PIERCE BROWN TAKES A HARD-FOUGHT FOURTH AT DAYTONA SX.
BARCIA GRINDS OUT A TOP-FIVE RESULT.
Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing’s Pierce Brown delivered a top-notch performance in the gnarly sands of Daytona to land himself only a few seconds off the 250SX podium in fourth. Teammate Justin Barcia grinded out a top-five result after a super intense battle for 450SX podium honors inside the world-famous Daytona International Speedway.
Fresh off a podium celebration at last weekend’s Triple Crown in Dallas, Brown couldn’t have stepped into more opposite conditions than Daytona but he rose to the challenge! Settling into fifth after the start of his heat, Brown quickly charged his MC 250F into fourth by the second lap and he set himself up for a podium charge later in the race. With two laps to go, he made his move and held strong for a third-place transfer.
In the Main Event, Brown grabbed a sixth-place start and he worked his way into the top-five in the first few laps. Undeniably fast, Brown kept the charge going straight into podium contention and he established himself in the mix going into the final stretch of racing. He put up a good fight against some fast company but he wasn’t able to keep a podium position within grasp, eventually finishing a close fourth.
Pierce Brown:“Today was really good! I felt like I built all day, it was kind of a slow start but by the Main Event we got a charge for the podium. I had some pretty fast guys behind me but I gave it my all and my all was fourth tonight. We’re building, so we still have some more to go. We’re going to go back and do our homework and come out swinging for Detroit.“
It was a solid day in the office for Barcia, who grabbed a top-10 qualifying position aboard his MC 450F earlier in the day. With a second-place start in the heat, Barcia challenged for the lead but ended up taking the runner-up spot and a decent gate pick for the Main Event.
Barcia found himself just inside the top-10 off the start of the Main Event and he worked his way into fourth by the end of the first lap. Battling for podium contention early on, he was unable to make anything stick but he continued to lay down consistent laps to hold onto fourth for most of the race. Admittedly tightening up late in the race, Barcia scaled things back to eventually bring it home for fifth.
Justin Barcia:“I was feeling good on the track, got a good flow and got the bike feeling really good today, the team did a great job during the week to get me what I needed so I’m super stoked on that! In the main, we were just battling hard – we were all really close from first through fifth – so it was really good racing. Around halfway, I got really tight and I was only able to bring it home to fifth. I definitely was looking for a bit more but we’ll take it. We’re healthy and back to work but looking forward to next week.“
Next up, the Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing Team will head to Detroit, Michigan on Saturday, March 12 for the 10th round.
Results – 2022 AMA Supercross Championship, Round 9
450SX – Main Event Results 1. Eli Tomac (Yamaha) 18 laps; 2. Cooper Webb (KTM) +05.273; 3. Chase Sexton (Honda) +10.293 …5.Justin Barcia (GASGAS) +17.248; 20. Justin Starling (GASGAS)
250SX East – Main Event Results 1. Jett Lawrence (Honda) 14 laps; 2. Stilez Robertson (Husqvarna) +14.005; 3. Cameron Mcadoo (Kawasaki) +18.657; 4. Pierce Brown (GASGAS) +22.169
Championship Standings – After Round 9
450SX 1. Eli Tomac (Yamaha) 203pts; 2. Jason Anderson (Kawasaki) 186; 3. Cooper Webb (KTM) 170 …6. Justin Barcia (GASGAS) 163
250SX East 1. Jett Lawrence (Honda) 73pts; 2. Cameron Mcadoo (Kawasaki) 68; 3. Stilez Robertson (Husqvarna) 52 … 5. Pierce Brown (GASGAS) 47
Text/Bild: GasGas