No one is more positive when a mud race is on the horizon. Actually, no one is more positive and happy about life, in general, than Aaron Plessinger. Even he was worried, though.
“Yeah, I mean I was I was nervous because in a mud race you never really know what's going to happen,” he said, with a laugh, of course. “You can be as confident as you as you can be. But when that gate drops, you never really know what's going to happen. Like, in the 250 race, the big crash in the in the first turn. So you just got to be ready. You just got to be alert. And if you make it out of the first turn clean, you’ve got to push to the front and get to the front as soon as you can, if you didn't get the holeshot. So That's what I just tried to do. I tried to keep it on two wheels after I got into the front, and knew Shane was right behind me for a second, and then, you know, after I got the lead, I, I just kind of cruised it on in. I mean, it was a tough cruise! [Laughs] It wasn't easy by any means. Boots were getting stuck in the mud. Lappers everywhere. Yeah, it was tough, but a lot of fun.”
Plessinger is the son of AMA Hall of Famer and all-time mud rider Scott Plessinger, a multi-time Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) and AMA Hare Scrambles Champion. This one was so tough, though, that he didn’t think dad understood.
“San Diego [last year which Plessinger won] was a little muddy. This was a whole different breed,” Aaron said. “When the rain stopped, the mud just tacked up and it got so, so heavy. When your foot touched the ground, it almost wanted to stick there. And so it was really, really important to, if you had skis out, keep them right above the mud. It’s hard to explain unless you were out there. After the heat race, my dad was my dad was texting my wife, telling me to stand up! [Laughs]. I wish he was here because that was a lot harder of a task than any other old mud race! That main event really took it out of me. I'm pretty tired now. I'm going to go rest up tonight and rest happy.”
Foxborough - 450SX Main Event
April 5, 2025| Rider | Time | Interval | Best Lap | Hometown | Bike | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Aaron Plessinger | 1:17.584 | Hamilton, OH  | KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition | ||
| 2 |  Shane McElrath | 1:21.648 | Canton, NC | Honda CRF450R | ||
| 3 |  Cooper Webb | 1:34.623 | Newport, NC | Yamaha YZ450F | ||
| 4 |  Ken Roczen | 1:24.856 | Mattstedt, Germany  | Suzuki RM-Z450 | ||
| 5 |  Justin Barcia | 1:23.525 | Monroe, NY | GasGas MC 450F Factory Edition |
A week ago, Plessinger really opened up about his slow start to the season, and how he stayed the course, kept digging and then finally started putting in good results around Daytona. Since then he’s reeled off four podiums in the last five races, including this win. For some reason, the same bike setup that felt good last year wasn’t working for him this year, and it took some tinkering to get it right. His confidence was hurting after some of those early-season struggles, which included crashes and even bike problems. Now he’s got it going, setting the stage for career 450 win number two.
“I knew when I didn't get the holeshot, I knew I had to pin it to the front or else my goggles were going to be destroyed,” he said. “I picked tear offs for the main event, I didn't get any water under my roll offs, and have them not work anymore. So I knew I had to get to the front quick, and Yeah, I just in that, in that condition Addition when the tracks are still fresh like that. I mean, as fresh as you know, they bladed it with the dozer. It was still deep, but you can kind of push it and not really worry about the ruts because some of them are gone. But you gotta you gotta look ahead because they like to back blade a little bit behind the start of the rut. So you'll be going through a flat section and then you come into the rut. So it's a little bit sketchy. You’ve got to look forward. But now that first lap, I just knew if I didn't get to the front, I was kind of worried about my clutch during the end of the race because that first lap, I was really giving her the beans.”
As for his dad’s advice to stand up more, he tried a few tricks for the main event.
“Just went a little bit softer on everything. It wasn't like, huge changes, but I just told the guys I needed a little bit more feel, and I was struggling a little bit to stand up in the in the heat race,” he said. “I just told them to soften everything up and I'll let her eat, because really, in this stuff, the team really can't help you that much. It's just kind of survival and get a start and try to get out front. The rest is pretty much up to you.”
![Aaron Plessinger]()
Aaron Plessinger Align Media ![]()
Press Conference, Jason Weigandt ![Plessinger and his mechanic, Jay Burgess.]()
Plessinger and his mechanic, Jay Burgess. Align Media ![]()
Align Media ![]()
Align Media ![]()
Align Media
