PIERCE BROWN HUNGRY FOR WIN AFTER LEADING MAJORITY OF 250SX MAIN EVENT.
TROY LEE DESIGNS/RED BULL/GASGAS FACTORY RACING JUSTIN BARCIA TALLIES ANOTHER TOP-FIVE RESULT.
Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing’s Pierce Brown had a stellar performance at Round 15 of the AMA Supercross Championship, narrowly missing his career-first win in the 250SX East division. Starting with an impressive heat-race win aboard his MC 250F, Brown capped the day off in a big way after leading 14 laps in the Main Event before rounding out a star-studded podium with third-place in Foxborough, Massachusetts!
Coming off a wild night of racing at last weekend’s E/W Showdown, Brown was determined to put in a great ride at the last 250SX East round before the season finale, and he did just that! With a fourth-place qualifying position, the young rider set himself up for success in the heat race as he powered his MC 250F into the lead on the second lap. He set sail from there, leading seven of the eight laps to secure his third heat-win of the year.
In the Main Event, the script couldn’t have been written more identical off the start as he jumped into the lead on lap two and once again pulled away from the rest of the field. Resisting extreme pressure from RJ Hampshire later in the race, Brown narrowly missed disaster when Hampshire hit his rear-end and sent himself to the ground. The pressure wasn’t off for Brown, though, as Austin Forkner joined the party up front and the GASGAS rider eventually gave way on lap 16. With one lap to go, the newly-crowned 250SX East Champion, Jett Lawrence, blitzed by for second and Brown came in hot for a respectable third-place finish.
Pierce Brown:“It’s a bummer that I couldn’t hold onto it, but all-in-all, I’m stoked on the ride and I’m just hungry for more. I wish I could have held onto it, but I’m not too bummed because I learned a lot out there and hopefully next time I can hold onto it all the way. I led a lot of laps tonight and hopefully this could jump-start me into a win here soon.”
For Justin Barcia, it was a decent day in Massachusetts with no major highs and no major lows in 450SX racing. Coming into somewhat of a home race, the New York native got off to a top-five start in his heat race, quickly moving into fourth on the first lap. He rode just outside of podium contention all race long, grabbing a fourth-place transfer into the main.
A seventh-place start set Barcia back in the beginning of the Main Event, but he got into his groove around the halfway mark and climbed into sixth. Making a late-race charge, Barcia overtook fifth with three laps to go and he held strong through the checkers to claim his 10th top-five finish in 15 rounds of racing. Consistency continues to pay off as he sits third overall in the 450SX Championship standings with two rounds remaining.
Justin Barcia:“It was a pretty good day. I was feeling good after practice, I made a few little changes and was comfortable on the bike. I didn’t really feel that great in the heat race; I didn’t get the best start and ended up fourth. In the Main Event, I came out of the gate okay but I rode a little tight in the beginning. I was able to put a really strong charge at the end, but I was only able to come back to fifth. We are looking for some fire going into Denver!”
The Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing Team heads back west on April 30 for Round 16 of the AMA Supercross Championship in Denver, Colorado.
Results – 2022 AMA Supercross Championship, Round 15
450SX – Main Event Results 1. Jason Anderson (Kawasaki) 24 laps; 2. Chase Sexton (Honda) +03.111; 3. Marvin Musquin (KTM) +18.166 … 5. Justin Barcia (GASGAS); 16. Justin Starling (GASGAS)
250SX East – Main Event Results 1. Austin Forkner (Kawasaki) 18 laps; Jett Lawrence (Honda) +00.580; 3.Pierce Brown (GASGAS) +04.746
Championship Standings – After Round 15
450SX 1. Eli Tomac (Yamaha) 341pts; 2. Jason Anderson (Kawasaki) 298; 3. Justin Barcia (GASGAS) 275 … 19. Justin Starling (GASGAS) 80
250SX East 1. Jett Lawrence (Honda) 192pts; 2. RJ Hampshire (Husqvarna) 139; 3. Pierce Brown (GASGAS) 128
Text/Bild: GasGas