JUSTIN BARCIA - GRIT 237 450SX

JUSTIN BARCIA | GRIT-237 | 450 SX

Staying at the front of the field for well over a decade, New York's Justin Barcia was ecstatic to see San Diego's forecast as the race on Saturday approached. The GasGas rider had been a specialist in the mud, and had received the highest honors of victory on countless occasions while displaying world-renowned technique in an adverse atmosphere. That pattern continued for round three of the current championship as well, when Barcia accelerated forward in practice to obtain a standing of twelfth - which categorized him in heat one, where he looked to compete alongside Eli Tomac, Malcolm Stewart, and Jett Lawrence. The aforementioned opponents were fierce on a track of this magnitude, but Barcia was holding a rather solid pace while excelling with times near the 1:07 mark. However, he and Adam Cianciarulo would unfortunately collide near the face of the "SX" triple in the early going, causing the Kawasaki rider to descend outside of a transfer position; while Barcia faltered to around seventh, but quickly reestablished a flow that was paralleled to those in the top five. His engine would scream as he crossed the finish line with three laps to go, seeing fellow New Yorker (i.e. Justin Cooper) just ahead...which motivated him to accelerate an even higher pace. Sliding through corners with his inside leg hovering from the foot-peg (at times) Barcia was persistent even amongst the muddied raceway; where he not only moved ahead of Justin Cooper, but Benny Bloss as well with only seconds remaining! Ultimately cemented in fourth within the final standings, he would look ahead to the main event where he was eager to compete with the entirety of the field. Shifting into gear, his jump from the line and infiltration of the inside of turn number one was considered solid. He would avoid troublesome pileups that claimed the likes of Chase Sexton, while contending with Ken Roczen over the first place position; though he was categorized in second, as the first full lap was completed. Opponents could hear the engine of Barcia as he sprinted around the raceway, twisting the throttle to its maximum extent when leaping over the "SX" triple - landing within considerable amounts of mud, only to slide atop the face and through the air of the double that approached, with fearlessness and no doubts at all! He was gaining on Roczen at times, but couldn't help but to notice that Aaron Plessinger was excelling at a phenomenal rate (and closing rather rapidly). That's when suddenly, after roughly three minutes of action had passed, Plessinger leaped through the combination of obstacles before the whoops and would make a definitive pass "stick" per se, prior to the rhythm lane after the mogul section. Now third, Barcia would clear his vision and regroup his thought process; knowing that it would be a process of staying clean, remaining upright, and focusing forward as the halfway point presented itself...all the while, he would gain a position via Ken Roczen's crash; pushing him to the runner-up standing for just a bit, prior to being overtaken by Cooper Webb. Though once the Yamaha rider was around, Barcia was in a territory all by himself. He had to remain cognizant and engaged, otherwise a disastrous lull could allow opponents like Jett Lawrence to close the gap. The veteran remained calm under pressure, eventually crossing the conclusion of the twenty-two lap sequence in third and earning a magnificent overall podium accolade!

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