AARON PLESSINGER

Ohio’s Aaron Plessinger would look forward, to all of the possible variables that this High Point National could provide. Immense precipitation, an array of line choices, and extensive elevation changes, would all play into the arsenal of the KTM athlete. Therefore as he gathered a seventh-place standing before the opening gate-drop, the crowd would cheer on Plessinger’s behalf. His ability to navigate through the first lap, coupled with his reaction time and initial sequences were less than desired...resulting in a thirteenth-place position begin garnered — but Aaron was willing to make unorthodox passes, in order to gain time on the adversaries around him. He was into tenth, by lap four, overtaking Jason Anderson before doing the same to Justin Barcia — and near the halfway point, a swift move on Aaron’s behalf was conducted near the roller section, to move ahead of Shane McElrath. Now sixth, it was a process of tracking down the number fourteen before time was set to expire...and with less than a minute on the clock, Plessinger would make the move into fifth...overtaking Dylan Ferrandis. Justin Cooper was roughly three-seconds ahead at that point, but somehow, Plessinger would seemingly nullify the margin substantially and make it quite the game of cat and mouse between the New York native. Though unable to overtake Cooper in regard to final standings, Plessinger’s ride (for fifth) was notable. Moving into the following round of racing, Aaron’s initial residency (around sixth) was quickly erased for a fifth-place standing...after passing Chase Sexton just after the rollers. However the Illinois native was working his way back around soon thereafter, along with “AP” making a pass on Nicoletti...which after the chaos, equated Plessinger to fifth. He seemed to sustain this position, and was looking to zero-in on the pace of Kawasaki’s Jason Anderson. Though Anderson was riding extremely well on his own behalf — and after a while, the Ohio native couldn’t seem to nullify the gap, to a margin close enough, to make a pass. All the while, Justin Cooper, Dylan Ferrandis, and Justin Barcia were within a respectable range...if “AP” were to make a mistake. But, nothing was exhibited that deterred his position. He remained vigilant among the array of off-cambered corners, lugging the bike atop the foot-pegs more often than not. When exiting the wooded area, launching the triple before the finish-line, and powering through the roller section, Plessinger’s suspension would constantly compress...but he never let go of the throttle, regardless of how much the chassis would “dance.” The sixteen lap event would once more be a stage for Plessinger to excel upon, performing in front of thousands of fans while he gathered an eventual standing of fifth-place when nearing the checkered flag. As the dust settled when flying through the final left-handed bend, Plessinger’s fifth-place residency, when paired with his first moto performance (of fifth as well) was enough for fourth-overall!