JUSTIN BARCIA - GRIT 253 450SX

GRIT-253 | 450 SX

June 5th, 2024 3:30 pm

Justin Barcia was still a contender for top-tier results, well into his thirties, after contesting the professional circuit for countless years now. There was something to be said about his era of athletes, as they withstood the test of time thus far and remained at the pinnacle of the sport despite years of grueling training, and competitive action on the motorcycle. His mantra was always the same, and he proceeded to give it his all amongst the initial stages of the first race in the afternoon program. Though outside of the top ten for what seemed like, the first ten minutes of the moto, Barcia began to attack the rear wheel of Phil Nicoletti before the newfound steep single (which preceded the legendary downhill) not long before the finish line...and the move was then made, with eighteen minutes left on the clock, for Barcia to inherit ninth on the leaderboard. He was aggressive, on a track that seemed to "bite" any racer that would override the landscape. Barcia was fearless though, bombarding through the chop and disregarding the movement of the motorcycle...all the while keeping the throttle pinned. As laps would pass, he would also make the move on Freddie Noren - appearing to be solidified in eighth, as the final laps were on the horizon. And though Malcolm Stewart was a bit out of reach, Barcia still charged as hard as possible in order to acquire eighth at the checkered flag. He appeared rejuvenated and ready for an even higher output of speed/intensity aboard his GasGas 450cc machine in the latter moto - where Justin was spotted running in sixth-place after five minutes of action - and he wasn't far off of Jason Anderson. He could see the pack ahead, and appeared to attack the watered racetrack with little regard for the absence of traction. A loss of position would unfortunately occur though, to that of Chase Sexton at the halfway point - deterring Justin to seventh, with fifteen minutes on the clock. Once there, however, Barcia's line of defense was hard for any competitor to break. He remained engaged in the ever-changing track, blasting through the roughest lines (at times) with a foot or two, off of the pegs! Continuously whipping the motorcycle with an aggressive front-end twist, an absence of stamina would appear to be a factor for the rider out of New York as he neared the checkered flag. And even with Dylan Ferrandis and Malcolm Stewart both behind him, Barcia remained solidified in the seventh-place residency - finalized here as results were calculated, for seventh overall on the day, as well.

More from GRIT