race recap
JUSTIN BARCIA - GRIT 232 450SMX
September 13, 2023 · Justin Barcia
JUSTIN BARCIA | GRIT-232 | 450 SMX
Prolonging his momentum from the outdoor series, GasGas' Justin Barcia saw the SMX Championship as a means to rekindle his momentum from the earliest stages of 2023. Prior to injury (which was sustained in Nashville) Barcia exhibited outstanding characteristics within the 450cc division...and by all means, would the New York native bring an aggressive style to the racetrack in Charlotte; where he could be seen scrubbing and whipping his way over the largest jumps on the circuit with immense confidence. Barcia's self belief was reflected in the opening stages of moto-one, where the GasGas rider would lead the first lap with Chase Sexton just behind him! After thorough pressure, the Illinois native was able to find a way forward...but not without Barcia lingering (in second) for quite sometime. He would defend the runner-up position from Dylan Ferrandis through lap five, before the French native (as well) would pass Barcia and push him to third...however Ken Roczen was the next opponent to cause "JB" to descend - which led him to fourth by lap ten. After hard fought battles with Aaron Plessinger and Jason Anderson, Barcia (who was once defending with all of his might) would be allowed a bit of breathing room with Jett Lawrence (of all people) now behind him! However, when it mattered most, Barcia was able to hold-off the defending outdoor champion along with Cooper Webb; which was certainly an accolade to be proud of, (taking sixth) before storming into the second moto. Beginning the next series of laps in sixth, he, Jett Lawrence and Cooper Webb could be found battling for latter portions of top-ten positioning...before being passed by both of the opponents while staying attached to the rear wheel to Ty Masterpool. Barcia wasn't going to become discouraged though, and would remain within milliseconds of the front-runners (in regard to lap-times) while keeping the GasGas 450 firing at its highest rates! Blasting into the sand section, he was able to pass that of Masterpool while looking to overtake Webb in the final moments as well...but the Yamaha rider was a little too far ahead as the clock struck zero. And after passing the white flag, he would round the final circuit in eighth, which translated to a seventh overall standing on the concluding leaderboard - and an abundance of momentum before round-two of the SMX Championship.