MT. MORRIS, Pa. – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing pair Cooper Webb and Tom Vialle both raced to top-five results in Round 4 of the 2023 Pro Motocross Championship at High Point, with teammates Aaron Plessinger finishing P8 in 450MX and Maximus Vohland ninth overall in the 250MX division.
Amidst rain-soaked early morning conditions, Webb piloted his KTM 450 SX-F FACTORY EDITION to P2 in the final 450MX qualifying session and eighth on combined times, before rocketing into second position in the opening premier class moto. A grueling track provided deep, rutted conditions for the field, with Webb putting in a clean ride to finish third.
A mid-pack start for Webb in the second outing saw him make a charge through the pack on his way to sixth-place, which is where he would remain for the second High Point moto. That placed him fifth overall for the weekend and he’s currently in the championship.
Cooper Webb: “It was an up-and-down day here at High Point. The second qualifier was good with a P2, before in the first moto I got a great start, rode consistent, solid, and got third, which was a good step. Second moto, just got an average start and didn’t do much with it and ended up sixth. Fifth overall on the day – not our best day, not our worst day – but we’ll enjoy this off weekend and come back strong at RedBud.”
450 Class teammate Plessinger began his day at Mt. Morris with ninth overall in qualifying, before an unfortunate poor start in the opening moto saw the Ohio native put in a hard charge to secure an eighth-place result.
The ruts hardened by the time the second motos arrived, with the corners featuring multiple lines throughout the circuit. Plessinger jumped out to a second-place start, and was in the fight with the leaders, before a fall a few laps in saw him tumble to P6. After remounting, he would ride into fifth place, to register an 8-5 scorecard for eighth overall and fourth in the standings.
Aaron Plessinger: “High Point started off very muddy! I didn’t ride great in practice and then tried a couple of changes for the first moto, which didn’t work in my favor – I didn’t ride too good at all. Second moto, I made some better changes and was in third, but went down, unfortunately. Charged back, was riding good, but yeah, we’ve got some homework to do before RedBud.”
In 250MX, Vialle navigated the deep conditions to 13th place in combined qualifying. A crash in the opening moto saw the two-time MX2 World Champion make an array of passes as he charged through the field, eventually crossing the line in 11th place.
A top 10 start in moto two saw the Frenchman put his skills on display as he moved forward, landing P2 by the time the checkered flag flew. That placed him fifth overall for the round and he’s now eighth in the championship following four rounds.
Tom Vialle: “It was very muddy here at High Point at the beginning of the day. First moto, unfortunately, I fell in the first corner with another rider – I had nowhere to go, so I charged through the field for 11th. Second moto was a better start, which was important for vision, and then I got in behind Hunter [Lawrence] and was on him for a lot of the race, and finished in P2 which was good. Two weeks before the next one, my wrist was okay here as we taped it up very good, so the rest will be good.”
Teammate Vohland put in a consistent effort at High Point, powering his KTM 250 SX-F to 11th place in qualifying. A solid opening moto saw the Californian finish in sixth position, before a 12th-place ride in moto two saw him take 10th overall for the first east coast round of the season. He currently sits seventh in the points race.
Maximus Vohland: “First moto, I started decently and pushed as hard as I could, but was struggling a little with the conditions and finished in sixth place. In the second moto, I was in the first turn carnage and was toward the back, then had another big crash on lap one. Remounted and battled back to 12th for 10th overall. Not what we wanted, but I’m healthy and looking forward to RedBud.”
Image: Align
Words: KTM