Aaron Plessinger on DNF at Anaheim 2 SX: “My body really started to feel it midway into the race”
Aaron Plessinger is lucky to have escaped injury at the Anaheim 2 Supercross on Saturday night. Plessinger was running second to his teammate Jorge Prado in the first 450SX heat race until he had a big get off with one turn to go in the race. The front end of Plessinger's KTM 450 SX-F started to drop, so he decided to let go and step through the handlebars while at the peak of the big double.
Luckily, he did not have a worse landing, coming down on his right side on the landing of the jump. Somehow, he got up, got onto his bike quick enough and rode the mangled machine to the turn and through the finish line. He came through the finish line eighth, automatically transferring to the main event. After the race, he was taken to the Alpinestars medical rig as he took a ride on the medical cart, giving the crowd a thumbs up.
Massive get off for AP on the last lap😳 #SupercrossLIVE #SMX pic.twitter.com/KgG0viz5k7
— Supercross LIVE! (@SupercrossLIVE) January 25, 2026
Plessinger later spoke to NBC trackside reporter Jason Thomas on the broadcast and confirmed he was not injured in the crash. He told Thomas his handlebars were pointed one way, and his front wheel was pointed the other, saying it with his typical laugh. He said he was not sure what caused the crash but that he would be lining up for the main event.
In the main event, he was battling inside the top ten, running as high as fifth place after just two laps, before eventually pulling out of the race on the 14th lap. He pulled into the mechanics’ area, then rode off with his mechanic through the tunnel, signaling the end of his night. It seemed like the crash had caught up to him. His 13 laps were the least completed in the race, so he was credited with 22nd place.
Plessinger said the following in the post-race release from KTM, confirming his heat race crash caught up to him in the main event:
"I actually felt pretty good today, coming off having the flu for a couple of weeks. I was feeling it in my Heat Race and was closing in on Jorge with a lap to go when I hit something and was sent flying off the face of the jump, so I hit the ground really hard. I banged myself up real good. I was able to get up and cross the line in eighth, so I qualified for the Main without having to race the LCQ, which was a positive. I did my best in the Main Event and was good on opening laps, but honestly, my body really started to feel it midway into the race, and I just had to salvage what spots I could. I will regroup this week, get a bunch of therapy on my body, and hopefully have a better race in Houston next weekend.”
Plessinger’s teammates, Eli Tomac and Jorge Prado, finished third and seventh, respectively. Said Prado in the release:
“Anaheim 2 was a positive night – I am very happy with my performance. Winning the Heat Race was good, and then I got cut off at the start of the Main Event, and I had to work through the pack from there. I came back to P7 and was very close to the top-five, so I like the rhythm I had, and the improvements that we made during the week, especially in my ability to come through the field. I'm also very happy with my bike, I think today was the best the bike has felt across the three rounds. There is still much to learn, although I think we are in a very good place right now, and I just can't wait for the next rounds – the team is doing a great job!”
