VOLUME 62 ISSUE 22 JUNE 3, 2025 P75
himself battling with Hunter
Lawrence for the final spot on
the box. He made a pass stick
just before the halfway mark
and held on for third in the moto,
ultimately putting him second
on the day. Plessinger is now
second in points, 16 back from
Jett Lawrence and one point
clear of Tomac.
"I knew it was going to be a
tough second moto," Plessinger
added. "I got out there and was
battling with Hunter and felt that
I could make the pass. I made
the pass, then I got hot, really,
really hot. Second overall on the
day, I'm pumped on it."
Justin Cooper claimed third
overall with 4-2 results. The
Monster Energy Star Racing
Yamaha rider nailed the start in
moto one and came out with the
holeshot. Unfortunately for him,
he dropped back to an even
-
tual fourth as the front-runners
made
their way around the num-
ber 32 in the opening laps.
"I
got the holeshot and got
passed right away, and that's
not very fun," Cooper said.
"Those guys were going really,
really fast right away, and I just
wasn't prepared for it."
Cooper rode with more ag-
gression early on in the second
moto
and found himself slotted
into second from the get-go. He
trailed Jett Lawrence in the early
stages of the race but settled
in and claimed a strong sec
-
ond place along with an overall
podium.
a year
ago when his teammate,
Sexton, passed him for the win
on the final lap.
"I just felt good in that first
moto," Plessinger said. "I just
wanted to see how long I could
go. I knew it was hot, and I just
misjudged the timing. I thought
there were two laps to go when
there were like four laps to
go, and when I got the two-lap
board, I thought it was the fin
-
ish."
Plessinger went at
it again
in the second moto and found
SEXTON OUT
Chase Sexton did not line up for
round two after a crash one week
ago at Fox Raceway. "I'm definite-
ly banged up after last weekend's
crash, but thankfully there's noth-
ing broken, so that's a positive,"
Sexton said during the week. "I've
made the decision to sit out this
weekend's race and focus on get-
ting back to 100 percent." It's not
yet known when he'll return to the
series.
SMX NEXT
The first round of SMX Next - Mo-
tocross took place on Friday. For-
merly known as the Moto Com-
bine, this marked the first of three
summer rounds for up-and-com-
ing amateur riders. Star Racing
Yamaha's Kayden Minear domi-
nated the day with 1-1 results and
claimed the overall win. In moto
one, he found himself in a spirited
battle with Team Green Kawasa-
ki's Vincent Wey, but the Austra-
lian native eventually gained the
upper hand. Race two saw Minear
lead from start to finish, clinching
the overall win ahead of Landon
Gibson and Leum Oehlof. "That
first moto was tough," Minear
said. "I got a rough start, but I was
able to make passes and have a
great battle with Vincent [Wey]. It
was hot for moto two, and I got a
much better start, then I was able
to manage the race."
Briefly...
Justin Cooper used two good starts
to take third overall in 450MX.
