Back inside the top five and forming a platform to build upon, Nashville was kind to Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing's Justin Barcia with a P5 finish in the 450SX Main Event tonight. And he's eager to keep trending in the right direction with just three rounds remaining in the 2024 AMA Supercross Championship!
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Bam Bam scores first top-five result since Round 3 podium
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Pierce and Ryder D go head-to-head in 250SX East/West Showdown
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PB maintains fourth in eastern regional series standings
The result marked Justin's best since he was third in San Diego toward the beginning of the year, continuing to make progress on his GASGAS MC 450F Factory Edition, and satisfied with his night inside Nissan Stadium. Bam Bam was 13th in the afternoon sessions and then improved to sixth in his Heat, before featuring closer to the front of the pack when it counted, and he's currently ninth in the standings.
Justin Barcia: "Practice was decent, didn't feel like I was lighting the world on fire, and didn't qualify where I wanted, but all-in-all it was okay. Heat race, rode average, so I knew I needed to get it together, and we made a few changes for the Main Event. We got off to a decent start, made a lot of passes in the first couple of laps, and then I felt like I rode really well under pressure in the middle of the race. I made a charge toward the end and finished fifth – a top-five feels really good. We've been working hard, but it's been very challenging, and it's good to be closer to where we want to be. We've got a few more races, so we'll keep at it!"
Nashville also marked the first 250SX East/West Showdown of the year, where both 250SX East regular Pierce Brown and 250SX West recruit Ryder DiFrancesco met on track riding their GASGAS MC 250F Factory Editions.
PB was on the gas in Qualifying for P3 on the eastern region and then recorded a second-place score in his Heat, before things came unstuck for him in the Main Event. In the end, he took the checkered flag in 11th but has retained fourth in the 250SX East point standings.
Pierce Brown: "It wasn't the best night and I'm a little frustrated. I was in a really good spot on the first lap of the Main, made a mistake in the whoops, and that cost me. I feel like I left a good result out there, but sometimes you've just gotta move on. We definitely need to improve the result in the next race, but I felt great on the bike all day and that's what matters. I just need to bring my best version of me to Philly!"
After setting the eighth-best lap of qualifying in 250SX West, Ryder D led his share of the restarted Heat race on his way to a confidence-boosting third-place result, but had to settle for 19th in the Main Event after striking trouble. The high-profile rookie is now positioned 12th in the championship order with two rounds in class left to run.
Ryder DiFrancesco: "All day was good for me here in Nashville. I led the Heat race for a while until the last lap, so that was cool to finally lead some laps, and then in the Main Event my start wasn't good, but I basically came from last to around seventh or eighth in the middle stages. At that point I went for a pass, ended up falling down, and was pretty far back in the pack from there. Everything else was really good throughout the day though, so I am excited for Denver."
Next Race: April 27 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Results 450SX Class – Nashville1. Jett Lawrence (AUS), Honda
2. Eli Tomac (USA), Yamaha
3. Cooper Webb (USA), Yamaha
5. Justin Barcia (USA), Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing9. Malcolm Stewart (USA), Husqvarna
DNF. Chase Sexton (USA), KTM
Standings 450SX Class 2024 after 14 of 17 rounds1. Jett Lawrence, 286 points
2. Cooper Webb, 281
3. Eli Tomac, 253
4. Chase Sexton, 246
7. Aaron Plessinger, 198
9. Justin Barcia, 16611. Malcolm Stewart, 155
Results 250SX East/West Showdown Class – Nashville1. RJ Hampshire (USA), Husqvarna
2. Jo Shimoda (JPN), Honda
3. Tom Vialle (FRA), KTM
9. Julien Beaumer (USA), KTM
11. Pierce Brown (USA), Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing15. Casey Cochran (USA), Husqvarna
19. Ryder DiFrancesco (USA), Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory RacingStandings 250SX East Class 2024 after 7 of 9 rounds1. Tom Vialle, 136 points
2. Haiden Deegan, 123
3. Cameron McAdoo, 120
4. Pierce Brown, 11624. Casey Cochran, 14
Standings 250SX West Class 2024 after 8 of 10 rounds1. RJ Hampshire, 166 points
2. Levi Kitchen, 164
3. Jordon Smith, 148
6. Julien Beaumer, 106
12. Ryder DiFrancesco, 68