Image: Octopi Media.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Aaron Plessinger is confident that he’s ‘on the way to turning things around’ following a P8 finish at Glendale, even if the result isn’t actually a season-best on paper.

A spectacular heat race crash during the second visit to Angel Stadium stalled the 30-year-old’s momentum last month, forcing him to withdraw from the main event before claiming a 13th-place finish at Houston’s Triple Crown the following weekend.

With his health improving, Plessinger returned to competitive form in Arizona, running behind Chase Sexton (Monster Energy Kawasaki) throughout the 450SX main event to cross the line in eighth.

“Glendale was a step in the right direction,” Plessinger expressed. “The result may not show it, but the last few weeks have been really tough, so this week was a lot better as a stepping stone, and I think we are on the way to turning things around.

“I felt better on the bike – that was my first 20-minute moto since San Diego – and it is safe to say that things have been up and down. But, either way, we are moving forward, and that’s a positive for us. We’ll go back, do some more homework this week, and show up for Seattle.”

It hasn’t been the start Plessinger was hoping for in 2026, although last season followed a similar trajectory with back-to-back 22nd-place finishes at rounds two and three before he turned his fortunes around with a podium at Daytona’s eighth round.

Plessinger currently sits 11th in the Monster Energy Supercross Championship standings, with the notoriously weather-affected Seattle round set to take place this weekend inside Lumen Field.