JUSTIN BARCIA | GRIT-212 | 450SX

JUSTIN BARCIA | GRIT-212 | SX 450

Following an event-filled narrative in Daytona, where he and Chase Sexton would come together on a number of occasions, Justin Barcia would be "amped up" as he returned to action in the Midwest. Barcia's theatrics were of no surprise to those in the industry, where his aggression reached a boiling point time and time again, although sometimes it would be warranted. Many would argue that the run-in's with Chase Sexton were race-related last week in Florida, which quite possibly deterred Barcia from advancing into podium territory after he claimed the fastest time of the moto. Nevertheless, he was riding with a will to win when leaping onto the track for qualification-doing his best to scrub and whip his way around the Indianapolis circuit despite the track being overtaken with grooves of all kinds. His mantra would never change, especially as heat two came to fruition where he was alongside Ken Roczen, Cooper Webb, and Adam Cianciarulo. The GasGas rider would do his best to push to the top of the field as lap one would unravel, hovering near the top four before embarking on higher ground. Barcia was electric and showed his usual outlandish riding style when scrubbing his way over the "SX" triple. This would lead to Adam Cianciarulo being overtaken before lap number two began, with Cooper Webb now in the crosshairs. Webb was aimed for and toppled prior to hitting the whoop section with less than four minutes remaining, leaving only Ken Roczen (who was first) to be passed. Barcia stood his ground and sought to blast past the German rider, which would then be actualized with just over one-minute left on the clock (and in the left-handed corner that proceeded the longest rhythm lane)! Now holding onto the reign of the field, Barcia's extravagant style on the motorcycle was on full-display; scrubbing and whipping at the highest velocities, as he then charged to a heat race victory! The emotion and confidence of the New Yorker would now spill into the main event, where he would begin in seventh but quickly advance. Justin Hill, Jason Anderson, and Aaron Plessinger were all opponents he moved around prior to storming to the rear wheel of Adam Cianciarulo; who was riding well, but had a few lines that Barcia took advantage of. Into third prior to beginning lap eight, it would be only during a matter of moments where he simultaneously (roughly) passed both Cianciarulo and Honda's Chase Sexton who had crashed! Now into third, it was Cooper Webb who was on the horizon. He stalked the North Carolina native for a number of laps, until just below the twelve minute mark when Webb would make a few disastrous mistakes in the whoops which allowed Barcia to speed around the outside! Creating a prolific outside pass in the step-on/step-off section that followed, it was Barcia who now obtained the runner-up position. The race then began between both he, Roczen, and the clock; where the Suzuki rider was out front and excelling at a superb pace. However with attrition, he began to chip away, steadily moving forward and making the once (three-second) margin fade into an afterthought while coming within bike lengths. Barcia would hound Roczen and nearly the make the pass on the final lap, pushing with one-hundred percent as they neared the finish-line. But it was too little, too late; yet even the GasGas rider would have to acknowledge his astounding accomplishment within a runner-up overall.

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