Justin Barcia interview Interview Dan Lamb images Yamaha
Monster Energy / Yamaha’s Justin Barcia won his first main event in six years at the 2019 Anaheim 1 SX, but when Justin ended up not winning another main event or landing on the podium for the rest of the ’19 season, some gave the win an asterisk because of the muddy conditions. Well, last night Bambam did it again, but this time the weather and track were perfect for racing. After a lot of racing and an injury-free offseason for Justin, he still came into the Anaheim opener under the radar, but after his very eye-opening win inside Anaheim Stadium on Saturday night, I think the #51 just inserted his name into the 450 Championship conversation. It was Justin’s fourth 450 win in his eighth year in the premier class, but this could very well be the biggest win of his career. This sport is all about confidence and that A1 win is the kind of win that could ignite a special season for Justin and for the whole factory Yamaha 450 team—who work really hard and could really use a reason to smile. We will have to wait and see what happens as the series moves forward, but I am glad I was in the stadium to witness that one. Before we left the stadium, we caught up with Justin at the Yamaha truck and asked him about his night. Our man in US Dan Lamb caught up with the winner and you can read it below.
MXILL: Justin, two wins in a row for you at Anaheim 1. You gotta be stoked. Last year you had the naysayers saying, “Oh, it was muddy. Justin’s great in the mud.” But this year, it was a perfect day and you made it happen. Barcia: It was perfect. I proved I can ride in the dry and in the mud. (laughs) MXILL: Well, we’ve kind of always known that, but it’s obviously good to prove it to yourself again. Barcia: Yeah, it shows that when I’m comfortable on the bike, things go a good way. Me, and my Yamaha team have worked super hard in the offseason. I keep saying that over and over but busted our hump. I’ve never worked harder and we did all the right things so everyone deserves this for sure. MXILL: It looked like it was a really healthy offseason for you
as well. Barcia: It was awesome! I raced two overseas races, went to the UK for Christmas and I took the breaks when I needed to. I worked really hard too and kept it on two wheels. I think I maybe slid out twice in the whole offseason. (laughs) It was a phenomenal offseason! This is now the fun part that we enjoy when that hard work pays off.
were right on that ragged edge where mistakes were a hairline away at all times.
Barcia: The guys at Dirt Wurx did a phenomenal build today. The track was awesome. In all my years of racing Anaheim 1, this was the best layout in my opinion. It wasn’t too dangerous, but it was technical when it broke down. It always will be like that when they breakdown. They need to keep that up with the safe tracks because they’ll MXILL: Were you surprised at get hard when they breakdown all by how good your pace was no matter what. There was one tonight and how other than big set of whoops, one little AC, nobody could really match set of whoops and I think it you? You and AC were on anall worked out. It was a really other level. I saw you looking good track. Anaheim gets hard over to the opposite lane nearand slick by the end of the ing half way to see where 3rd night and there were some was and that had to feel good kickers, ruts and it was great. when you saw the gap? MXILL: That big rhythm before Barcia: There was that spot on that first set of whoops, you, the track where you could look AC and a few other guys startover and see what was going ed doing the 3-3 through there on and, yeah, we checked consistently in the main. I’m out. It was crazy. You just put not sure if you or AC started yourself in a good position and doing it first? Was that someride your own race. The bike thing you planned to do before was working the way I needed the main or did you see AC pull it to work and my riding was it and just go for it? awesome. Was I surprised? I don’t think I surprised myself, Barcia: I was doing that earlier though. I wanted to be in the in practice and only a few of us mix and if the mix was winning were doing it. I didn’t see AC it tonight, I’ll take that any day. hit it. It was sick. MXILL: Oh, I didn’t see you pull MXILL: After that last big that in practice. That looked mistake and Adam got by you, big! The second triple threw you actually started to reel him you guys so high. back in too. That was the most Barcia: I didn’t do it in my heat impressive part of your race I race because the face was a thought. little messed up but in the Barcia: Yeah, it was cool! I main, I just started popping it. made that big mistake, then It was a badass rhythm section, I made another little one and for sure. There were a lot of then AC got me and I think a little technical things, but that’s 3.5-second lead. I closed it up what really separates us. and then he made that one MXILL: Alright, well thank you mistake and I was able to get around him and kind of put on for the time Justin and congrats a hard charge. I got a little gap on another very successful Anaheim 1. and that was it. Barcia: Thank You MXILL: The track looked like it broke down and you guys
Barcia Brilliant a1 A1 A thrilling 2020 Monster Energy AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship season opener lived up to the pre-race excitement with a challenging track inside Angel Stadium that added a level of unpredictability to the racing. The track instigated several lead changes in both classes for some great racing in front of the sold out crowd of 45,050. Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing’s Justin Barcia took the first win in the 17-race series, just as he did in 2019, but 450SX Class rookie Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Adam Cianciarulo made him earn it in a battle that had both riders pushing their limits for the 20 minutes plus one lap race. In the 250SX Class, Monster Energy / Star Yamaha Racing’s Justin Cooper earned his first win to start his Western Regional 250SX Class title chase off with the points lead.
