An upbeat Aaron Plessinger completed his first showing overseas with a ninth-place finish in the MXGP category at the weekend’s Motocross of Nations (MXoN), the outing in France bringing an end to his extensive 2023 season.

Plessinger raced to an P8 result during Saturday’s qualifying race after a minor fall in the opening laps, with the American captain – in his maiden trip to Europe – working overtime to establish a familiar feeling on the unique slopes of Ernee.

After securing a top 10 start during the opening MXGP and MX2 combined moto, Plessinger progressively powered his way into third position by the halfway mark, setting a strong pace to see out the moto. A couple of untimely mistakes on the technical circuit saw the number one finish the race in an encouraging fifth position, adding a consistent score toward Team USA’s tally.

Shadows dawned on the Ernee track as riders lined up for the third and final outing of the weekend, which combined both the MXGP and Open categories for a stacked field of 450s. Plessinger finished with an 18th-place result, which ultimately resulted in ninth overall in the MXGP Class, and forming an important part of USA finishing eighth overall in the Nations classification.

“Today, Sunday, was feeling really good, honestly,” recalled Plessinger. “Went out and got fifth the first moto and I was a little tight, but felt really good, then not sure what happened the second moto… I got a mid-pack start, then just kind of faded back halfway,” Plessinger said. “It was not a good ending, but 32 races in a season, and I’d say we did pretty good.

“Track was… I can’t really compare it to anything other than a local, dry track with the sun in your eyes just about everywhere, but yeah, it was gnarly! These guys are gnarly for riding it that fast and it was crazy. Couldn’t see half the ruts and there were some unorthodox lines, but I couldn’t find the right line on the track.

“Overall, we’re alright, came out in one piece. It’s awesome to represent my country, it’s a shame we didn’t get on the podium, but it’s my first time overseas and it’s pretty wild. It means the world to me to represent the USA over here in France. Now, we’ll go back, have a break, and get ready for Supercross.”

Plessinger was nothing short of an ironman in season 2023, only missing the Nashville and Denver 450SX rounds of the 31-round 2023 SuperMotocross World Championship before representing Team USA in France. He’ll now enter the off-season break before commencing preparations for the 2024 Monster Energy Supercross Championship, set to get underway inside Angel Stadium, Anaheim, on 6 January.