Red Bull KTM Factory Racing claimed a pair of podium results in Arlington’s Millitary Appreciation Round of the 2024 AMA Supercross Championship, where Aaron Plessinger placed third in the 450SX Main Event and Tom Vialle landed a first-career 250SX East podium.
Plessinger made his customary recovery from a lowly qualifying position to go on and lead the opening Heat of the night on his way to P2. A strong start in the Main Event placed him in contention and he was able to greet the checkered flag in third position, which also has him ranked third in the current championship standings on his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION.
Aaron Plessinger: “It was another good night for me to be on the podium again here in Arlington. The bike’s good and I’ve been having the most fun so far this year that I’ve had in a season. It’s just been good, everything is coming to me. Like tonight, I was riding around thinking I was pretty much off the podium, before at the end of the race some things switched around and I got to be up here. It was a good race, I feel good and am still feeling fresh too.”
Defending premier class champion Chase Sexton was quick out of the gates on his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, second fastest in qualifying and then fourth in his Heat. The Main Event proved more challenging though, coming from outside of the top 10 at the end of the opening lap to claim important points for sixth place. He’s now positioned fourth in the series.
Chase Sexton: “We finished sixth in Arlington, it isn’t where we aim to be, but we will look ahead to next weekend and aim to keep fighting from here.”
As 250SX East resumed with Round 2 following two weekends off, Vialle’s day began in more difficult fashion in crashing during the afternoon, but he managed to rebound for fifth in his Heat Race. That set him up for the Main Event, where the two-time MX2 World Champion charged to a first-career Supercross podium in third position following a convincing effort on his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION.
Tom Vialle: “We’re happy to be on the podium and excited with the result. I had an okay day, aside from my crash in practice, and that affected me in the Heat race, so it wasn’t great for the gate pick. I was able to ride well the whole Main Event, it’s amazing to get my first podium in Supercross and I want to fight now for the win – that’s really the goal from this point.”
Next Race: March 2 – Daytona Beach, Florida
Results 450SX Class – Arlington
1. Cooper Webb (USA), Yamaha
2. Eli Tomac (USA), Yamaha
3. Aaron Plessinger (USA), KTM
OTHER KTM
6. Chase Sexton (USA), KTM
17. Justin Hill (USA), KTM
Standings 450SX Class 2024 after 7 of 17 rounds
1. Jett Lawrence, 135 points
2. Cooper Webb, 132
3. Aaron Plessinger, 128
4. Chase Sexton, 127
OTHER KTM
18. Justin Hill, 29
Results 250SX East Class –
1. Haiden Deegan (USA), Yamaha
2. Cameron McAdoo (USA), Kawasaki
3. Tom Vialle (FRA), KTM
Standings 250SX East Class 2024 after 2 of 9 rounds
1. Max Anstie, 38 points
2. Pierce Brown, 34
3. Daxton Bennick, 32
OTHER KTM
11. Tom Vialle, 24
