Aaron Plessinger on DNF at Anaheim 2 SX: “My body really started to feel it midway into the race”

Aaron Plessinger is lucky to have escaped injury at the Anaheim 2 Supercross on Saturday night. Plessinger was running second to his teammate Jorge Prado in the first 450SX heat race until he had a big get off with one turn to go in the race. The front end of Plessinger’s KTM 450 SX-F started to drop, so he decided to let go and step through the handlebars while at the peak of the big double.

Luckily, he did not have a worse landing, coming down on his right side on the landing of the jump. Somehow, he got up, got onto his bike quick enough and rode the mangled machine to the turn and through the finish line. He came through the finish line eighth, automatically transferring to the main event. After the race, he was taken to the Alpinestars medical rig as he took a ride on the medical cart, giving the crowd a thumbs up.

Plessinger later spoke to NBC trackside reporter Jason Thomas on the broadcast and confirmed he was not injured in the crash. He told Thomas his handlebars were pointed one way, and his front wheel was pointed the other, saying it with his typical laugh. He said he was not sure what caused the crash but that he would be lining up for the main event.

In the main event, he was battling inside the top ten, running as high as fifth place after just two laps, before eventually pulling out of the race on the 14th lap. He pulled into the mechanics’ area, then rode off with his mechanic through the tunnel, signaling the end of his night. It seemed like the crash had caught up to him. His 13 laps were the least completed in the race, so he was credited with 22nd place.

Plessinger said the following in the post-race release from KTM, confirming his heat race crash caught up to him in the main event:

“I actually felt pretty good today, coming off having the flu for a couple of weeks. I was feeling it in my Heat Race and was closing in on Jorge with a lap to go when I hit something and was sent flying off the face of the jump, so I hit the ground really hard. I banged myself up real good. I was able to get up and cross the line in eighth, so I qualified for the Main without having to race the LCQ, which was a positive. I did my best in the Main Event and was good on opening laps, but honestly, my body really started to feel it midway into the race, and I just had to salvage what spots I could. I will regroup this week, get a bunch of therapy on my body, and hopefully have a better race in Houston next weekend.”

Plessinger’s teammates, Eli Tomac and Jorge Prado, finished third and seventh, respectively. Said Prado in the release:

“Anaheim 2 was a positive night – I am very happy with my performance. Winning the Heat Race was good, and then I got cut off at the start of the Main Event, and I had to work through the pack from there. I came back to P7 and was very close to the top-five, so I like the rhythm I had, and the improvements that we made during the week, especially in my ability to come through the field. I’m also very happy with my bike, I think today was the best the bike has felt across the three rounds. There is still much to learn, although I think we are in a very good place right now, and I just can’t wait for the next rounds – the team is doing a great job!”

Supercross

	Rider	Time	Interval	Best Lap	Hometown	Bike
1	Chase Sexton	21:17.305		1:00.307	La Moille, IL	Kawasaki KX450SR
2	Hunter Lawrence	21:20.675	3.370	1:01.059	Landsborough, Australia	Honda CRF450R Works Edition
3	Eli Tomac	21:29.032	8.358	1:00.874	Cortez, CO	KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition
4	Jason Anderson	21:35.509	6.477	1:01.183	Edgewood, NM	Suzuki RM-Z450
5	Cooper Webb	21:36.070	0.562	1:01.245	Newport, NC	Yamaha YZ450F
6	Joey Savatgy	21:39.345	3.275	1:01.611	Thomasville, GA	Honda CRF450R
7	Jorge Prado	21:42.385	3.040	1:01.827	Lugo, Spain	KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition
8	Ken Roczen	21:46.252	3.868	1:01.481	Mattstedt, Germany	Suzuki RM-Z450
9	R.J. Hampshire	21:47.300	1.048	1:01.577	Hudson, FL	Husqvarna FC 450 Factory Edition
10	Justin Cooper	21:49.412	2.113	1:02.112	Cold Spring Harbor, NY	Yamaha YZ450F
11	Dylan Ferrandis	21:50.551	1.139	1:02.141	Avignon, France	Ducati Desmo 450MX
12	Malcolm Stewart	22:00.382	9.831	1:01.753	Haines City, FL	Husqvarna FC 450 Factory Edition
13	Christian Craig	22:04.446	4.064	1:02.694	Temecula, CA	Honda CRF450R
14	Garrett Marchbanks	22:07.370	2.925	1:02.449	Coalville, UT	Kawasaki KX450SR
15	Justin Hill	22:08.662	1.292	1:02.927	Yoncalla, OR	KTM 450 SX-F
16	Colt Nichols	22:12.946	4.285	1:03.100	Muskogee, OK	Suzuki RM-Z250
17	Austin Forkner	21:23.441	1 Lap	1:02.714	Richards, MO	Triumph TF 450-X
18	Shane McElrath	21:29.701	6.261	1:02.902	Canton, NC	Honda CRF450R
19	Vince Friese	21:34.201	4.500	1:03.168	Cape Girardeau, MO	Kawasaki KX450
20	Mitchell Harrison	22:08.177	33.976	1:03.580	Lansing, MI	Kawasaki KX450
21	Ryan Breece	21:25.209	2 Laps	1:03.104	Coeur D’ Alene, ID	Honda CRF450R
22	Aaron Plessinger	13:28.282	5 Laps	1:01.058	Hamilton, OH	KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition

Full Results