating and although it sounds counterintuitive, the more deteriorated the track gets, the better Plessinger performs. He quickly started passing other riders, never sitting in one position for too long. By lap six, a third of the way through the race, he had already climbed to fifth. Many did not even notice Plessinger’s charge through
the field because of the great battle happening up front. He approached that battle like he approached Anaheim 1; Under the radar. A few laps later he really made his presence felt. He made moves on Christian Craig and Shane McElrath to overtake third place and did a great job navigating through the chaos around him. McElrath jumped off the course, Cianciarulo, who was in second, crashed and everyone seemed to be making mistakes. But Plessinger found a way through it all and after a handful of laps swapping paint and battling, he finally settled into second place where he would attempt to run down race leader Joey Savatgy. Plessinger stalked him for three laps and eventually pressured Savatgy into a mistake. Savatgy cross- rutted out of a corner and allowed Plessinger right on by and the rest is history. He would go from tenth to first in thirteen laps and did so in convincing fashion. After the race, he continued to wow the crowd with an array of dance moves reminiscent of James Stewart back in his early years. Plessinger’s on track perfor- mance would also be good enough to grant him the points lead so he will be showcasing the red number plate next weekend at Anaheim 2.
28 GRITMOTO • JANUARY 14, 2018