AARON PLESSINGER

With valuable points at stake, Husqvarna’s RJ Hampshire would magnify the course in Glendale as track walk began before practice. Emphasizing the smallest of details before engines fired, he and his mechanic would discuss peculiar portions of the raceway where time could potentially be gained...before unleashing an abundance of speed in the afternoon hours, and immediatelyKTM’s Aaron Plessinger was well on his way to a successful outdoor season after showing remarkable speed at Fox Raceway. The Ohio native had worked hard to return from injury in his highest form, and proceeded to excel as practice began on Saturday. Flowing through the multitude of obstacles on this Northern California racetrack, “AP” stormed into the first moto thereafter with his sights set on the highest of feats. With Jett Lawrence unfortunately falling on the first lap, Aaron Plessinger’s position within the top-ten would advance one standing higher as minutes progressed. He had occupied fifth, ahead of Dylan Ferrandis and after passing Phil Nicoletti as the first quarter of the moto had (roughly) gone by. Once there, he did his best to try and nullify the gap that Justin Cooper and Jason Anderson had both made in front of him — but the Yamaha and Kawasaki athletes in the foreground were riding at a bit, too fast of a pace for him to necessarily surpass. Therefore, with three laps remaining, he appeared to decide and conserve a slight portion of energy for the next moto while analyzing how the track was developing — still proceeding forward with one hundred percent effort, but remaining calculated en route to an eventual fifth-place standing. For round two, Aaron would take over the lead (and force Justin Cooper to second) through the longest uphill roller section on lap one — and the KTM rider appeared to be on an incredible trajectory as the narrative began to unravel. He was excelling in every facet, and was breaking away from the rest of the pack as this thirty-minute (plus) tenure would begin to unravel. He had an ample cushion over the rest of the pack that consisted of multiple seconds of margin, and was monitoring where the competition stood, well past the halfway point. Through the three-quarter mark of the moto, he still remained a threat to succeed, and the grasping of the checkered flag seemed palpable with little time remaining on the clock. But with only corners to go...the presence of teammate Chase Sexton couldn’t be denied. Plessinger would try to defend, but the number four machine would slip by in close proximity to the mechanic’s area — leaving the Ohio native in second at the checkered flag. He (Aaron) was pleased with his performance, but rightfully discouraged at how close he was to the moto win. Categorized in third overall, it was evident that Plessinger was ready for even more redemption in Colorado next weekend. displaying his skills that could possibly reign atop the final podium at series end. Nonetheless, he had to focus on the here and now — inching his way as close to the metal bracket in front of him, and releasing the clutch while upshifting via the left lever alongside the transmission, to begin heat two. Once into a standing of fourth (following the red flag restart), Hampshire quickly made his way around Hunter Yoder. He knew that his first few laps of the moto were imminent and had to be put forth with the utmost intensity. Hovering at the top(s) of each berm, he made sure to crest the likes of initial “SX” triple with authority before entering into the whoop section...knowing that the momentum he started with, was a foundation of sorts for obstacles in the foreground. The velocities sustained were evident of how hard RJ was charging, but the number twenty-four couldn’t seem to garner enough of a surplus (in terms of speed) to catch and pass both, Jo Shimoda and Jordon Smith who were out front. He relentlessly pursued the opponents through the seven-lap contest, but would come up just short of occupying second...leaving him third as he exited the raceway. From the moment the main event began, Hampshire immediately portrayed determination that rivaled the other elite contenders of the field, including Levi Kitchen, Jordon Smith, and so on. He was behind the two aforementioned opponents and watched as they battled amongst one another, via the third-place position. Hampshire would make a move on Kitchen (for second) with three and a half minutes gone by, in the first corner of the racetrack, before embarking on the initial rhythm lane. RJ remained patient as he monitored the gap between he and Yamaha’s Smith...until the fellow veteran would wash-out in the mechanic’s area corner, with just under nine minutes remaining on the clock! Now into the lead, the path to victory lane couldn’t have been much smoother. The veteran rode with immense composure and at a sustainable pace that didn’t encourage overriding or mistakes of any kind. His mechanic would constantly let him know, as to how far back Levi Kitchen stood — but in reality, there was little that could bother the Husqvarna competitor at the front of the pack...leading eleven laps in total, to earn victory at the finish line!