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RED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING AND AARON PLESSINGER LAND HANGTOWN 450MX PODIUM

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Aaron Plessinger charged to a convincing 2-3 scorecard at the Hangtown National on Saturday afternoon, earning his first AMA Pro Motocross Championship podium result of the 2025 season amidst the high temperatures endured this weekend in Northern California.

Round 2 began with Plessinger posting the fourth fastest 450MX qualifying time, before powering his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to the front of the pack in Moto 1. Upon holding position until the closing stages of the race, ‘The Cowboy’ would claim what was a hard-fought second-place after misjudging the time left on the clock.

As temperatures continued to rise, Plessinger commenced Moto 2 by climbing his way into P3, which is where he would remain for the race to take second place on the podium overall for the event, and move into P2 in the 450MX standings after two rounds.

Aaron Plessinger: "We’ve made some really good progress as a team outdoors and I feel like I have a great motocross bike underneath me. I felt good in that first moto and I wanted to see how long I could go out front knowing that it was really hot, but I misjudged the timing of when the race would end, unfortunately. That was a bit disappointing, but the second moto we went after it again, I made the pass on Hunter [Lawrence] for third, then I got really hot out there in the conditions. Second overall on the day, I’m pumped with that, and hoping it’s a little cooler next weekend!”

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Julien Beaumer began his weekend with an eighth-place finish onboard his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION in the opening 250MX encounter, before improving to fourth position in Moto 2, and sealing fourth overall for the Hangtown National. After two solid results across the first two rounds, Beaumer has climbed P3 in the point standings.

Julien Beaumer: "It was a solid day for me at Hangtown. Fourth overall was a little unexpected after P8 in Moto 1, but we made some changes for Moto 2 and I felt better, which was good. My fitness was good with how hot the weather was, so it was a good end to the day, and I’m excited for Thunder Valley.”

After running up front during the early stages of Moto 1 equipped with his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, an untimely fall drew an early end to the race for 250MX teammate Tom Vialle. The double world champion rebounded to an eighth-place finish in Moto 2 despite being impacted by a poor gate pick, salvaging a haul of valuable championship points.

Tom Vialle: "Not the weekend I expected. I was running fourth in Moto 1, and then I had a crash about four laps in and couldn’t finish the moto, unfortunately. I hurt my elbow pretty badly, but we lined up for the second race and I had last gate pick because of the first race. I got a bad start and then came back to eighth, so I salvaged some points towards the championship, and I will be back to 100 percent for Colorado.”

Next Race: June 7 – Thunder Valley, Colorado

Results 450MX Class – Hangtown National
1. Jett Lawrence (Honda)
2. Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)
3. Justin Cooper (Yamaha)
7. RJ Hampshire (Husqvarna)
10. Malcolm Stewart (Husqvarna)

Standings 450MX Class 2025 after 2 of 11 rounds
1. Jett Lawrence, 95 points
2. Aaron Plessinger, 79
3. Eli Tomac, 78
8. RJ Hampshire, 56
12. Malcolm Stewart, 36

Results 250MX Class – Hangtown National
1. Haiden Deegan (Yamaha)
2. Jo Shimoda (Honda)
3. Levi Kitchen (Kawasaki)
4. Julien Beaumer (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)
11. Casey Cochran (GASGAS)
17. Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)
18. Ryder DiFrancesco (GASGAS)

Standings 250MX Class 2025 after 2 of 11 rounds
1. Haiden Deegan, 100 points
2. Jo Shimoda, 88
3. Julien Beaumer, 67
6. Tom Vialle, 52
13. Casey Cochran, 39
18. Ryder DiFrancesco, 27

