Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing welcomed Justin Barcia back for Texas Motor Speedway and the second stop of the SMX Playoffs, where the 2024 SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) finals series continued in Forth Worth. It was also a largely positive day for teammate Pierce Brown in charging to P7 in 250SMX, despite going down off the start in both motos!

• Bam Bam makes his welcome return to competition in Texas
• Seventh for PB after crashing at the start of both 250SMX motos!
• Ryder D looks ahead to Las Vegas and finishing on a high

Barcia was due to return in Charlotte last weekend, but was ruled out following a crash on Friday. This time around he was on track for both gate-drops on his GASGAS MC 450F Factory Edition, and will build on his results from this point. Bam Bam eased into things through Practice and Qualifying, then managed a brave performance when it counted to deliver 12-13 scores for 12th overall.
Justin Barcia:   "Texas Motor Speedway was good, always good to be back at the races with the fans! It was a challenging day for me, just because I'm far from being my best self right now with where my body is at. I'm just glad to be here, able to ride, and doing my best. First moto, I rode as hard as I could, and then in the second moto, I had used up a lot of my energy, so nothing to write home about! I'm looking forward to Las Vegas and trying to get that little bit better for next weekend."
The 250SMX round saw Brown quickest of all in Friday Practice, before he qualified in ninth position. Equipped with the GASGAS MC 250F Factory Edition, PB went down at the beginning of both motos, but pushed on for impressive 9-5 results. That saw him salvage P7 overall, which has him sitting seventh in points with only the SMX Final remaining.
Pierce Brown:   "It was a better day for me. I struggled to keep it on two wheels in the first turn – I fell in both starts – but my jumps off the gate were getting better. I came from last to ninth in the first moto and then last to fifth in Moto 2, so that was good. I'm happy with my fitness right now and I'm excited to see what we can do in Vegas for the Final!"
Texas was much the same for teammate Ryder D, the Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing rider affected by troubles in Moto 1 when he went down twice, eventually reaching the checkered flag in P17. The final outing was an improvement with an 11th-place finish, resulting in 13th for the weekend. DiFrancesco is ranked 12th in the 250SMX title race with one round left to run.
Ryder DiFrancesco:   "Today was okay. My qualifying sessions were better and then I ended up going down twice in the first one, then in the second one, I moved forward to ninth, but finished 11th. I'm excited to end the season on a good note in Vegas!" Next Race:  September 21 – Las Vegas, Nevada (SMX Final)

Results 450SMX Class – SMX Playoff 2
1. Hunter Lawrence (AUS), Honda
2. Chase Sexton (USA), KTM
3. Jett Lawrence (AUS), Honda
7. Aaron Plessinger (USA), KTM
12. Justin Barcia (USA), Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing
13. Malcolm Stewart (USA), Husqvarna
14. Christian Craig (USA), Husqvarna

Standings 450SMX Class 2024 after 2 of 3 rounds
1. Hunter Lawrence, 90 points
2. Chase Sexton, 89
3. Jett Lawrence, 81
5. Aaron Plessinger, 62
9. Malcolm Stewart, 48
12. Christian Craig, 34
14. Justin Barcia, 33

Results 250SMX Class – SMX Playoff 2
1. Haiden Deegan (USA), Yamaha
2. Tom Vialle (FRA), KTM
3. Jo Shimoda (JPN), Honda
5. Julien Beaumer (USA), KTM
7. Pierce Brown (USA), Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing
13. Ryder DiFrancesco (USA), Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing
15. RJ Hampshire (USA), Husqvarna

Standings 250SMX Class 2024 after 2 of 3 rounds
1. Haiden Deegan, 100 points
2. Tom Vialle, 81
3. Levi Kitchen, 78
5. Julien Beaumer, 69
7. Pierce Brown, 56
12. Ryder DiFrancesco, 39
13. RJ Hampshire, 36
26. Casey Cochran, 4

The gates dropped on the new SuperMotocross World Championship (SMX) Finals series in Charlotte, North Carolina, this afternoon, where Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing pushed hard to make an impact in the 250SMX Class at zMAX Dragway.

• PB manages to race despite mid-week crash while training
• Free Practice incident delays Bam Bam's scheduled return to racing
• Ryder D benefits from strong starts in SMX Playoff 1

