A top-five moto score and sixth overall in 250MX signaled a step forward for Pierce Brown at today's Hangtown Motocross Classic, the second round of the 2024 AMA Pro Motocross Championship. And for Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing teammate Justin Barcia, seventh overall in the 450MX Class was another sign of consistency.
- PB takes confidence from finishing fifth in opening 250MX moto
- Second moto improvements in Hangtown conditions evident for Barcia
- More testing planned as Bam Bam gets back down to business
Brown finished a low-key eighth overall at Pala's first round of the season one week ago, but was better from the outset at the historic Prairie City venue to qualify in P7. Moto 1 saw him ride his GASGAS MC 250F Factory Edition to fifth position, and then he wrapped up the weekend with a 10th-place ride in Moto 2, which resulted in P6 overall for the weekend. He has moved forward to seventh in the championship.
Pierce Brown: "Today was better than the first round with sixth overall and we made some improvements that I'm happy about. I think we're in a good spot, trending in the right direction, and I'm excited for Colorado next week."
Hangtown was an opportunity for Ryder DiFrancesco to gain added experience in 250MX, beginning with ninth in qualifying, and then registering 14-18 finishes for 15th overall. He will be determined to turn things around results-wise in Colorado next weekend, currently 13th in the points following Round 2 of 11.
Ryder DiFrancesco: "It was a better weekend with two good qualifying sessions this morning. We had two good starts, but I just didn't have the speed to run up front, so made it hard on myself. I'm looking forward to Thunder Valley."
After finishing fifth at the opener, Barcia came into Hangtown with confidence on his side and qualified his GASGAS MC 450F Factory Edition in position nine. He gradually made improvements from there, placing eighth in a chaotic first moto, and then going another position better for P7 in Moto 2 for seventh overall. Those results have him ranked eighth in the standings in these early stages of the outdoors.
Justin Barcia: "Hangtown was a challenging day, for sure. I felt okay in the first practice when it was a little bit smoother, but then second practice I struggled a little. We made a change for the first moto and it wasn't what I needed, before in Moto 2 we made a good step and it was a lot better. Hopefully we can do some testing this week to improve a little bit, because we haven't been able to ride too much, so it will be good to get on track and catch up a little bit. All-in-all, not the results we want, but we will definitely keep at it, never give up, and the results should be coming soon."
Next Race: June 8 – Thunder Valley, Colorado
Results 450MX Class – Hangtown National
1. Chase Sexton (USA), KTM
2. Hunter Lawrence (AUS), Honda
3. Aaron Plessinger (USA), KTM
7. Justin Barcia (USA), Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing
8. Malcolm Stewart (USA), Husqvarna
10. Christian Craig (USA), Husqvarna
Standings 450MX Class 2024 after 2 of 11 rounds
1. Chase Sexton, 90 points
2. Hunter Lawrence, 82
3. Aaron Plessinger, 69
8. Justin Barcia, 61
9. Malcolm Stewart, 57
12. Christian Craig, 33
Results 250MX Class – Hangtown National
1. Haiden Deegan (USA), Yamaha
2. Tom Vialle (FRA), KTM
3. Levi Kitchen (USA), Kawasaki
6. Pierce Brown (USA), Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing
9. Julien Beaumer (USA), KTM
10. Casey Cochran (USA), Husqvarna
15. Ryder DiFrancesco (USA), Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing
Standings 250MX Class 2024 after 2 of 11 rounds
1. Haiden Deegan, 97 points
2. Levi Kitchen, 84
3. Tom Vialle, 81
7. Pierce Brown, 55
8. Julien Beaumer, 48
13. Ryder DiFrancesco, 35
16. Casey Cochran, 28