Red Bull KTM Factory Racing pair Aaron Plessinger and Chase Sexton both completed tonight's final Triple Crown round of the 2024 AMA Supercross Championship season inside the top five on combined scores, with Plessinger fourth and Sexton fifth following an action-filled night of 450SX competition.
The afternoon saw Plessinger 10th quickest on combined qualifying times, before he established himself at the front of the pack in Race 1 for a third-place score. He continued that form with eighth in the second race after a post-race penalty of two places for jumping on a red cross flag, and then rode his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to sixth in Race 3. That placed him fourth overall, currently sitting P6 in the championship standings.
Aaron Plessinger: "It was pretty wild tonight! I was struggling throughout the day and then went out in the first one and rode pretty good in the first part actually, snuck by for third. In the second one, I got a pretty bad start, ended up sixth before I was docked, and then in the last one I worked my way forward to sixth. Overall, I felt good in the second two mains, fourth isn't horrible and now we get a weekend off, which I'm excited for."
After qualifying in fifth position, defending 450SX Champion Chase Sexton's night came undone early when he was caught up in a multi-rider incident on the opening lap of Race 1. That saw him take the checkered flag in P10, before rebounding for fifth in race two following a two-position penalty post-race, also for jumping on the red cross flag. Race 3 saw him battle to third place, which sealed him fifth overall for the round, and he maintains P3 in the points race – now 20 points outside of the lead.
Chase Sexton: "Overall it was a rough day. I qualified fifth, then crashed in the first Main Event and got 10th, then I went 5-3. I'm ready for a weekend off and we'll come back swinging."
250SX West rookie Julien Beaumer starred at the beginning of Race 1 by taking over the lead on lap one, before eventually finishing in sixth place. The second race saw him put forward a solid effort for eighth after completing lap one as far back as P15, and then in the final outing he took P7, also earning that same result overall and marking his fourth seventh-place finish in a row. The 17-year-old now sits sixth in the points onboard his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION.
Julien Beaumer: "Tonight was good, especially because this afternoon wasn't my best in qualifying. I got two out of three good starts, was consistent all night, and didn't make too many mistakes. In the second main I had to fight from the back, but I'm happy with my improvements and look forward to going to the next one."
Next Race: April 13 – Foxborough, Massachusetts
Results 450SX Class – St. Louis
1. Eli Tomac (USA), Yamaha
2. Cooper Webb (USA), Yamaha
3. Hunter Lawrence (AUS), Honda
4. Aaron Plessinger (USA), KTM
5. Chase Sexton (USA), KTM
6. Justin Barcia (USA), GASGAS
7. Malcolm Stewart (USA), Husqvarna
Standings 450SX Class 2024 after 12 of 17 rounds
1. Jett Lawrence, 244 points
2. Cooper Webb, 236
3. Chase Sexton, 224
6. Aaron Plessinger, 198
9. Justin Barcia, 138
11. Malcolm Stewart, 130
Results 250SX West Class – St. Louis
1. Levi Kitchen (USA), Kawasaki
2. Jo Shimoda (JPN), Honda
3. Jordon Smith (USA), Yamaha
4. RJ Hampshire (USA), Husqvarna
7. Julien Beaumer (USA), KTM
8. Ryder DiFrancesco (USA), GASGAS
Standings 250SX West Class 2024 after 7 of 10 rounds
1. Levi Kitchen, 156 points
2. RJ Hampshire, 141
3. Jordon Smith, 130
6. Julien Beaumer, 93
13. Ryder DiFrancesco, 65