Ken Roczen collided with Aaron Plessinger during Race 2 of the Indianapolis 450SX Triple Crown, a crash that ended Plessinger’s night and knocked him out of contention for Race 3. Reports vary on the timing: one account said the collision occurred on the opening lap, while another described Roczen slipping in the rhythm section late in Race 2 and landing directly into Plessinger’s line.

Plessinger, the Red Bull KTM rider, managed to remount and ride to the mechanics area but did not return for Race 3; he suffered only a bruise to his right arm and no broken bones and said, “I think I got pretty lucky.” Before the crash Plessinger had moved up to eighth in Race 1 and earned a top-five start in Race 2, and his team said it will “keep up the work and keep grinding.”

Roczen, who won Race 1, was forced to remount from dead last after the collision and finished 10th in Race 2, then third in Race 3, leaving him fifth overall for the Triple Crown with race finishes of 1-10-3. He called the second-race incident a “massive mistake,” blamed its timing on a Triple Crown track that was breaking down and catching riders out, and said he had been in strong form and believed he “could have easily gone 1-1-1.” After remounting and focusing on damage control, Roczen said he was taking positives from the remainder of the weekend. The Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship schedule included a lone off weekend after Indianapolis, giving Plessinger time to recover.

Sources