The second round of the 2024 AMA Supercross Championship marked a mixed night out for the Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing Team, with 450SX contender Justin Barcia salvaging points after battling through sickness this week, and Ryder DiFrancesco experiencing the highs and lows of racing in the 250SX West Class.
Round 2 marked a challenging night for Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing’s Barcia, who put in a warrior-like effort to endure the treacherous conditions while managing an illness. He qualified his way into the Main Event via the LCQ, where he would pilot his GASGAS MC 450F Factory Edition to 17th place.
Justin Barcia: “Crazy day here in San Francisco, crazy event. I got a serious sickness coming into this race, so I couldn’t ride or train, had to hit the hospital a couple of times, and I'm just really happy to be here. It was really tough with the weather, and unfortunately, my body was pretty hammered – made it hard on myself by going to the LCQ, but all-in-all it was a survival mode weekend for me. I'm happy to be in one piece and am looking forward to being healthy and putting my bike up front.”
DiFrancesco opened his San Francisco race day by posting the 13th-fastest time in the sole qualifying session, before rocketing out of the gates aboard his GASGAS MC 250F Factory Edition in the second 250SX West Heat Race to the holeshot. Intent on checking out, DiFrancesco built a staggering 20-second margin between him and the second-place rider, sealing the first Heat Race win of his career in impressive fashion.
An unfortunate start to the Main Event for DiFrancesco had him buried deep in the field, with the Californian ultimately ending up with an unfortunate DNF in the mud.
Ryder DiFrancesco: “It was a good night here until it wasn’t! All day I felt good in the mud, I don’t know where that comes from – maybe Bakersfield when it’s muddy, but that’s once a year... It was good to get my first Heat Race win, which is a cool feeling! We have a bunch of stuff to work on, but good thing we get to line up again next weekend.”
Current MXGP World Champion Prado made his second AMA Supercross start in San Francisco with 12th in qualifying, quickly followed up by a massive Heat Race holeshot and a thrilling performance to secure the opening 450SX Heat Race victory. A measured ride during the Main Event saw the Spaniard claim a commendable seventh-place result.
Jorge Prado: “Second round is done, and I am very happy about everything. I feel like I got used to the format already after last weekend, which is a big adjustment for me, especially learning a new track in eight or nine laps. But hey, good start in the Heat and some good opening laps, stayed consistent, and got my first-ever Heat Race win! I was super happy about that because I’m not a big mud specialist, then in the Main Event the gate dropped very quickly, and I got a bad start. I slowly made my way through the field and only wanted to stay on the bike, that was my goal, so with seventh place, I am very happy.”
Results – 2024 AMA Supercross Championship, Round 2
450SX Results – San Francisco SX
1. Chase Sexton (KTM)
2. Eli Tomac (Yamaha)
3. Ken Roczen (Suzuki)
7. Jorge Prado (GASGAS)
17. Justin Barcia (GASGAS)
450SX Championship Standings (After Round 2)
1. Chase Sexton (KTM) 45pts
2. Jett Lawrence (Honda) 38pts
3. Eli Tomac (Yamaha) 35pts
9. Jorge Prado (GASGAS) 24pts
12. Justin Barcia (GASGAS) 20pts
250SX West Results – San Francisco SX
1. Jordon Smith (Yamaha)
2. Levi Kitchen (Kawasaki)
3. Garrett Marchbanks (Yamaha)
21. Ryder DiFrancesco (GASGAS)
250SX West Championship Standings (After Round 2)
1. Jordon Smith 47pts
2. Levi Kitchen 42pts
3. RJ Hampshire 38pts
15. Ryder DiFrancesco (GASGAS) 14pts