Going for the W: Justin Barcia
Thursday, August 9, 2012 | 11:30 AM
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PrintBorn in New Jersey (we pump our fists, not our gas as Jason Weigandt likes to say) and raised in New York, GEICO Honda’s Justin Barcia has always done well at tracks he raced as a youth. Unadilla and this weekend’s race at Southwick are considered a couple of his stronger tracks.
And with Justin coming off a win at Washougal, where he made up seven points and is now trailing 250 leader Blake Baggett by eleven, this weekend’s race in the sands of Southwick is huge in terms of the championship. And with Unadilla coming up next weekend, Barcia has a chance to make his move for the 2012 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross 250 Championship.
Barcia burst onto the scene at the opening round of the 2009 Nationals at Glen Helen. Revving the crap out of his 250F, bouncing off berms and other riders, the rookie led the most laps that day before petering out in both motos in going 9-3 for sixth overall. Most folks knew then that he was the good and with some more experience and stamina, this Barcia kid was going to be the real deal.
Barcia captured his first career overall at Southwick in 2009.
Simon Cudby photo
It took most of the season for him to find the groove again, but when the series rolled around to Southwick, Barcia showed everyone that sand skills and a home track advantage are nothing to be toyed with. He went 1-3 for the overall that day. Just eleven races into his national career, and he had his first win. Barcia ended the series fifth overall but that wasn’t indicative of his speed and flash he showed at times in 2009.
In 2010, again Barcia showed that he loved the sand. Dueling with South African Tyla Rattray, Barcia dominated a moto but unfortunately got a fourth in the other one. Second overall (while winning one moto) for Barcia to Rattray is nothing to sneeze at. Barcia’s sand record was still pretty impressive.
Last season, with his 250 results not there due to sickness and other struggles, Barcia got called up to the Factory Honda team when they were hit with injuries. And it was a new lease on life for the kid as he was very fast and very impressive right out of the gate on the bigger bike. And when the series hit Southwick, it got even better.
Raining off and on all day, Barcia settled into third in the first moto and had a solid grip on it when disaster struck on the Honda. Mechanical issues forced him out of the race when a podium was a sure thing. In the second moto, the kid grabbed the lead on the first lap and never looked back, winning his first ever 450 outdoor moto. Had his bike held on for third in moto one, he would have won the 450 overall with 3-1 scores.
So if you’re counting, that’s three Southwick Nationals for Justin Barcia and three moto wins out of the six he’s entered. The time spent at Southwick railing the sand, standing up and keeping the throttle pinned has paid off big-time.
Southwick will be a key race in the championship for Barcia.
Andrew Fredrickson photo
And this weekend, Barcia needs to make sure that he has his speed there and avoid bad starts and mistakes. If he can do that, surely he’ll be atop the podium this weekend and close up that gap in the points even more going into Unadilla. Or maybe even take the lead.
As if that wasn’t pressure enough, there’s a very good chance that Barcia will be selected for Team USA for the Motocross of Nations in the MX3 Class. That would put him on the 450 again and in the deep sands of Lommel, Belgium which is deeper, nastier and rougher than Southwick has ever been. Still, Southwick is the best sand proving ground we have, and if Bam-Bam can do what most of us think he’s going to do this weekend, then the berth on Team USA is his to lose (provided that Ryan Villopoto doesn’t make a miraculous return from a knee injury).
But pressure doesn't seem to be something that hurts Barcia. Neither is sand. Expect him to be going for the W at the ‘Wick.
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No way.....JB is amazing in the sand, legs completly locked out hanging off the back WFO! Barcia is the man to beat this weekend. I would also look at KTM's KR & MM to put on a show. Thank god for the live stream no coverage where I'M at....DEPLOYED!!!
Sounds as though Mr. Barcia has some consistency issues to defeat on his way to an overall at Southwick. Possibly some luck issues as well. This class is so awsome because of all the players. I am almost over the color orange, unless Musquin or Roczen can finally follow through. I believe this is the kind of track Baggett could set sail but I also belive that this is the kind of track that an animal such as Eli Tomac could punish other riders on. Good luck to all!
I say Banjo Boy kills everybody this week.
@JMFNB...Thanks for your service! Yeah, I think Barcia is ready for some wins!
When will he be going for the shave?
Steve- man you just put the pressure on JB with your article-lol
I feel with Stanton their to help get his mindset focused this will be a great weekend for Barcia. On the other hand NO ONE is going to give it to him and he won't get the win easy if he does. BB, ET, MM, all want it very bad.
RV, RD, JB (250) or RD, BB, JB (450) for MXON !!
If I was BB I would be very worried, JB can see the target and there is blood in the water, he is within reach. We will know who has the strongest desire to win very soon. I hope no one gets hurt.
Blake Baggett's speed, when he is on, is undeniable. In fact, when he is on, he is virtually unbeatable. But I agree with @TheChosen1, I think Baggett's confidence is a little thinner than most believe. With Barcia's past success at Southwick, I think we may see a less confident Baggett. I think this may also be the case next week at Unadilla. Last time Barcia raced there, he held off Ryan Dungey for all but the last lap. If Barcia wins both Southwick and Unadilla, he may well win the championship. Baggett tends to make mistakes when he is under pressure and watching his points lead slip away will definitely put the pressure on. In any case, these races WILL be great, indeed. Thank God for the Lites class this year. Wake me up when the 450 race is over.
Come on JB, you can do it. Pin it!
with the starts he gets he will be hard to beat this weekend
Half of Southwick is trusting the sand and not touching the brakes when common sense tells you to. When you do it right..... its a beautiful thing. I predict Barcia 1-1 but seriously, is anyone less concerned about hitting the brakes more than Baggett? Cant freaking wait!
Oh, and Alessi had better get a good look at Dungey on the starting line because he'll never see him again. What he did last year a lap down was legend.
Yes, once Dungey finally got that zook off the line last year, he was one rider Barcia couldn't make time on. Amazing ride.
Can't wait to get to MX338!
will this b 3 or 4 years in a row with rain sef154?
One of the things I miss about home, Ridin' at the "Wick"
I don't keep count, BillC ... I just bring my raincoat!
The history of PC bikes letting go @ the 'Wick, this being JB's end of the country, Roczen's sand skills, the MXdN team pick and JB's record there are all playing a part in BB's headset right now. Others as well but, since he's the lead dog in the chase, it weighs on him first.
I think Roczen is going to have some pressure on him for this race. With his dad pulling him back to Germany during the break, we can only speculate what has been going on with him. I hope he can weather the storms and come through for this race and show us what he's made of. KTM has a lot of hope on this kid, whether they say it or not.
If there is that kind of pressure, carlsbad, then KTM underestimated the AMA series and its riders! We should tell 'em to bring Antonio and his 350 over next season! On the other hand, DeCoster has said he looks at this as a learning year for Kenny. Perhaps different people have different views, within the team and elsewhere.
Prediction: Barcia gains 9 on Baggett at the Wick and 5 more at Dilla. Baggett gets 4 back at Steel City. They go into Elsinore with Baggett leading by 1.