250 Class Moto 1
The hottest rider in the 250 Class throughout the 2018 season has been Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star/Yamaha’s Aaron Plessinger. The championship leader has enjoyed a breakout season and entered Spring Creek on an upswing after a dominant victory at RedBud.
Monster Energy set the tone in qualifying when all six riders took the top six-fastest times, led by rookie Justin Cooper. When the gate dropped on Moto 1 it was Savatgy who grabbed the holeshot and early lead, only to give it up by crashing on the opening lap. Savatgy’s misfortune handed the lead to Jordon Smith, who received heavy pressure from the Monster Energy trio of Cooper, Plessinger, and Austin Forkner.
Plessinger was a man on the move and charged all the way up to second, while Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki rider Forkner slotted into third. Once into second, Plessinger needed just one lap to work his way around Smith and take over the lead. Once out front Plessinger easily distanced himself from the field, while Smith soon came under fire from Forkner. After a few laps of battle Forkner eventually got the upper hand and slotted into the runner-up spot.
Plessinger cruised to the win by 7.5 seconds over Forkner for a Monster Energy 1-2, with Smith third. Cooper was fourth, with Colt Nichols, Savatgy, and Dylan Ferrandis finishing ninth, 10th, and 11th, respectively.
250 Class Moto 2
Plessinger capitalized on another stellar start in Moto 2, narrowly missing out on the holeshot to Alex Martin but making quick work to take control of the moto by the completion of the opening lap. Cooper wasn’t far behind in third, while Forkner was fifth.
Despite his best efforts, Martin simply couldn’t keep pace with Plessinger and soon enough the championship leader was riding all by himself out front. As he lost ground to Plessinger, Martin also dropped into the clutches of Cooper, who was solidly locked into third.
Forkner put himself in the mix for a spot on the overall podium, but after an incident with a lapped rider he was forced to come into the mechanics area for attention. Savatgy effectively filled the void left by his teammate and did well to fight his way up to fourth.
Out front it was clear sailing for Plessinger, who posted a 1-1 moto sweep for the fourth time this season and clinched back-to-back wins for the first time in his career, continuing what has been a dream season. Martin followed in second, with Cooper third and Savatgy fourth.
Plessinger was joined on the overall podium by his teammate Cooper, giving Monster Energy a 1-2 finish, with Martin third. Savatgy helped put a trio of Monster Energy riders in the top five in fifth. All six Monster Energy riders landed inside the top 10.
What was already a healthy lead in the championship standings for Plessinger has grown to 49 points over Martin, one point shy of a full two-moto advantage. Cooper firmly sits in third, with Forkner in fourth.
250 Class Results
1. Aaron Plessinger, Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star/Yamaha (1-1)
2. Justin Cooper, Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star/Yamaha (4-3)
3. Alex Martin, KTM (7-2)
4. Jordon Smith, KTM (3-7)
5. Joey Savatgy, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki (10-4)
8. Austin Forkner, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki (2-18)
9. Colt Nichols, Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star/Yamaha (9-9)
10. Dylan Ferrandis, Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star/Yamaha (11-8)
250 Class Standings
1. Aaron Plessinger, Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star/Yamaha – 333
2. Alex Martin, KTM – 284
3. Justin Cooper, Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star/Yamaha – 239
4. Austin Forkner, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki – 216
9. Joey Savatgy, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki – 214
11. Dylan Ferrandis, Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star/Yamaha – 172
17. Garrett Marchbanks, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki – 87
18. Colt Nichols, Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star/Yamaha – 80