An inspired performance from Justin Barcia at Thunder Valley saw the Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing rider charge to fourth overall in Round 3 of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship, marking his best finish of the 2024 season to date outdoors. It was also a solid weekend out for 250MX teammate Pierce Brown on his way to P8 overall.
- A 4-6 moto scorecard results in P4 overall for Bam Bam!
- Fast starts reward Barcia in both 450MX races this afternoon
- Sixth in the opening moto puts Pierce's form on display
Barcia placed his GASGAS MC 450F Factory Edition eighth on the charts at the conclusion of qualifying this morning and then rocketed toward the front of the pack in the opening 450MX moto, sitting second in the early stages. He eventually settled in for a fourth-place result, and then backed that up with sixth in the final race, which saw him take home a season-best of P4 overall! Bam Bam is now seventh in the premier class standings.
Justin Barcia: "Thunder Valley was a pretty good day! I qualified decent in the top 10, which I wasn't thrilled about, but it was okay. I got off to two good starts, charged really hard all day, and the bike was really good. We made a change after the second practice and it was really consistent, so I was able to adapt to different lines today and felt comfortable. We came away with a solid fourth, so it's good. We want more, so we're going to keep pushing, and we'll get there soon!"
Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing's 250MX team was led by Brown, who qualified in P9 and then went on to take the checkered flag in sixth position at the end of Moto 1. With rain briefly falling at the beginning of Moto 2, he recovered from an average opening lap to salvage ninth, which placed him eighth for the weekend, and PB currently holds seventh in the title race.
Pierce Brown: "It was another mediocre day on paper, but we made some steps forward, riding-wise. In the first moto I ended up sixth, then second moto I was near last and came back to ninth. It felt good, but obviously not where we need to be, and we need a start. I feel like everything else is coming together, so I'm excited to see what we can do at High Point next week."
Colorado was a frustrating round of sorts for Ryder DiFrancesco, caught up in a multi-rider crash through the first turn in the opening encounter, but battling back to 18th place. He improved to run inside the top 10 during Moto 2, although dropped further down the order in the closing laps and finished 14th. As a result, he was 15th overall in Round 3 of the Pro Motocross season.
Ryder DiFrancesco: "This weekend was okay. I fell in the first turn of Moto 1 and came back to 18th, and then in the second moto I got a better start, ran eighth for around 20 minutes, and then went backward from there. It was better than Hangtown, so we'll keep improving and get ready for next weekend."
Next Race: June 15 – High Point, Pennsylvania
Results 450MX Class – Thunder Valley National
1. Jett Lawrence (AUS), Honda
2. Hunter Lawrence (AUS), Honda
3. Justin Cooper (USA), Yamaha
4. Justin Barcia (USA), Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing
5. Chase Sexton (USA), KTM
6. Aaron Plessinger (USA), KTM
8. Malcolm Stewart (USA), Husqvarna
10. Christian Craig (USA), Husqvarna
Standings 450MX Class 2024 after 3 of 11 rounds
1. Hunter Lawrence, 129 points
2. Chase Sexton, 123
3. Jett Lawrence, 113
5. Aaron Plessinger, 100
7. Justin Barcia, 95
9. Malcolm Stewart, 87
11. Christian Craig, 58
Results 250MX Class – Thunder Valley National
1. Haiden Deegan (USA), Yamaha
2. Chance Hymas (USA), Honda
3. Tom Vialle (FRA), KTM
8. Pierce Brown (USA), Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing
9. Julien Beaumer (USA), KTM
15. Ryder DiFrancesco (USA), Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing
16. Casey Cochran (USA), Husqvarna
Standings 250MX Class 2024 after 3 of 11 rounds
1. Haiden Deegan, 144 points
2. Chance Hymas, 121
3. Tom Vialle, 121
7. Pierce Brown, 84
8. Julien Beaumer, 73
12. Ryder DiFrancesco, 47
16. Casey Cochran, 40