MECHANICSVILLE, Md. – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Aaron Plessinger claimed second overall in the 450MX Class during Round 10 of the 2023 AMA Pro Motocross Championship at Budds Creek, with 250MX contender Tom Vialle finishing fifth and newcomer Julien Beaumer racing to an impressive ninth overall on debut.
Powering his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to the eighth-fastest qualifying time, Plessinger rocketed to the lead of the opening moto of the 450MX Class, leading a sizable proportion of the moto before crossing the line in fourth position.
Engaged in an all-out dual throughout the entirety of the second moto, Plessinger withstood the pressure of the competition as he battled hard all race long, pushing his limits as he raced into third place. A 4-3 moto scorecard landed him second overall for the weekend.
Following Budds Creek, Plessinger retains his third-place position in the 2023 standings with one round remaining.
Aaron Plessinger: “My starts were good today and it’s so much easier to run the pace of those guys when you’re up there from the beginning. Led the first moto for a long time, then tightened up and went to fourth, before the second moto was an all-out battle. I think there were four of us battling for that spot, and I managed to get Justin [Barcia], which gave me some clear track to come home in third. Man, second overall feels great, the fans were awesome, and I’m looking to close this thing out strong next weekend!”
In 250MX, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Vialle opened Budds Creek by posting the sixth-fastest lap-time in qualifying, before racing at the front of the field and finishing moto one in fifth place. A good jump out of the gates in moto two was compromised by first turn carnage, requiring the Frenchman to dig his way back through the field for a sixth-place result, which placed him P5 overall for the round.
Tom Vialle: “Budds Creek was pretty good for me. I want to be on the podium, but I was really happy with how I rode today. Had a great start in moto one after the restart, but [Haiden] Deegan hit me hard in the back, and I very nearly crashed – came back to fifth. And second moto, just a bad start, which resulted in sixth. The bike was working really good today and I can’t wait for Ironman next week – I want to finish this motocross season with a podium.”
The Budds Creek round marked the professional debut for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing signing Beaumer, as the 17-year-old signed a multi-year deal with the team last week. The rider out of Arizona posted an impressive string of results on debut, running inside the top-five comfortably for the majority of the opening moto, before finishing in 11th.
Another consistent outing in moto two saw Beaumer finish in ninth position, resulting in a well-deserved ninth overall to open his professional career.
Julien Beaumer: “Good start in the opening moto here at Budds, I was running fifth for a long time, but these races are much longer than what I’m used to and everyone is so fast, so a couple mistakes cost me a lot of time and I went to 11th. Moto two was good, I started in 12th, and was able to get to ninth for ninth overall on my pro debut. We met our expectations and we’ll take this momentum into next weekend.”
250MX charger Maximus Vohland began his Budds Creek day by charging to the third-fastest qualifying time aboard his KTM 250 SX-F, before a poor start in moto one saw the Californian recover to ninth place. Another difficult start in moto two resulted in a tough outing on the Maryland circuit, with Vohland winding up in P16 for the moto and 14th overall for the round.
Maximus Vohland: “Tough weekend here in Budds Creek. Two bad starts and then pulling all my tear offs at once in moto two made it really challenging, racing to a 9-16 scorecard on the day. I’m healthy and intent on securing two strong results in the next two motos at Ironman.”
Next Race: August 26 – Crawfordsville, Indiana
Results 450MX Class – Budds Creek National
1. Jett Lawrence (AUS), Honda, 1-1
2. Aaron Plessinger (USA), KTM, 4-3
3. Jason Anderson (USA), Kawasaki, 2-5
OTHER KTM
28. Crockett Myers (USA), KTM
34. Max Miller (USA), KTM
Results 250MX Class – Budds Creek National
1. Hunter Lawrence (AUS), Honda, 2-1
2. Justin Cooper (USA), Yamaha, 1-2
3. Jo Shimoda (JPN), Kawasaki, 7-3
OTHER KTM
5. Tom Vialle (FRA), KTM, 5-6
9. Julien Beaumer (USA), KTM, 11-9
14. Maximus Vohland (USA), KTM, 9-16
17. Josh Varize (USA), KTM
23. Derek Kelley (USA), KTM
28. Marcus Phelps (USA), KTM
31. Brock Bennett (USA), KTM
33. Slade Smith (RSA), KTM
34. Hunter Cross (USA), KTM
39. Cameron Durow (RSA), KTM
Standings 450MX Class 2023 after 10 of 11 rounds
1. Jett Lawrence, 500 points
2. Dylan Ferrandis, 379
3. Aaron Plessinger, 350
OTHER KTM
11. Cooper Webb, 147
32. Max Miller, 22
39. Dante Oliveira, 15
41. Christopher Prebula, 12
42. Tyler Stepek, 11
45. Brandon Scharer, 7
47. Kevin Moranz, 5
49. Trevor Schmidt, 4
65. Jeffrey Walker, 1
Standings 250MX Class 2023 after 10 of 11 rounds
1. Hunter Lawrence, 391 points
2. Justin Cooper, 369
3. Jo Shimoda, 343
OTHER KTM
7. Maximus Vohland, 269
8. Tom Vialle, 268
23. Derek Kelley, 39
26. Slade Smith, 28
27. Josh Varize, 27
28. Julien Beaumer, 22
36. Jimmy Decotis, 13
37. Brock Bennett, 12
40. Matti Jorgensen, 7
41. Lux Turner, 7
44. Preston Boespflug, 4
46. Marcus Phelps, 2
