One of the most physically-demanding races of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship greeted riders at the weekend, with racing on the series’ one and only sand track – The Wick 338.
It therefore came as no surprise that KTM Factory Team rider Aaron Plessinger rose to the occasion for a podium finish in the 450MX class, racing to a season-best third overall with 7-3 moto finishes in Southwick, Massachusetts.
The day was won by Colorado’s Eli Tomac (Yamaha) with 1-1 score-card, while Honda’s Chase Sexton kept his series lead intact with a 2-2 moto score.
Germany’s Ken Roczen (Honda) claimed fourth overall at Southwick with a 6-4 score card.
It was Tomac’s second consecutive sweep, coming one week after he won both 450cc motos and the overall victory at the Redbud National in Buchanan, Michigan.
His wins at The Wick 338 also gave Tomac his fifth consecutive moto since racing at High Point on June 18. He has won seven out of 12 motos so far this season.
Tomac is now just one point adrift of Sexton in the standings.
Meanwhile, Plessinger, a rider known for his versatile riding abilities in all types of terrain, put all the pieces together in some of the most gruelling conditions of the season.
The Ohio native had a bit of a slow start to the day, qualifying 19th, but he turned things around at the drop of a gate and he proved to only get stronger as the day went on.
In 450cc class race one, he got off to an eighth-place start and he battled there for the first five laps.
Climbing up to sixth midway through, he fought hard to break into the top-five late in the race but a mishap with his tear-offs cost him a position with a few laps to go, ultimately finishing seventh.
With a powerful start in race two, Plessinger immediately worked up to second and he chased after the leader for the first half of racing. Dicing back-and-forth in a heated battle between second and third, Plessinger eventually settled into third late in the race and he finished strong with his first moto-podium of the season in third.
Aaron Plessinger: “It was an interesting one today! I felt good in qualifying but the numbers didn’t show with P19.
“In the first moto, I was feeling good and started flowing and caught up to almost fifth and then lost my tear-offs in the last few laps, so I ended up seventh.
“Second moto, I got off to a sick start and me, Eli and Kenny were battling there for a bit. I got by Kenny and tried to pace Eli for a bit but Chase was on rails and I started making a few mistakes there at the end. Overall, it was a really good day and I’m heading into Spring Creek with high confidence.”
It was a steady day for Ryan Dungey, who battled around the top-five for a majority of the racing and settled for a 4-7 scorecard.
Halfway into his “comeback season,” the veteran rider holds an impressive fifth-place standing in the 2022 450MX Championship points.
The 2022 AMA Pro Motocross Championships head to Millville, Minnesota next Saturday, July 16 for Round 7 of the 12-race series.
Photo courtesy KTM
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RESULTS & STANDINGS:
Results 450MX Class – Southwick National:
- Eli Tomac (Yam) 1-1
- Chase Sexton (Hon) 2-2
- Aaron Plessinger (KTM) 7-3
- Ken Roczen (Hon) 6-4
- Christian Craig (Yam) 3-8
- Max Anstie (Hon) 5-5
- Ryan Dungey (KTM) 4-7
- Jason Anderson (Kaw) 8-7
- Benny Bloss (KTM) 10-10
- Justin Barcia (GG) 13-9
Results 250MX Class – Southwick National:
- Jett Lawrence (Hon) 1-1
- Jo Shimoda (Kaw) 2-3
- Justin Cooper (Hon) 3-4
- Levi Kitchen (Yam) 8-2
- RJ Hampshire (Hus) 5-4
- Stilez Robertson (Hus) 7-7
- Hunter Lawrence (Hon) 6-8
- Michael Mosiman (GG) 5-9
- Nate Thrasher (Yam) 15-6
- Jalek Swoll (Hus) 12-10
Standings 450MX Class 2022 after 6 of 12 rounds:
- Chase Sexton, 268 points
- Eli Tomac, 267
- Ken Roczen, 227
Standings 250MX Class 2022 after 6 of 12 rounds:
- Jett Lawrence, 261 points
- Hunter Lawrence, 246
- Jo Shimoda, 224