Aaron Plessinger on Los Angeles | Vital MX Interview

Aaron Plessinger of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing squad walked into the 2023 SuperMotocross World Championship finals with a shot at victory and so, understandably, he was disheartened to lose a position and earn a final classification of fifth place. Leaving the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in one piece could be looked at as a victory, however, based on the crash that he experienced in the first of two motos.

It was a positive season for Plessinger – undoubtedly his best on a 450F – as he raced to seventh in the Monster Energy Supercross series (despite missing three rounds) and third in Pro Motocross. Leading the United States of America to the 2023 Monster Energy Motocross of Nations could be his greatest moment too, as that is an honor that he is holding dear to his heart. That much is clear from this exclusive interview.

Vital MX: You wanted chaos, but I don't think that you were meant to be the chaos! A hard crash in the first moto and then you were buried in the second moto. Not the night you wanted, but you are in one piece and France is coming.

Aaron Plessinger: It was a little disappointing, that first moto. I got off to a horrible start and was dead last going around the first turn. I was coming back and then that restart happened. It got me closer to the guys that I wanted to be close to. I ended up flying and hitting the dirt in the sand – it took me out of that race. The second moto was, yeah, me just battling through. I was just trying to finish and salvage some points, which I did. It was tough. Halfway through my wrist started hurting pretty good and I just kind of cruised it into the finish. Like you said, France is coming! I am excited for it. I cannot wait. Hopefully we can bring the trophy back and then take a break. I am really excited!

I presume you hurt the wrist in the crash. Was there a moment after the crash where you thought you were seriously injured?

No, not really. I kept rolling by myself, just to try and get out of the way…

That was quite impressive. That was a real tuck and situation [laughs].

Yeah, dude. I knew Phil [Nicoletti] was close and that somebody was about to land on me. I did not want to get landed on or hit. I just kept on rolling and tried to roll off the track. It worked in my favor, but I just jammed my wrist pretty good. I will take some Advil, sit on the plane on the way back to Florida and recover.

RJ [Hampshire] just said that he was already thinking about the 'Nations in his second moto, because he did not want to do anything stupid. Was it the same for you?

Yeah, yeah. I did not know if I was going to get back out there after that crash, but it was pretty important that I did it for my confidence. Just to know that I can ride for that long and did not really hurt anything. I am looking forward to going home and getting back on the moto suspension.

Do you know where you finished in the points? I presume it was fifth or sixth, so still a decent payday.

Yeah, I am hoping fifth [Ed. Note: Aaron was classified in fifth] for $150,000. Yeah, let’s go. That’s one hundred and fifty that I would not have had!

Last thing. What is the plan? Two weeks until France, but are you doing any supercross testing this week?

No, anything that I ride will be moto. I don't want to take away from the outdoor training. It is still two thirty-five minutes. I know that it will be cooler over there, but it is still two thirty-five-minute motos against the best in the world. I want to be as ready as I can be.

Are you going to do a day of riding in France as well or is that not on the cards?

I don't think so. I think we are just going to get over there and practice on Saturday. We will get over there, practice and then figure out the bike over there.