McThoughts – 250 East SX|Indianapolis
By Jeff McConkey
The 250 East resumed after a quick 1-week break. The track rutted up and was extremely technical. Most riders struggled, but Aaron Plessinger flourished and showed that he is an all around bad dude on a dirt bike. One thing that I appreciated was the little dance party with Malcolm Stewart and Plessinger after the race. They were not being cocky, just two guys having a great time and being good sports with each other. It was fun to watch. Here are the results and my thoughts:
250 East
1st Aaron Plessinger: Something about hometown races. Aaron won his first outdoor National in Indiana and follows it up with his first SX win in Indianapolis. He looked great in his heat race and seemed to be the only guy looking forward to the ruts in the main. His off-road past definitely helped him and shows you that you need to dabble in all aspects to succeed. I called him in the pre-season for the championship and he’s been on a roll lately and now sits in 2nd place, 10 points back.
#23 Aaron Plessinger.
2nd Malcolm Stewart: Malcolm rode well and he rode smart. I think he realized that he couldn’t win the title in Indy, but he sure could lose it in the nasty ruts. He leaves Indy with a 10-point lead and gets to keep the red plate. He’s in the driver’s seat for this championship and would be my pick for any dance-offs.
3rd Gannon Audette: This guy didn’t get lucky; he didn’t just magically get good once he got on the Pro Circuit bike. He was a standout in amateurs, and has just had injury after injury. Let’s hope the injuries are behind him and this confidence pushes him to the next level.
#61 Gannon Audette.
4th Shane McElrath: Good ride for Shane. He had a nice battle with Audette. He will continue to get better as the season goes on. I really think he will be fighting for a win or two next season.
5th Martin Davalos: I really don’t know what to say about Martin. I think he’s a good guy and a super talent, but I hate the fact that he’s still in the 250 class.
#49 Martin Davalos.
6th R.J. Hampshire: R.J. bounced back from a huge crash in the heat race. He didn’t get the greatest of starts but he moved forward well. I’d like to see him get the start he needs and fight for a podium.
7th Anthony Rodriguez: A nice top 10 for ‘A-Rod.’ He still has the crazy speed, but it’s nice to see him tone it down, stay on 2 wheels, and get a good finish. After a few of these good rides, he should slowly pick up his pace.
348 Alex Rodriguez.
8th Tyler Bowers: I thought the big strong Bowers was going to be a beast through the ruts, but he kind of just stayed in the same spot.
9th Luke Renzland: Great ride for Luke coming back from injury. He looked really good in his heat race and had a nice main event.
10th Cedric Soubeyras: Solid top 10 for the Frenchman. It’s nice to see a guy step out of his comfort zone and want to race the best. I wish Jeffrey Herlings would give SX a shot.
#201 Cedric Soubeyras.
Biggest Stud: Plessinger is my stud. He rode great and re-established himself as a championship contender. Anything can happen in this crazy East Coast.
Biggest Dud: No dud this week.
Biggest Surprise: I think Audette surprised a lot of people. And I think some people may have just forgotten about him as he was away due to injury for so long.
Thanks for reading and see you next week.
