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febbraio 05, 2023 - KTM

Top-five results for Red Bull KTM duo Plessinger and Webb at Houston Supercross

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HOUSTON, Texas – Red Bull KTM Factory #racing team-mates #aaronplessinger and #cooperwebb have both put in strong performances to finish inside the top-five at tonight's latest round of the 2023 AMA Supercross Championship in #houston, Texas. In addition, the opening stop of the 250SX East season saw two-time MX2 World Champion Tom Vialle impress on his way to a seventh-place result in his first-career American Supercross appearance.A season-best result of P4 in the 450SX Main #event for Plessinger sees him move into seventh place in the standings. After setting the 12th-fastest qualifying time, he surged off the gate and into third in the first 450SX Heat race during the early stages, then climbed into second to claim a satisfying runner-up result on his 2023 KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION.

Come the Main #event, Plessinger got a strong start and set out after the leader, but the race was red-flagged just before he could set up a move. A staggered restart saw the hard-charging 27-year-old lose two positions in quick succession, but he was able to regroup and finish fourth in what was his best performance of the year to date.

Aaron Plessinger: “I came into this weekend feeling confident in my starts I had a lot of fun out there. In the Heat race, I got a good start and had a great battle with Cooper and another rider, where I ended up second. I rode really well in that race. I got another unreal start in the Main and I was duking it out for the lead when the race was unfortunately red-flagged. Off the staggered start, I slid out a little in the first turn and lost a position, then another rider got around me soon afterward. I got my bearings back and started charging, then despite a couple of little mistakes, I finished the race at a good pace in a P4 position.”

Webb remains third in the championship standings after a hard-fought fifth-place result at NRG Stadium. Despite qualifying eighth, Webb and his 2023 KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION launched to the front of the opening 450SX Heat, with the two-time champion going on to claim third position.

Pinched off the start of the Main #event, Webb was able to cut inside as the field pushed wide and emerged from the first turn in P6. A quick pass saw him move into fifth before the race was red-flagged. After the restart, he traded places multiple times throughout the remainder of the race, before taking control and finishing with fifth position.

Cooper Webb: “I ended up fifth tonight and it was a bit of a struggle, to be honest. I felt off all day, from practice and through the heats, but we made the most of it and came away with a top five in the Main #event. We’re still in a good points situation and we’ll keep the ball rolling, regroup this week in Florida and come back swinging at Tampa!”

In the 250SX East season-opener, well-credentialed Frenchman Vialle is taking plenty of positives from his first-ever AMA Supercross start, where he enjoyed valuable track position and led the opening laps on his way to an eventual result of seventh in the Main #event.

After qualifying ninth, the 22-year-old opened his 250SX account with an impressive third place in his Heat. A fast start aboard the 2023 KTM 250 SX-F saw Vialle complete the opening lap inside the top three, before he withstood early pressure from behind to finish P3 and progress directly to his first-ever Main #event.

Another precise launch off the gate in the Main #event saw Vialle in P1 and he managed to lead the first two laps. After dropping two positions early on, he looked comfortable and appeared to be on track for a memorable podium. Unfortunately, a couple of late mistakes saw him #cross the finish-line in seventh place, gaining valuable race experience in the process.

Tom Vialle: “I was a little nervous in the first practice, but I felt more comfortable as the day went on. In my Heat I was again a bit nervous as it was my first-ever Supercross in a stadium at night, but I had a good start and finished P3, so I was happy with that. In the Main #event, I had a great start again and got to lead for two laps. Then with five laps to go, while in third, I had a small crash when I missed the rear brake and went over the corner. I’m disappointed as we could’ve finished on the podium, but I learned a lot and it was a good day overall.”

Next Race: February 11 – Tampa, Florida

Results 450SX Class – Houston
1. Eli Tomac (USA), Yamaha, 23 laps
2. Chase Sexton (USA), Honda, +3.253
3. Jason Anderson (USA), Kawasaki, +12.408
4. #aaronplessinger (USA), KTM, +17.357
5. #cooperwebb (USA), KTM, +24.593
OTHER KTM
14. Kevin Moranz (USA), KTM
20. Justin Hill (USA), KTM

Standings 450SX Class 2023 after 4 of 17 rounds
1. Eli Tomac, 95 points
2. Chase Sexton, 88
3. #cooperwebb, 83
OTHER KTM
7. #aaronplessinger, 64
14. Justin Hill, 30
20. Kevin Moranz, 13
22. Marvin Musquin, 11
28. Josh Hill, 5

Results 250SX East Class – Houston
1. Hunter Lawrence (AUS), Honda, 18 laps
2. Max Anstie (GBR), Honda, +7.403
3. Jordon Smith (USA), Yamaha, +10.171
OTHER KTM
7. Tom Vialle (FRA), KTM

Standings 250SX East Class 2023 after 1 of 9 rounds
1. Hunter Lawrence, 26 points
2. Max Anstie, 23
3. Jordon Smith, 21
OTHER KTM
7. Tom Vialle, 16