Steve Cox | February 3, 2018
2018 Oakland 250cc Supercross Results: The red plate, notating the championship points leader, has changed hands at every round of the 2018 AMA 250cc Western Regional Supercross Championship. After retaking the red plate coming into the Oakland Supercross, Monster Energy/Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha’s Aaron Plessinger was determined to keep it as the series moved forward. However, the virus he caught between races was going to make it as tough as possible on him.
Plessinger said his chest and head were still heavily congested, but he still went out and won his heat race, then made things even tougher on himself with his mediocre start.
2018 Oakland 250cc Supercross Results
TLD/Red Bull KTM’s Alex Martin, in his first race back since fracturing his collarbone at round 1, grabbed the holeshot and led the first few laps before GEICO Honda’s Christian Craig took over the top spot. Plessinger fought form well outside the top five off the start to move past Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Joey Savatgy for third on lap seven, and then Savatgy came under attack by AutoTrader/JGR Suzuki’s Justin Hill.
Hill fought his way past his former teammate Savatgy while they both battled past Martin, and the loss in position for Savatgy seemed to light a fire under him, as he went back after Hill. At the same time, out front, Plessinger had chased Craig down and just as he began pressuring Craig, Craig jumped off the track, dropping himself to fourth place.
2018 Oakland 250cc Supercross Results
As the laps wound down, Savatgy and Hill both caught the ailing Plessinger, who was having trouble breathing in the late laps, and then, just as Hill and Savatgy got close enough to Plessinger to begin pressuring the points leader, the Hill/Savatgy battle slowed the pair down enough to cause them not to jump a triple with two laps to go, and that was it for the win. Plessinger took home the victory while Savatgy made his pass stick on Hill for second. Hill was third with Craig fourth, then Martin, Craig’s teammate Chase Sexton, Savatgy’s teammate Adam Cianciarulo (who was caught up in a first-lap melee), 51-Fifty Energy Yamaha’s Kyle Chisholm, Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Mitchell Harrison, and Chisholm’s teammate Hayden Mellross rounding out the last of the racers on the lead lap.
Former points leader Shane McElrath went down early in the main and finished beat up in 15th on the technical and rutted Oakland track.
At the halfway point of the 250cc Western Regional Supercross Championship, Plessinger now leads by 8 points over Savatgy, while McElrath has slipped another 11 points behind Savatgy.
The series finishes out its west-coast swing this coming Saturday night in San Diego.
2018 Oakland 250cc Supercross Results
2018 Oakland 250cc Supercross Results
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