JUSTIN BARCIA CELEBRATES A PODIUM KICK-OFF TO THE 2022 SUPERCROSS SEASON IN ANAHEIM!.
TROY LEE DESIGNS/RED BULL/GASGAS FACTORY RACING FIRED UP FOR THE NEW YEAR OF RACING.
Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing enjoyed the hype surrounding the opening round of the 2022 AMA Supercross Championship and we’re stoked our team’s first “A1” experience! Justin Barcia had a great showing at Round 1, delivering GASGAS our first Anaheim SX podium in the super stacked 450SX class. Additionally, teammate Michael Mosiman claimed a heat-race win in the 250SX West division, followed by a hard-fought Main Event performance from dead last to a sixth-place finish.
As a three-time consecutive Round 1 winner, all eyes were on Barcia tonight to see if he would make it four-in-a-row. Qualifying 10th earlier in the day, BAMBAM got right down to business battling up front in the first heat race of the night. He kept a steady pace aboard his MC 450F, ultimately making a late charge to secure fourth in the heat.
With a class full of heavy hitters, the 450SX Main Event was full of excitement from start to finish. Barcia grabbed a top-five start and he managed the early chaos to settle into the fourth spot. Riding patiently through the first half of the race, Barcia set himself up to capitalize on a podium position later in the race. He moved into second around the midway point and it was a battle to the finish between Barcia and the defending champ, Cooper Webb, who ultimately edged him out for the spot. All smiles on the podium, Barcia enjoyed celebrating a podium finish to kick off a fun season in 2022!
Justin Barcia:„That was an awesome race! I had a lot of fun and we had some great battles out there. The pressure is off now and I can work on myself, keep plugging along and having fun. It’s been a great offseason and it’s just good to get this first race out of the way. I’m happy with the result, it’s a good podium finish, and we definitely have some things to build on. I’m really looking forward to the next race, bonding with the guys, having fun and going for it!”
Mosiman had a great start to the day, placing his MC 250F into second overall in qualifying. He didn’t get off to the best start in the heat race but he rallied his way from sixth up to first by the halfway point and he held strong to secure the heat-race win by six seconds. In the Main Event, Mosiman found himself buried off the start and he was forced to fight his way through traffic early on. However, he made a mistake and went down in the whoops, dropping him back to dead last before the end of the first lap. Mosiman wasted no time charging back through the field, breaking into the top-10 by the midway point. He began to hit his stride later in the race and he finished strong with an impressive comeback of sixth-place on the night.
Michael Mosiman:“Anaheim I is in the books and boy was it a crazy one! I had so much fun throughout the day, honestly more fun than I’ve ever had at a SX. I felt super confident on the bike and everything was clicking, just riding well within my abilities. It’s unfortunate how the main started out and once I was back in the pack, it’s pretty hectic back there, but I’m proud of how I rode and I’m leaving with a ton of positives. I think I’m very much in it for the championship and very healthy and couldn’t ask for anything more.”
The Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing Team will return to racing next Saturday, January 15 for Round 2 in Oakland, California.
450SX – Main Event 1. Ken Roczen (Honda) 22 laps; 2. Cooper Webb (KTM) +07.296; 3. Justin Barcia (GASGAS) +10.381 … 21. Justin Starling (GASGAS)
250SX West – Main Event 1. Christian Craig (YAM) 16 laps; 2. Seth Hammaker (Kawasaki) +5.625; 3. Hunter Lawrence (Honda) +6.054 … 6. Michael Mosiman (GASGAS) +36.824; 11. Chris Blose (GASGAS); 13. Mitchell Harrison (GASGAS)
Championship Standings – After Round 1
450SX 1. Ken Roczen (Honda) 26pts; 2. Cooper Webb (KTM) 23; 3. Justin Barcia (GASGAS) 21
250SX West 1. Christian Craig (YAM) 26pts; 2. Seth Hammaker (Kawasaki) 23; 3. Hunter Lawrence (Honda) 21 … 6. Michael Mosiman (GASGAS) 17; 11. Chris Blose (GASGAS) 12; 13. Mitchell Harrison (GASGAS) 10
Text/Bild: GasGas