make us better."
Aaron Plessinger put
himself on the box again with
third overall. The Red Bull KTM
seems to have his second
moto speed locked in as he
gets better as the day wears
on and logged 5-3 results.
With the two leaders way out
front in moto two, Plessinger
rode a lonely third place, over
a minute behind second but
20 seconds clear of fourth
place. Another overall podium
puts Plessinger third in the
championship points and
second overall heading into
the SMX Playoffs.
"This first moto was like a
repeat of Budds Creek and
Unadilla," said Plessinger. "I
get out there and I tighten up
about half way through and a
lot of people get by me. Then
I hold my own around fourth
or fifth. We go back, regroup
and make a couple changes
VOLUME ISSUE AUGUST , P59
to the bike and then I ride a lot
better."
Jason Anderson just missed
the podium with a pair of
fourths, ahead of Kawasaki
teammate Adam Cianciarulo
in fifth. Marchbanks, Barcia,
Wright, Nicoletti and Kullas
rounded out the top 10.
COMBINE
Ironman marked the final Moto
Scouting Combine of the year.
Fresh off a Pro Sport title at the
Loretta Lynn Amateur National,
Gavin Towers claimed a domi-
nant 1-1 over Kawasaki's Drew
Adams (4-2) and Avery Long
(3-3). This also marked Towers'
first race with the Star Racing
Yamaha team.
HONDA'S
PERFECT YEAR
Hunter Lawrence's 250MX
crown gave Honda the perfect
season, winning titles in all three
Supercross divisions and both
outdoor Motocross classes. No
manufacturer has claimed that
honor since the implementation
of the "regular season" in 1985.
Honda also has the most wins of
any manufacturer this season.
KAWI'S STREAK
Jo Shimoda continued Kawa-
saki's win streak with his overall
victory at Ironman. The brand
has won at least one race in
either Motocross or Supercross
every year since 1981, but had
yet to do so in 2023.
Shimoda
pulled a clutch performance in
what's likely his last ride with
Team Green.
Briefly...
Sexton kept it
suspenseful with
2-2 scores.
Jo Shimoda swept the day with
1-1 scores in the 250MX class.
young rookie teammate. The
two were never more than
about five seconds apart in
either moto and one mistake
would've allowed Sexton to
end Lawrence's perfect win
streak. But a mistake never
came. A positive for Sexton
however is his overall lead in
the SuperMotocross stand-
ings. This means he'll start
with the advantage in the
playoff rounds which kick off
in just a few weeks.
"I really gave it my all," Sex-
ton said. "My theme for this
year was 'never quitting' be-
cause it was a trying outdoor
season. I gave it my all and
put it all on the track. That's all
I can do and I just have to be
better. I can tell you it stings
very, very bad it's just going to
