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AARON PLESSINGER CONTINUES 450MX PODIUM FORM AT THUNDER VALLEY

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing's Aaron Plessinger raced to a hard-fought third-place finish in Round 3 of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship at the Thunder Valley National, earning his second-consecutive 450MX podium result.

Colorado began with Plessinger posting the second fastest qualifying time, before powering his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to the front group of Moto 1 out of the gates. After briefly making a late pass for the race lead, ‘The Cowboy’ would reach the checkered flag with a convincing P2 result.

Another strong start in Moto 2 saw Plessinger in the mix with the front-runners once again, navigating ultra-technical track conditions to claim fifth position, and third overall for the weekend. He's also currently positioned third in the 450MX standings.

Aaron Plessinger: “That first moto was a lot of fun and I was really amped! I didn’t feel fatigued after that one, and then I made a small bike change going into the second moto, which I should have just left alone. That was on me, and I struggled that second moto, but it was just a good day. I had some really good lines in the first one, but being in the battle and making passes on those guys is all I can really ask for. Back to work this week – we’ll come back next weekend looking for that elusive win.”

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Tom Vialle posted a consistent performance at the third round of 250MX competition, racing his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to sixth position in the opening moto. A P5 ride in Moto 2 on a deteriorating track was enough for fourth overall, and an important haul of championship points.

Tom Vialle: "I ended up with fourth overall today, which wasn't ideal because I just wasn’t feeling it on the track. I was running third in each of the motos, then ended sixth in the first one after a small crash, followed by P5 in Moto 2. I just didn’t have the feel that I needed all day, so we’ll keep working for next weekend in High Point and make some improvements.”

250MX teammate Julien Beaumer experienced a challenging day out at Thunder Valley onboard his KTM 250 SX-F FACTORY EDITION. He showcased his speed throughout the races, however, a fall during each outing kept him out of front-running contention. A 17th-place score overall via 16-14 results has him now sitting P7 in the standings.

Julien Beaumer: “Not a good day at Thunder Valley. I crashed both motos and that pretty much sums up my weekend. The result doesn’t show how I am riding at the moment, so we’ll regroup and come out swinging at High Point.”

Next Race: June 14 – High Point, Pennsylvania

Results 450MX Class – Thunder Valley National
1. Jett Lawrence (Honda)
2. Eli Tomac (Yamaha)
3. Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)
7. RJ Hampshire (Husqvarna)
8. Malcolm Stewart (Husqvarna)

Standings 450MX Class 2025 after 3 of 11 rounds
1. Jett Lawrence, 145 points
2. Eli Tomac, 120
3. Aaron Plessinger, 118
6. RJ Hampshire, 87
11. Malcolm Stewart, 60

Results 250MX Class – Thunder Valley National
1. Chance Hymas (Honda)
2. Haiden Deegan (Yamaha)
3. Levi Kitchen (Kawasaki)
4. Tom Vialle (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)
6. Casey Cochran (GASGAS)
14. Ryder DiFrancesco (GASGAS)
17. Julien Beaumer (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing)

Standings 250MX Class 2025 after 3 of 11 rounds
1. Haiden Deegan, 144 points
2. Jo Shimoda, 119
3. Chance Hymas, 95
5. Tom Vialle, 85
7. Julien Beaumer, 81
10. Casey Cochran, 64
17. Ryder DiFrancesco, 43

KTM NEWS

ELI TOMAC AND RED BULL KTM EARN BACK-TO-BACK 450SX WINS IN SAN DIEGO

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Eli Tomac and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing have made it back-to-back victories to open the 2026 AMA Supercross Championship, extending their advantage at the top of the 450SX standings following Round 2 in San Diego tonight. Two-time Supercross champion Tomac set the fastest combined qualifying time in the premier class during Saturday's afternoon sessions, displaying immediate comfort onboard his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION at Snapdragon Stadium. The decorated racer from Cortez, Colorado, powered to a strong start in his Heat Race, finishing P2 to secure a favorable gate pick for the upcoming Main Event. Another fast start in the Main Event saw the 33-year-old exit the first rhythm lane in third position, which would set the tone for the remainder of the race toward the front of the field. A race-long back-and-forth fight for position saw red plate-holder Tomac take control of the lead with six minutes remaining, fending off additional challenges late in the race to deliver his second win of the season and the 55th of his career. Eli Tomac: “It was quite a back-and-forth race tonight! At the beginning, I tried to play the patience game as Hunter [Lawrence] and Ken [Roczen] were really dicing it out, so I tried to warm into the race from there. It was close racing all Main Event, but of course, it was a great night, and to get two race wins in a row is massive. I feel very happy with what I am working with right now. As far as winning two in a row to open the season, you dream of it, but making it happen is a whole different deal. So, it’s been a great start for us – I feel really at one with the KTM and it’s showing.” Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450SX teammate Aaron Plessinger’s night in San Diego also was a promising one, with the number 7 overcoming illness to finish third in his Heat Race, directly behind Tomac. Equipped with the KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, ‘The Cowboy’ featured among the top-five for a large portion of the Main Event, before recording a hard-fought P7 finish. With his combined results, Plessinger sits eighth in the 450SX Championship as the series returns to Angel Stadium in Anaheim next Saturday. Aaron Plessinger: "San Diego was pretty good! I’ve been sick all week, but I was feeling better in practice than I did last weekend, and I was actually feeling really good going into the Heat Race. Once I got done with that one, my chest was on fire and I had a headache, so it was tough... No excuses, though. I went into the Main Event and did what I could – I was around sixth for a while, and then was there until the last lap before a lapped rider held me up. It's racing, but we’ll go back this week, return to 100 percent, and then be ready for A2.” In his second AMA Supercross appearance as part of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team, multi-time MXGP World Champion Jorge Prado posted the second-fastest 450SX qualifying time in the afternoon onboard his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION, before capturing the holeshot in Heat 1 and racing to a P2 result, which continued his impressive form following a podium at the season-opener. Upon launching to a top 10 start in the Main Event, the Spaniard posted a measured performance on a deteriorating circuit, eventually claiming 13th position by the time the checkered flag flew to continue building important experience in the discipline. Jorge Prado: "Round 2 was a positive day. Even though the Main Event didn’t go as well as I would have liked, I was still P2 in qualifying and then was also second in the Heat Race, so up until then, things were going very well. Then in the Main, I missed the start and after that I was riding tight. I didn’t really ride like myself, I would say, and it was a bit of a struggle. I kind of fell into some other riders’ pace around me, so I’ll need to learn from this, and again, it's a good learning experience to be better in the future. We'll come back solid for A2." Next Race: January 24 – Anaheim, California Results 450SX Class – San Diego 1. Eli Tomac (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 2. Hunter Lawrence (Honda) 3. Ken Roczen (Suzuki) 7. Aaron Plessinger (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 10. Malcolm Stewart (Husqvarna) 12. RJ Hampshire (Husqvarna) 13. Jorge Prado (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 14. Justin Hill (KTM) 19. Kevin Moranz (KTM) 21. Grant Harlan (KTM) Standings 450SX Class 2026 after 2 of 17 rounds 1. Eli Tomac, 50 points 2. Ken Roczen, 42 3. Hunter Lawrence, 40 8. Aaron Plessinger, 27 9. Jorge Prado, 26 14. Justin Hill, 16 15. RJ Hampshire, 14 16. Malcolm Stewart, 12