Aaron Plessinger was on fire the second half of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship, finishing on the podium five out of the last six rounds. Even though he finished third in championship points, same as in 2023, he had twice as many podiums in 2024 (six in ’24, three in ’23). And even though he has yet to win a Pro Motocross moto or overall, he came close at both Hangtown and Washougal, both times handing the win over to his RedBull KTM teammate Chase Sexton late in the race.
At 28 years old, AP says he is riding better than ever, and feels like there is room for improvement for next year as he said in the post-race press conference at Ironman:
“I do, I think so," he said on if he still can improve moving forward in his career. "I was talking to my buddy about this, it's almost like my amateur career. I didn’t go pro until I was about 18, and I got better and better and better. So, I like to think of it as that, and I am pretty sure there is room to improve. I feel good. This year is the best I’ve felt so far in my career, and I think I’ve had the best races in my career this year. So, the biggest thing I want to work on next year is just consistency. Ending the motocross season like I did was a good start to it. I definitely think there’s room to grow, there’s always room to improve so yeah, I am gonna work on it.”
Finishing the season so strong, it was obvious that AP would be a front runner for Team USA at the Monster Energy FIM Motocross of Nations in October. However, the AMA also wanted to consider Eli Tomac after he returned from injury. After Ironman though, Tomac bowed out stating AP deserved to go, and Aaron spoke on the pressure of battling Tomac for the third spot on the team:
“Maybe a little bit. But my battle was really Justin Cooper for the last four, five races. I knew I was getting close to him in points, and he was pretty much the one that I wanted to beat. I knew I could do it and getting third the last four races or three races [he actually went 2-3-3-2 the last four races] was really good for me. I think when he [Tomac] came back I didn’t really see him as too much of a threat because he had been off of the bike for so long. But man, he really surprised me at Budds Creek when he started running those laps, I was getting nervous for a minute. [Laughs] And then here, he really really ripped that first moto, and I said to him on the podium, ‘Man, it's impressive that you can come back in two races and be up here.’ So, it was cool to see him come back, and I’m pumped to beat him today.”
Now Aaron Plessinger is officially in for MXoN and he stated just what this opportunity means to him.
“Yeah man, I want to go," he said on MXoN. "I want to go really, really bad, and I want to redeem myself from last year. Last year I had one good moto and then blew it the second one. I need to redeem myself and go over there and actually have time to go over there and know we are going and have time to prepare for it. So, I would love to go, it's obviously not up to me but I was the third best guy, second best American all season. So, I think I deserve to go. I think we would definitely do some damage over there in England, with the way the track is, I’ve been told it's a lot like Unadilla. I rode decent at Unadilla this year. So, yeah, I think me and Chase and whoever else they pick will be really good match.”
Before MXoN in October though, there are still three more races to go. The SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) Playoffs start September 7, and Plessinger is feeling good heading into those rounds.
“Really, really good considering my starts," he said on previewing SMX. "My starts have been awesome lately. You could say I am the best KTM on the starts, but who's keeping track? But I’m feeling really good. I was fast last year but my starts were not there. Chicago, I started 14th and 15th in both motos and came up to fourth. Charlotte, I did the same I was in like tenth or so. And LA, we won’t talk about the first race but the second race I started kind of up there and I was working my way up and yeah, it's just too quick of a moto to try and come from the back with only 20 minutes. So, I’m really stoked on my starts, I think I’ve got them figured out and I think we do really have a good bike, like Chase was saying, for SMX. I think we are gonna really do some damage in there.”
Starts will be key for both the SMX rounds and at the MXoN. Let’s see if Aaron Plessinger can carry his momentum from Pro Motocross into the next four races and beyond.
| Position | Rider | Hometown | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Chase Sexton | La Moille, IL  | 504 |
| 2 |  Hunter Lawrence | Landsborough, Australia  | 462 |
| 3 |  Aaron Plessinger | Hamilton, OH | 403 |
| 4 |  Justin Cooper | Cold Spring Harbor, NY | 371 |
| 5 |  Jason Anderson | Edgewood, NM | 362 |