KTM NEWS

RED BULL KTM'S ELI TOMAC CLINCHES EIGHTH DAYTONA SUPERCROSS 450SX VICTORY

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Eli Tomac and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing earned a commanding victory in Round 8 of the 2026 AMA Supercross Championship at Daytona International Speedway tonight, as Tomac claimed a record eighth-career Daytona Supercross win in the premier class and his fourth of the SMX World Championship season. Entering Daytona already as the winningest rider in the event's history, Tomac carried confidence into Round 8, powering his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to the second-fastest qualifying time with a 1:15.020s lap on the technical, high-speed layout. A holeshot in 450SX Heat 1 saw the 33-year-old charge to a wire-to-wire victory, remaining unchallenged at the front of the field and crossing the line with a 5.092s winning margin. Making a top-five start in the Main Event, Tomac was immediately on the charge, surging to the front by Lap 6 with a series of decisive passes before holding strong at the head of the pack to deliver his fourth victory of the year and the 57th of his premier class career. With his Daytona Supercross success, the two-time Supercross title-winner now sits just one point outside of the 450SX points lead with nine rounds remaining. Eli Tomac: “Somehow I have won eight Daytona Supercrosses! I just go out there and roost the berms like I’m at my home track – I love this dirt and the way it develops. Of course, I had to work for it there tonight, I went through all my main competition and just had a great time on my motorcycle. I love spraying these sand turns, I’m so thankful to get it done with Red Bull KTM, and to make up some championship points this weekend.” Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450SX teammate Aaron Plessinger made an encouraging start to the round onboard his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, posting the eighth-fastest qualifying time before racing to a P4 finish in his Heat Race despite a fall in the early stages. Plessinger completed the opening lap of the Main Event in position 10, before ‘The Cowboy’ delivered a determined ride, steadily working his way forward to record a season-best sixth-place result by race’s end, building upon his form as the season progresses. He is now eighth in the 450SX standings as the series approaches halfway. Aaron Plessinger: "Daytona was okay, I just need to focus on myself and continue to improve. Sixth place is not bad, but I expect more out of myself – I know the team expects more out of me and I would like to do better. So I need to go back to work this week and also work at putting myself in better positions. I chose the wrong gate tonight and I got the best jump that I could, although with the gate that I chose, it didn't do me any favors. I was in the top 10 after the first corner, and then just pushed and made a few passes, but I think if I were in a better position, I would have been fighting for either a podium or a smooth P5. The team is working hard for me – we'll look at bringing some momentum into Indy next weekend." Four-time world champion Jorge Prado remained sidelined for Round 8, with the 25-year-old continuing rehabilitation and recovery from a right shoulder injury sustained in Seattle. Next Race: March 7 – Indianapolis, Indiana Results 450SX Class – Daytona 1. Eli Tomac (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 2. Hunter Lawrence (Honda) 3. Ken Roczen (Suzuki) 6. Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 9. Justin Hill (KTM) 10. Malcolm Stewart (Husqvarna) 15. Grant Harlan (KTM) Standings 450SX Class 2026 after 8 of 17 rounds 1. Hunter Lawrence, 171 points 2. Eli Tomac, 170 3. Ken Roczen, 151 8. Aaron Plessinger, 95 11. Malcolm Stewart, 75 12. Justin Hill, 74 13. Jorge Prado, 73 18. RJ Hampshire, 38

