Photo by: Hoppenworld
Every year, a class of rookies graduates from Loretta Lynn’s amateur National Championship and steps into the 250SX division of Monster Energy Supercross. In 2015, the top names are GEICO/Honda’s RJ Hampshire and Jordan Smith, Monster Energy Pro Circuit’s Chris Allredge and Star Racing/Yamaha’s Aaron Plessinger, with Plessinger and Alldredge debuting in the 250SX Western Regional Championship.
With two rounds raced in 2015, the top rookie performer in the west has been Plessinger. Everyone expected the #157 to be good in time, but nobody expected the eighteen year old who came from a GNCC background to be this good. At round one’s main event in Anaheim, Aaron rounded turn one near dead last, checked in after lap one in fourteenth and fought his way forward to finish a surprising 5th.
At round two last weekend in Phoenix, he improved in every aspect—qualifying better, finishing better in his heat race and getting a better start in the main—but his overall finish was again a 5th. Consistency is the biggest hurdle for most rookies, but so far Plessinger looks solid as a rock.
After his second-straight fifth place finish in Phoenix, I caught up with the 250SX freshmen to talk about his night and his surprising results so far. You can hear what Aaron had to say in his “Race Rewind” interview below.
Aaron, tonight was your first Phoenix SX and you placed 5th in the main event for the second straight week. How are you feeling?
I’m feeling great. I got off to a pretty good start today. Practice went well. Heat race went well—I ended up third in the heat race. I went into the main tonight and just did what I needed to do. I kind of got tired at the end, but I was charging. I really wanted that podium spot, but there’s always next week.
The track looked super technical tonight and tacky. It’s usually a blue-grooved freeway here, but tonight the ruts were the story.
Yeah, it was really tacky, and yeah, it rutted up a lot. It got a little slick underneath, but all in all it was a great track. I loved it.
You’re a rookie in 2015 and so far, two professional supercrosses and two fifth place finishes. I’m not sure if you’re surprising yourself, but you’re definitely surprising a lot of other people. Did you expect to be this good at SX?
I didn’t expect to do this good, no. I’m exceeding my expectations. I’m actually surprising myself race after race, and battling with the top-three guys feels awesome. Hopefully, I can get a podium in races to come.
I know you come from a GNCC background and most expected you to be fast outdoors, but being this good against this competition in supercross has to be huge for your confidence. Do you think this success in SX will help you more when the season heads outside in May.
Yeah, it’s definitely helping me with my confidence, and going into outdoors, I’m going to feel a ton better. But yeah, this is just my first year in supercross and it’s a learning experience. Two fifths in the first two rounds is great; I’m very happy with it.
Alright, the series heads back to Anaheim now, so you should feel more comfortable being at a stadium you’ve raced in. Do your goals change at all now that you’ve kind of proven to yourself you can race with these guys?
Yeah, I’m just going to go back, do my homework and get ready for next week. Right now I’m just taking it practice by practice, race by race and doing my best. Whatever I finish I’ll be happy with.
So, are you ready to go back to GNCC now? (laughs)
(laughs) Maybe a few years of this and then I’ll head back.
Nice to finally meet you and congrats on these first two rides. You’re killing it.
Thank you.
