ROUND 11 / AUGUST 24, 2024
IRONMAN RACEWAY / CRAWFORDSVILLE, INDIANA
MOTOCROSS I AMA PRO MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP / MONSTER ENERGY SMX WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
P80
"I put it all out there," Pless-
inger said. "I was trying and giv-
ing it my all to keep with Chase.
Those
last few laps were tough."
Eli Tomac finished on the
podium in his second race back
from injury. The four-time champ
showed signs of his former self in
both motos but truly came to life
in the second half of the second
moto. His battle with Lawrence
proved to be the deciding factor
for the final spot on the box in
the moto and the overall podium.
Tomac looked like the ET3 of
old—one foot hanging off the
pegs and his throttle hand hard on
the gas. Once around Lawrence,
Tomac cruised it in for third, going
4-3 for third on the day.
Plessinger put together his
best day of the season with a
pair of twos for second overall.
He started up front in both races
and even led early on in moto
one. For a moment, it seemed
like Sexton might let his team
-
mate take his first-ever win at the
finale, but AP
was left with no
free handouts. Plessinger rode
to what was arguably his best
ride of the season, putting up a
strong fight to hold off both Law-
rence and Eli Tomac and take
the runner-up spot
both times
around. Plessinger claimed sec-
ond overall and broke the close
battle for third in
the champion-
ship points between himself and
Justin Cooper.
The 1-1 sweep is a stamp on an
incredible season that sees Sex-
ton earn his first 450MX crown.
He
officially finished out the
series ahead by 42 points with
13 moto wins and seven overall
victories. It was also KTM's first
450 outdoor title since 2015
with rider Ryan Dungey.
"Last summer was tough
for me, not being fully healthy,"
Sexton added. "Then this Super
-
cross season, to build up, come
down,
build up, and come down,
to come out here outdoors and
have such an awesome season,
I don't know what to say. This
is the best I've ever ridden. It's
such an amazing feeling. This
one is special to me."
Aaron Plessinger
was second overall in
450MX with a 2-2.