ARLINGTON 450SX PODIUM FOR ELI TOMAC AND RED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING

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Eli Tomac and the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team claimed a well-earned second-place finish at Arlington’s seventh round of the 2026 AMA Supercross Championship, recording his fifth podium of the season tonight in Texas. Equipped with the KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION – complete with a special livery for Military Appreciation Round – Tomac topped the premier class qualifying for the third time in 2026, posting a benchmark 47.688s lap during the second afternoon session at AT&T Stadium. Momentum continued for the 33-year-old with third-place in the opening 450SX Heat Race, as he showed consistent pace and gained a solid gate selection for the upcoming Main Event. Despite a difficult initial launch out of the gate, Tomac quickly recovered on the opening laps with a series of decisive passes, as the two-time 450SX Champion charged into fourth position during the race's early stages. From there, an intense, race-long battle unfolded, with Tomac advancing into second during the closing laps of the Main Event. Mounting a late charge, he continued to apply pressure at the front, ultimately finishing in P2 at Round 7. As the 2026 AMA Supercross Championship approaches its halfway point, Tomac sits just four points from the 450SX series lead, with the SMX World Championship season continuing at the annual Daytona Supercross next weekend. Eli Tomac: “Those first laps absolutely saved my race. I had to make some quick moves there and was able to find those openings to pass two-to-three riders at a time. By lap two or three, I could see the front of the race and thought, ‘I’m okay, I can work with this.’ What a difficult track [it was] tonight. Of course, I fought to the end as much as I could and second is what we had. Thank you to Red Bull KTM – we’ll come back swinging in Daytona.” Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450SX teammate Aaron Plessinger made a positive start to the night aboard his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, claiming fifth place in his Heat Race to comfortably earn a direct transfer into the Main Event. Plessinger faced an intense opening few laps in fighting for early track position, as the 30-year-old battled inside the top-10 throughout Arlington’s entire Main Event. 'The Cowboy' eventually scored an eighth-place finish for the weekend. With the series moving to Daytona next weekend, ‘The Cowboy’ will turn his attention to the historic Florida speedway, where he landed on the podium – his first of the 2025 season – one year ago. Aaron Plessinger: "Dallas was better. I think we made some pretty good progress with the bike, but ultimately, I just need to be better. I need to put myself in better positions, and just overall, be better myself. The Heat Race, I got an average start and rode my way to fifth, and then for the Main, I went all the way inside gate, so got a better start. I was running good and then [Jason] Anderson ended up going down in front of me, so that put me back a little bit. And then I had a decent flow going there, but I ended up casing a jump pretty good and kind of ruined my momentum that I had going.
I ended up eighth, but overall, it just needed to be better. We go to Daytona next week, so I am looking forward to that and, yeah, I've just got to focus on being better on race day." Four-time world champion Jorge Prado was sidelined for Round 7 after his incident during Seattle’s second qualifying session, with the 25-year-old prioritizing recovery on his right shoulder by taking a week off the bike at this time. Next Race: February 28 – Daytona, Florida Results 450SX Class – Arlington 1. Hunter Lawrence (Honda) 2. Eli Tomac (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 3. Cooper Webb (Yamaha) 8. Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 11. Malcolm Stewart (Husqvarna) 12. Justin Hill (KTM) 17. Kevin Moranz (KTM) Standings 450SX Class 2026 after 7 of 17 rounds 1. Hunter Lawrence, 149 points 2. Eli Tomac, 145 3. Cooper Webb, 133 10. Aaron Plessinger, 79 11. Jorge Prado, 73 12. Malcolm Stewart, 63 13. Justin Hill, 61 17. RJ Hampshire, 38

RED BULL KTM'S JORGE PRADO TO SIT OUT ARLINGTON ROUND OF SUPERCROSS

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Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Jorge Prado will sit out Round 7 of the 2026 AMA Supercross Championship in Arlington, Texas, this weekend. Prado will continue his recovery after crashing heavily in the final qualifying session at Seattle, sidelining him for the remainder of the event in order to undergo further evaluation on his right shoulder. While no major injuries have been determined, the four-time world champion will take a week off his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION as a result of excessive swelling and irritation in his shoulder joint, prioritizing his health with the goal of returning for the Daytona Supercross on February 28. Ian Harrison, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: "Following Jorge's crash in qualifying at Seattle, we had his right shoulder checked out, which he has injured previously. While there are no major injuries that have been found, other than the excessive swelling and irritation in the region, it has been decided that Jorge will take a week off the bike and his goal is to be back for Daytona if he is in a position to do so. We are not in a title fight with Jorge and his health is the absolute priority, so with some more therapy I am sure that he will be back and competitive again as soon as he is ready." Prado has been exceptional since reuniting with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing for 2026 in the U.S.-based SMX World Championship, finishing on the Main Event podium in third at Anaheim 1, also achieving three Heat Race wins (Anaheim 1, Anaheim 2 and Glendale), in addition to qualifying quickest at both Glendale and Seattle.