With 450SMX entry Justin Barcia's return to competition delayed by a week – he intends to line up in Fort Worth next Saturday – following a crash in Friday's free practice sessions, all attention was on Pierce Brown and Ryder DiFrancesco, equipped with their GASGAS MC 250F Factory Edition machinery.
Brown was uncertain whether he would be able to make the first SMX Playoff round of the year after going down during the week, but he was P1 in the opening qualifying session and qualified 11th on combined times. PB then recorded an 8-14 scorecard for 12th overall. Those points salvaged across the pair of fast-paced races see him currently ranked seventh in the 250SMX points.
Pierce Brown:   "That was a tough day for me. Coming into the weekend, I was unsure if I was going to race because I had a pretty big crash this week, so all in all I'm just happy to be here and to get some points. The next two rounds are double and triple points – I'm looking forward to those and there are a lot of points to be made. We have improvements to be made, but I feel like my ceiling is way higher than where I am at this stage."
Teammate Ryder D was quick out of the gates today, but continues to adapt to the high-speed, hybrid SMX tracks, and found himself with 14-12 finishes for P14 this weekend. In what is his first full season of racing at the pro level, DiFrancesco sits 12th in the 250SMX championship.
Ryder DiFrancesco:   "It was an okay weekend in Charlotte. I had pretty good starts all day, but in the first moto I just didn't have the speed, and then in the second race my start wasn't as good, even though I actually rode better. I need to stack some points for the next two!" Next Race:  September 14 – Fort Worth, Texas (SMX Playoff 2)

Standings 450SMX Class 2024 after 1 of 3 rounds
1. Chase Sexton, 45 points
2. Jett Lawrence, 41
3. Hunter Lawrence, 40
6. Aaron Plessinger, 32
7. Malcolm Stewart, 30
12. Christian Craig, 18
17. Justin Barcia, Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing, 13

Results 250SMX Class – SMX Playoff 1
1. Haiden Deegan (USA), Yamaha
2. Julien Beaumer (USA), KTM
3. Levi Kitchen (USA), Kawasaki
5. Tom Vialle (FRA), KTM
9. RJ Hampshire (USA), Husqvarna
12. Pierce Brown (USA), Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing
14. Ryder DiFrancesco (USA), Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing

Standings 250SMX Class 2024 after 1 of 3 rounds
1. Haiden Deegan, 50 points
2. Levi Kitchen, 42
3. Tom Vialle, 37
5. Julien Beaumer, 35
7. Pierce Brown, 26
10. RJ Hampshire, 22
12. Ryder DiFrancesco, 21
20. Casey Cochran, 4

An encouraging fifth-place finish in the final 250MX moto of the 2024 AMA Pro Motocross Championship on his way to P7 overall will come as a confidence boost for Ryder DiFrancesco. As a result, both he and Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing teammate Pierce Brown completed the series inside the top 10 following the Ironman National.

• Ryder D seventh overall after finishing strong with P5 in Moto 2
• Both Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing riders inside the top 10
• Final moto crash costly for PB in final round of the outdoors

DiFrancesco enjoyed a consistent run in the 11th and final round of the season, racing forward to seventh position in Moto 1 and then featuring toward the front of the pack in Moto 2 on his way to P5. Those scores placed him P7 overall on his GASGAS MC 250F Factory Edition, which also saw him finish 10th in the final standings.
Ryder DiFrancesco:   "Ironman was my best weekend and it's always been my favorite track ever since I first raced here. Good vibes all day, just felt like I wasn't behind the eight ball at all, and back to myself. It was good to finish the season with P5 in that final moto, it's nice to have some momentum and good for the confidence going into Charlotte and the SMX series!"
It was a mixed final round for Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing teammate Brown. He recovered from an average start in the opening race to work his way back inside the top 10, before an unfortunate crash at the beginning of the final moto of the outdoor season ended his day early. Still, he claimed eighth in the 250MX championship.
Pierce Brown:   "It wasn't the best day for me at Ironman. First moto, I had a mid-pack start and ended up 10th, before in the next moto I had a better start, but collided with some guys in the first turn and got run over a couple of times. My leg was hurting pretty bad and unfortunately went numb in my boot, so I couldn't finish, and had to get it checked out – we will hear more soon. That's a wrap for the outdoor season, so hopefully we'll be healthy and ready to go for SMX in a couple of weeks." Next Race:  September 7 – Concord, North Carolina (SMX Playoff 1)

Standings 450MX Class 2024 after 11 of 11 rounds
1. Chase Sexton, 504 points
2. Hunter Lawrence, 462
3. Aaron Plessinger, 403
6. Malcolm Stewart, 297
8. Christian Craig, 244
14. Justin Barcia, Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing, 148

Results 250MX Class – Ironman National
1. Tom Vialle (FRA), KTM
2. Chance Hymas (USA), Honda
3. RJ Hampshire (USA), Husqvarna
7. Ryder DiFrancesco (USA), Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing
14. Julien Beaumer (USA), KTM
17. Pierce Brown (USA), Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing

Standings 250MX Class 2024 after 11 of 11 rounds
1. Haiden Deegan, 481 points
2. Tom Vialle, 412
3. Levi Kitchen, 405
8. Pierce Brown, 269
10. Ryder DiFrancesco, 250
11. Julien Beaumer, 221
13. Casey Cochran, 164
22. RJ Hampshire, 65