Seattle produced some of the toughest conditions of the year in the AMA Supercross Championship at Lumen Field, but for Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing's Justin Barcia it was another opportunity to keep making progress in 450SX, and that's what he did on his way to ninth position in the Main Event at Round 11 of the season.
Off the back of finishing ninth in Birmingham and eighth in Indianapolis, Barcia has been regaining form in recent weeks and that continued by qualifying P8 and then finishing fourth in Heat 1 on his GASGAS MC 450F Factory Edition. He ran as high as fifth in the 450SX Main Event, only to go down in the second half of the race and he wasn't able to recover from there on his way to P9.
Justin Barcia: "I had a good practice today and the track was tough all day. In the Heat race, I got off to a bad start, but charged through the pack really well and was P4, so I was happy with that and I felt really good going into the Main Event. It was a good start in the Main, I was riding well and was battling with the guys even though I rode a little bit tight in the beginning. I loosened up in the middle, but unfortunately had a crash and didn't ride to my ability after that. We're getting there, getting better every weekend and our time will come, but until then we'll keep working and get after it!"
The 250SX West season resumed with round six of that series, as Ryder DiFrancesco looked to make an impact on his GASGAS MC 250F Factory Edition. He was 12th in practice after being greeted by muddy conditions, but rode to fourth in his Heat race.
A late crash in the Main Event dropped him outside of the top 10 to 13th place as he took the checkered flag, but it's clear that our Supercross newcomer will be able to build upon that result in the coming weeks as experience builds.
Ryder DiFrancesco: "It was a decent night and I feel like I rode better than what the results obviously show. The track was tough, but it was a good day and I was able to improve with stuff that I worked on during the break. Unfortunately, I went down on the last lap and lost around five positions, but St. Louis should be good and I'm excited to head into the Triple Crown round there."
Results – 2024 AMA Supercross Championship, Round 11
450SX Results – Seattle SX
1. Cooper Webb (Yamaha)
2. Chase Sexton (KTM)
3. Jett Lawrence (Honda)
4. Aaron Plessinger (KTM)
9. Justin Barcia (GASGAS)
11. Malcolm Stewart (Husqvarna)
450SX Championship Standings (After Round 11)
1. Jett Lawrence (Honda) 230pts
2. Cooper Webb (Yamaha) 214pts
3. Chase Sexton (KTM) 207pts
6. Aaron Plessinger (KTM) 162pts
9. Justin Barcia (GASGAS) 122pts
10. Malcolm Stewart (Husqvarna) 115pts
250SX West Results – Seattle SX
1. Levi Kitchen (Kawasaki)
2. RJ Hampshire (Husqvarna)
3. Jo Shimoda (Honda)
7. Julien Beaumer (KTM)
13. Ryder DiFrancesco (GASGAS)
250SX West Championship Standings (After Round 6)
1. Levi Kitchen (Kawasaki) 131pts
2. RJ Hampshire (Husqvarna) 123pts
3. Jordon Smith (Yamaha) 110pts
7. Julien Beaumer (KTM) 78pts
14. Ryder DiFrancesco (GASGAS) 51pts