BARCIA PICKS UP A SECOND MOTO PODIUM AT THE THUNDER VALLEY NATIONAL

It was a good day at the office for Justin Barcia, scoring a second-moto podium finish in the 450MX class to claim fourth overall at the second round of AMA Pro Motocross racing. Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing teammates Pierce Brown and Michel Mosiman experienced some bad luck in the 250MX division as they battled tricky conditions in Colorado’s high altitude.

• Barcia shows excellent speed and consistency after two rounds outdoors
• The MC 450F made its second MX podium appearance thanks to Justin Barcia’s ‘on the gas’ performance
• 250 cc riders Michael Mosiman and Pierce Brown were both solid despite bad luck situations 

With no shortage of talent in the premier class this season, good starts have proven to be key when it comes to a brutal two-moto format outdoors. Barcia didn’t do himself any favors in Moto 1 as he started back in 12th on the first lap but he powered his MC 450F through the field early on. His biggest charge came halfway through the race when he overtook seventh and despite having a couple riders within his sights ahead, Barcia wasn’t able to make any more passes before the checkers.

In Moto 2, he got off to a third-place start and sprinted up to second by lap two. He held onto second for most of the race and with a few laps to go, he endured major pressure from the third-place rider of Dylan Ferrandis. With both riders going head-to-head in the final laps, Barcia finally gave way with two laps to go, finishing third in the race. With 7-3 scores, Barcia sealed up another fourth overall at round two.

Justin Barcia: “My start wasn’t great in the first moto but I worked my way up to seventh and unfortunately that’s where I stayed. I had a couple guys in front of me but I just couldn’t make it happen, which is a little bit frustrating but I re-grouped and got off to a better start in Moto 2. All-in-all, I’m really happy with where we’re at with the bike and we just need to work on a few little things to put myself in a good position to capitalize on some podiums and wins.”

250MX

It was a tough day for the 250MX squad, as riders Michael Mosiman and Pierce Brown both experienced setbacks that didn’t reflect their speed and efforts on the track. For Mosiman, a top-five qualifying position set a positive tone for the day and he came into Moto 1 with good vibes all around. He got an 11th place start but he quickly climbed up to seventh by the second lap. He carried that momentum into the first few laps as he sat within striking distance of the top-five battle until an unfortunate bike issue ended his race early.

He came back with vengeance in Moto 2, working his way from outside the top-20 on the start to a top-10 position in just five laps. Making a commanding charge up to fourth, Mosiman had all the potential to overtake a podium position but he started to feel an issue with the bike later in the race so he nursed it through the final laps to salvage 11th in the moto.

Michael Mosiman: “It was a rough day, which is a bummer since this is one of my favorite tracks. I felt good all day but unfortunately, we ran into some bike issues with the altitude here in Colorado and hopefully we will get it sorted out so we can get back up front.”

Brown found himself outside the top-20 for the start of Moto 1 but he went to work early on, charging through the field. Just after making the pass for 10th, Brown went down and encountered a bike issue of his own while re-mounting, which ended his race early as well.

In Moto 2, Brown overcame a not-so-favorable gate position to squeak his way inside the top-10 on lap one. He found his groove early on and passed his way up to sixth but he went down in a corner and dropped back to around 15th. He did his best to ignite another charge and his tenacity paid off as he broke into the top-10 once again, capping off the day with a strong ninth-place finish.

Pierce Brown: “I had a rough first moto, unfortunately. In the second moto, I got a terrible start but everyone pushed wide in the first corner so I snuck under a bunch of people and I was in a really good spot in sixth. A couple laps in, I made a dumb mistake and fell over in a corner dropping back to 15th but I charged my way back up as far as I could. To fall and still get ninth was not a terrible moto but I know I could have had more, for sure. We’re going to put our head down and work these next two weeks and come back swinging at High Point!”

Following a week off from racing, the third round of the 2021 AMA Pro Motocross Championship will return on Saturday, June 19 with the High Point national in Mount Morris, Pennsylvania.

Results – 2021 AMA Pro Motocross Championship, Round 2

450MX – Overall

1. Ken Roczen (Honda); 2. Dylan Ferrandis (Yamaha); 3. Adam Cianciarulo (Kawasaki); 4. Justin Barcia (GASGAS) …20. Mitchell Falk (GASGAS); 26. Curren Thurman (GASGAS); 27. Jacob Runkles (GASGAS); 36. Colby Copp (GASGAS)

450MX – Moto 1

1. Ken Roczen (Honda) 16 laps; 2. Dylan Ferrandis (Yamaha) +03.710; 3. Adam Cianciarulo (Kawasaki) +18.212 …7. Justin Barcia (GASGAS) +38.861; 22. Curren Thurman (GASGAS); 25. Mitchell Falk (GASGAS); 26. Jacob Runkles (GASGAS); 33. Colby Copp (GASGAS)

450MX – Moto 2

1. Ken Roczen (Honda) 16 laps; 2. Dylan Ferrandis (Yamaha) +08.933; 3. Justin Barcia (GASGAS) +14.551 …18. Mitchell Falk (GASGAS); 24. Curren Thurman (GASGAS); 25. Jacob Runkles (GASGAS); 34. Colby Copp (GASGAS)

250MX – Overall

1. Justin Cooper (Yamaha); 2. Jett Lawrence (Honda); 3. Hunter Lawrence (Honda) …15. Pierce Brown (GASGAS); 16. Michael Mosiman (GASGAS); 19. Ty Masterpool (GASGAS); 20. Derek Kelley (GASGAS); 21. Ramyller Alves (GASGAS); 26. Zack Williams (GASGAS); 41. TJ Uselman (GASGAS)

250MX – Moto 1

1. Jeremy Martin (Yamaha) 16 laps; 2. Justin Cooper (Yamaha) +03.057; 3. RJ Hampshire (Husqvarna) +07.436 …17. Derek Kelley (GASGAS); 21. Ramyller Alves (GASGAS); 24. Zack Williams (GASGAS); 33. Ty Masterpool (GASGAS); 34. Michael Mosiman (GASGAS); 36. Pierce Brown (GASGAS); 39. TJ Uselman (GASGAS)

250MX – Moto 2

1. Jett Lawrence (Honda) 16 laps; 2. Justin Cooper (Yamaha) +15.663; 3. Hunter Lawrence (Honda) +27.513 …9. Pierce Brown (GASGAS); 11. Michael Mosiman (GASGAS); 15. Ty Masterpool (GASGAS); 18. Ramyller Alves (GASGAS); 20. Derek Kelley (GASGAS); 25. Zack Williams (GASGAS)

Championship Standings – After Round 2

450MX

1. Ken Roczen (Honda) 90pts; 2. Dylan Ferrandis (Yamaha) 89; 3. Aaron Plessinger (Yamaha) 74; 4. Justin Barcia (GASGAS) 69

250MX

1. Jett Lawrence (Honda) 90pts; 2. Justin Cooper (Yamaha) 80; 3. Jeremy Martin (Yamaha) 72 …10. Michael Mosiman (GASGAS) 46; 16. Pierce Brown (GASGAS) 23