Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Aaron Plessinger raced his way to fourth overall in the 450MX Class at Round 7 of the 2023 Pro Motocross Championship in Millville, with 250MX pairing Tom Vialle and Maximus Vohland claiming consistent sixth and eighth-place results.
In the morning’s qualifying sessions, Plessinger powered his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to the seventh-fastest time at the Spring Creek National, setting up a strong foundation for the afternoon's two-moto format.
Engaged in tight, intense battles throughout both motos, Plessinger charged all day long to finish with dual fourth-place finishes, further solidifying his third place position in this year’s 450MX Championship with four rounds remaining in the 2023 series.
Aaron Plessinger: “4-4 today in Millville, similar on paper to the last few weeks, although we’re making good progress. Closed the gap to the lead riders this weekend, so I’m happy with the small gains we’ve made! We were better throughout the week too, so we’ll just keep our heads down and work hard. I need to work on my opening lap pace, because later in the moto I’m strong, but just need to improve on a bit of that sprint speed to get into position quicker early on."
In 250MX, previous round winner Vialle entered with strong momentum as he finished with the fourth-fastest lap time in qualifying. A consistent day of racing hampered only by poor starts would see the two-time world champion race his 250 SX-F to a 6-5 moto scorecard, which resulted in sixth overall for the day, and he's seventh in the standings.
Tom Vialle: “I started the day well with qualifying P4 in the class – this track was really cool. In moto one, I battled hard with [Haiden] Deegan all moto, though made a small mistake and went down, then finished in sixth. Second moto, I didn’t start great, so I charged my way up to fifth place there. The speed was good today, just the starts made it really challenging as you need to pull good starts in this class for a chance at the podium. Washougal is up next, the track looks really nice also, so I can’t wait to be there.”
Fellow Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 250MX racer Vohland shadowed his teammate in qualifying with the fifth fastest time, before being caught in a first turn pile-up in the opening moto and that saw him put on an impressive charge back to 10th place. A poor start in the second moto resulted in another come-from-behind ride with a P7, which capped off his Millville race day in eighth overall, and sees him maintain eighth in the series.
Maximus Vohland: "We were competitive today and my pace was good, but bad starts and that first turn pile-up were costly for us. The weekend was better for us though, we are making steps forward, and it is a matter of putting it all together now – I'm confident that we can get some strong results in these final four rounds of the outdoor season."
Next Race: July 22 – Washougal, Washington
Results 450MX Class – Spring Creek National
1. Jett Lawrence (AUS), Honda, 1-1
2. Chase Sexton (USA), Honda, 2-2
3. Dylan Ferrandis (FRA), Yamaha, 5-3
4. Aaron Plessinger (USA), KTM, 4-4
OTHER KTM
21. Kevin Moranz (USA), KTM
23. Max Miller (USA), KTM
30. Zack Williams (USA), KTM
31. Dawson Draycott (USA), KTM
32. Christopher Prebula (USA), KTM
35. Jeffrey Walker (USA), KTM
37. Crockett Myers (USA), KTM
39. Brandon Scharer (USA), KTM
Results 250MX Class – Spring Creek National
1. Hunter Lawrence (AUS), Honda, 1-2
2. Justin Cooper (USA), Yamaha, 4-1
3. Jo Shimoda (JPN), Kawasaki, 2-3
OTHER KTM
6. Tom Vialle (FRA), KTM
8. Maximus Vohland (USA), KTM
19. Derek Kelley (USA), KTM
21. Josh Varize (USA), KTM
22. Slade Smith (RSA), KTM
25. Marcus Phelps (USA), KTM
28. Hunter Cross (USA), KTM
30. Ethan Lane (GBR), KTM
35. Cameron Skaalerud (USA), KTM
37. Jesse Jacobsen (USA), KTM
38. James Cottrell (GBR), KTM
39. Bailey Kroone (USA), KTM
41. Bryson Raymond (USA), KTM
Standings 450MX Class 2023 after 7 of 11 rounds
1. Jett Lawrence, 350 points
2. Dylan Ferrandis, 269
3. Aaron Plessinger, 246
OTHER KTM
8. Cooper Webb, 147
31. Dante Oliveira, 15
32. Max Miller, 15
34. Christopher Prebula, 12
35. Tyler Stepek, 11
39. Brandon Scharer, 7
40. Kevin Moranz, 5
42. Trevor Schmidt, 4
54. Jeffrey Walker, 1
Standings 250MX Class 2023 after 7 of 11 rounds
1. Hunter Lawrence, 260 points
2. Haiden Deegan, 247
3. RJ Hampshire, 240
OTHER KTM
7. Tom Vialle, 210
8. Maximus Vohland, 190
20. Derek Kelley, 33
23. Slade Smith, 27
32. Jimmy Decotis, 13
35. Lux Turner, 7
36. Matti Jorgensen, 7
38. Josh Varize, 6
42. Marcus Phelps, 2