At the 2024 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team intro on Monday night, Aaron Plessinger was joined by his three teammates: Chase Sexton (450cc), Tom Vialle, and Julien Beaumer (250cc), completing the four-rider roster. Plessinger was on the Team USA roster with Christian Craig and RJ Hampshire at the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations event in France in early October, which was only two months ago as we sit with one month to go before the Anaheim 1 Supercross kicks off the new season the first weekend in January. Back with the KTM team for a third consecutive year, Plessinger is looking to clean up his mistakes from this past season. With familiar equipment and personnel, the Ohio native is looking to be a more consistent front runner in 2024.
Our man on the ground Kellen Brauer caught up with the always-smiling AP to get his thoughts on the brief off-season and how he reset, his goals for the upcoming season, and more.
Racer X: First of all, off-season. Not much of one, but how was it? Did you have any fun?
Aaron Plessinger: Yeah man, actually flew in from France, went to Atlanta, got to hang out with my wife's family and then I got to see some friends I grew up with, that I hadn't seen in a long time. Then, played some golf. We went up to Gatlinburg and kind of just chilled, man. Got a cabin up there and it was a good time. So, mentally reset there and we came back. It was like, I think, two weeks of no training and then three weeks off the bike. So, yeah, I'm good. I'm ready.
It was a longer season into a shorter off-season, with SMX and Motocross of Nations. Does it feel like it’s coming just really fast?
So, at first, yes, at first I thought, “Dude, I'm running out of time.” Then when I got on the bike and actually started riding, I don't know if it's because I went so long in the season, but my base is still there. I don't know, I feel good. I feel better than I have in past years getting ready for the season. So, I'm pumped, you know. I've done long motos now and I feel really, really good. So yeah, I'm feeling good. It's not coming too quick.
Just talk about the familiarity, same team back again. How nice it is to come into another season and there's no changes, really? It's just the same program and you can kind of build on it.
Yeah, I think it's important. I think that's why I did so good over at my other team, because I knew those guys and I knew they knew everything about me, and I knew everything about them. So, I think that's what we're getting to here. You know, me and Jade [Dungey, mechanic] obviously have fun all the time and I think I'm starting to do that with everybody in the team and we're getting very familiar with one another, and it's awesome. They've treated me like family ever since I came over here. I'm having a lot of fun right now and I'm having a lot of fun riding right now.
Rolling off of a pretty successful year in 2023. What's kind of one thing that you look back on that you want to kind of clean up?
I made a lot of mistakes, that was on me. I hit the ground a lot and I need to clean that up one. I need to clean my, you know, my mentality up, which I've been working on a lot. Just knowing that I'm one of the best on the gate every time I show up is, is very, very important and I'm trying to get better at that. Then you know, [working on] riding technique a little bit. I think, once we turn pro, we're just so focused on everything else, like going Mach speed in every corner or whatever it is, we forget about the simple things. I'm just working on elbows or working on squeezing or where my feet are in the whoops or this or that just, just little things here and there that I'm trying to apply. Just little things here and there and, and obviously, like I said, just knowing that I'm the one of the best coming to the line, I think that will change a lot for me.
![Aaron Plessinger]()
Aaron Plessinger Simon Cudby ![Plessinger's race KTM 450 SX-F.]()
Plessinger's race KTM 450 SX-F. Simon Cudby ![Aaron Plessinger]()
Aaron Plessinger Simon Cudby
I know you also said that every time you get on the bike you feel a little bit better, you feel a little bit more comfortable on it. Is there any one thing you can point to that you've already worked on in this off-season that you're really excited about taking into 2024.
I'm really excited on, on what I've done in the whoops. I have a lot more confidence this year. the bikes working a lot better in them this year.
I don't know. I feel like I'm putting a lot of work into myself, and I think it's gonna really, really change how everything goes this year. I'm stoked, the whole team is stoked and yeah, I'm ready to go.
I know that it's gonna be a little bit different because he's not going to be on the same training program, but what's it like having Chase on the team now?
I think it's going to push us to the next level. I really do. He’s very, very determined, especially being that he's #1 on the orange bike and, I think he's got some stuff to prove and, and I do too. So, I think that's going to push us to the next level. I know we're not riding together every day, but whenever we do get to ride together, I think it's going to push us even further than what we are used to, and I think that's going to be good for the whole team.
Lastly, I know the end goal for all you guys is championship at the end the year, but I'm gonna throw you a little bit of a different curveball, by the time we go East four rounds in, I know it's always a little bit chaotic at first. Everyone's healthy. What position do you feel like you need to be in after those first few rounds?
All right, if things are going well, I think anywhere in the top three, I'd be pumped, and I'd be bummed if I was out of the top five. I know that I'm gonna try to not let that happen. We got a long, long season, lots more racing and yeah, I mean, the goal is to be #1 red plate by then end, but who knows? We'll see.
