After being focused solely on the 250 class since the start of the Pro Motocross series, the Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing Team team was pumped to have entries in both classes at Unadilla.
The Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing crew was excited to welcome back Justin Barcia at the famed Unadilla course
Justin had a rough return to action, with a crash-caused DNF in moto one, and a battle through the pack in moto two.
Pierce Brown scored another top ten 250 overall with a 12-11 day
450 MX
After sitting out the first eight rounds of the Pro Motocross series following an injury late in the Supercross series, it was back to business for Justin Barcia at his “home” race in Unadilla. He showed off excellent speed early in the day as he qualified in fourth position aboard his MC 450F Factory Edition.
Unfortunately, a crash in the first turn of moto one damaged his clutch lever, and the team opted to remove it. After another crash later in the moto, Justin opted to head back to the pits.
After starting just inside the top 20 in moto two despite another tangle on lap one, Justin methodically picked his way to 14th, making the most of his race to prep for future events.
Justin Barcia: “The day started off really well. I was really having a good time and was going into the first moto with a lot of good vibes and good feels. Unfortunately, I got in a first-turn pile-up, and damaged my bike pretty bad. I tried to do a few laps but I ended up crashing again and had to pull her in and go back to the semi. So that was a shame for the first moto, not really the race I wanted coming back. In the second moto I had the far outside gate pick. I got off to a good jump, but pretty much had nowhere to go in the tight Unadilla first corner so I was pretty buried. I was charging through the third corner and got in another little pile-up and ended up going down. It was an extremely tough moto. That was my first 30 minute moto in a long time. So it was a tough day, but all-in-all it was very nice to be back at the races. We know we've got a lot of work to do and knew that this would be a good test for the future Supermotocross stuff. So we'll keep working and be back next week at Budds Creek.”
250 MX
Pierce Brown ran inside the top ten for most of the first moto aboard his MC 250F Factory Edition before a crash late in the race dropped him to 12th. In moto two, he started in the low teens before eventually moving up to 11th. Consistency paid off, with an 10th overall.
Pierce Brown: “I had an all-right day, with tenth overall. I definitely want more. We struggled a little bit in both motos, just getting off the gate. I had to come from behind in both motos, especially the second one. In moto one I fell with a lap to go, so I lost some spots there. In moto two I had a charge. I made some pretty good passes with a couple laps to go to get myself in a better position. I'm happy, but I want more. We're going to push to build for the rest of the season."
Next Event (Round 10): August 19, 2023 – Budds Creek Motocross Park in Mechanicsville, Md.
Results – 2023 AMA Pro Motocross Championship, Round Nine
250 MX
1. Hunter Lawrence (Honda) 2-2; 2. Levi Kitchen (Yamaha) 1-4; 3. Justin Cooper (Yamaha) 5-1 …10. Pierce Brown (GASGAS) 12-11; 27. Gage Linville (GASGAS) 26-24; 37. Nicolas Israel (GASGAS) 37-31
450 MX
1. Jett Lawrence (Honda) 1-1; 2. Chase Sexton (Honda) 7-5; 3. Dylan Ferrandis (Yamaha) 2-3… 18. Romain Pape (GASGAS) 33-13; 19. Justin Barcia (GASGAS) 40-14; 20. Jose Butron (GASGAS) 17-19; 26. Jakub Teresak (GASGAS) 25-23; 35. Cody Groves (GASGAS) 35-32
Championship Standings – After Nine Rounds
250 MX
1. Hunter Lawrence (Honda) 344 points; 2. Justin Cooper (Yamaha) 322 points; 3. Jo Shimoda (Kawasaki) 309 points… 21. Pierce Brown (GASGAS) 55 points;26. Michael Mosiman (GASGAS) 20 points; 35. Tyson Johnson (GASGAS) 13 points; 44. Joel Rizzi (GASGAS) 3 points
450 MX
1. Jett Lawrence (Honda) 450 points; 2. Dylan Ferrandis (Yamaha) 347 points; 3. Aaron Plessinger (KTM) 312 points … 11. Jose Butron (GASGAS) 138 points; 13. Lorenzo Locurcio (GASGAS) 110 points; 17. Romain Pape (GASGAS) 81 points; 26. Chris Canning (GASGAS) 27 points; 43. Justin Barcia (GASGAS) 7 points; 50. Jacob Runkles (GASGAS) 4 points; 58. Cody Groves (GASGAS) 3 points