When the 450SX Class Main Event’s gate dropped Smartop / BullFrog Spas / Motoconcepts Honda’s Vince Friese grabbed the holeshot, but Justin Barcia wasted no time and within five corners had established himself as the race leader ahead of Friese, Smartop / BullFrog Spas / Motoconcepts Honda teammate Justin Hill, Team Honda HRC’s Justin Brayton, JGRMX / Yoshimura Suzuki Factory Racing’s Fredrik Noren, Adam Cianciarulo, and defending champion Cooper Webb of the Red Bull KTM team. Cianciarulo was on the move instantly, reaching fourth place with an aggressive move through the first set of whoops and setting his sights on the front. In less than four minutes of racing Cianciarulo had put his Kawasaki into second place and set his sights on Barcia. Nearing the halfway point, Barcia made a mistake that took him briefly off the track. Cianciarulo slipped past, quickly pulled nearly a two second lead, and looked destined to win his 450SX Class Main Event debut while past champions and pre-season favorites battled well behind. Cooper Webb, riding with a flu, put his KTM into third place just past the half way point. Then, with under six minutes of racing left on the clock, Cianciarulo got bit by the track trying to seat bounce out of a corner. He lost traction and drive and came up short and sideways on a landing. He managed to keep the bike off the ground, but Barcia capitalized and rocketed back into the lead where he would keep his Yamaha until the checkered flag waved. It was also a big night for another racer, though for a different reason. The day prior, Mountain Motorsports, cbdMD, CR22 Racing’s Chad Reed announced to the U.S. press his decision to retire after 18 years of Supercross racing. 2020 will be Reed’s final year in Monster Energy Supercross competition, and the race at Anaheim
marked the milestone 250th 450SX Main Event start by the veteran. It didn’t come easy: after getting tangled in a first turn crash in 450SX Heat Race 1, Reed was forced to qualify through the 450SX Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ). With a bad starting position, Reed found himself at the back of the pack, and only reached 18th place on the night. After his win, Justin Barcia, “I busted my butt in the off-season and worked so hard. That was just all strength through that whole race. I’ve definitely matured a lot, developed as a rider a lot, that was an incredible race. I didn’t want to win this race! [laughs] My goal was to get out of here safe, healthy, and I just want to be on the podium a lot this year and be in the fight for the championship because I haven’t been able to do that.” Adam Cianciarulo commented on the difference in race duration with the move up to the 450SX Class, “The races are a little bit longer, and even though 250 and 450, it’s 15 and 20 minutes, that extra six or seven laps we do feels like a lifetime. So [I was] just trying to adapt to the track out there, and yeah, Justin made a mistake and went off, [then] squared up under me and I thought we were both going to die off the next rhythm sections. Man, it was so much fun racing him. Then I spun out [jumping] out of the triple there; and thank God [that] God blessed me with some long legs, I was able to save that. [But I] knocked the wind out of myself for a good 20-30 seconds.” In the Western Regional 250SX Class, Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Austin Forkner was the first rider to the holeshot line, but Justin Cooper was around him immediately. GEICO
Honda’s Christian Craig sat in third and Cooper’s teammate, Western Regional 250SX Class reigning champion, Monster Energy / Star Yamaha Racing’s Dylan Ferrandis was back in seventh. Forkner looked ready to return to racing with a win after 2019 was cut short by an injury while leading the points in the Eastern Regional 250SX Class Championship; he grabbed the lead back within the first four laps. Cooper stayed close, but not within striking distance, while teammate Ferrandis sliced his way through the pack. Just before the midpoint Ferrandis made his way into third as, five seconds up the track, Cooper closed in on Forkner’s rear fender. Forkner held off Cooper’s charge, but then with three and a half minutes plus one lap of racing to go, Austin Forkner got off-line through a rhythm lane and nosed his front wheel into a Tuff Blox. He hopped off the bike as it came to a stop while Cooper jumped past. In remounting, Forkner got turned around on the track and cut through to the next lane to resume racing as Ferrandis raced past into second. The infraction netted Forkner a two-position penalty. At the line, it was Yamaha’s Justin Cooper taking his first ever 250SX Class Main Event win. Ferrandis took second, and Forkner crossed the line in third, but after the post-race penalty was awarded fifth position. Justin Cooper was elated on the podium after his first Supercross win. He said of the pass for the lead, “The track was tough, we were all making mistakes, but I was trying to pressure him into that mistake right there. I ended up being patient and working out. Man, I’m so proud of myself for riding like that tonight and just... Before the gate dropped, I was like, ‘How cool would it be to come out here and win
A1.’ This is my dream to win it here is so much bigger than any other place that I could’ve won it. It’s honestly like, just looking up into the lights right now it’s like I’m dreaming. It’s incredible. The feeling that I felt when I went over the finish line is like nothing other. I could just live on that adrenaline right there.” Dylan Ferrandis, the reigning class champion, was happy to put the Yamaha team 1-2 at the opening round of 2020 but was less happy about his early race pace which kept him out of striking distance at the end. After the race the Frenchman said, “My start and then traffic the first couple laps... I saw the guys in front and when I go for the pass and make some small mistakes. I rode a little bit tight, I think, in this moto. But it’s fine, it’s only the first round, and last year I started the season the same way.” The man who lead the majority of the race, Austin Forkner, mentioned that his break from racing prior to the night was his longest ever; even before learning of his 2-position penalty he was clearly disappointed in his results, “I had that one [the win]. Obviously, you guys saw what happened, I just kinda landed, just kinda got a little deep and shot off to the right just a little bit, and we were already landing pretty close to the edge and the Tuff Blox, and it was just - end of story. That was my fault, you know, I’ll just own up to that one. I felt like I had that one in the bag and that was leading to a pretty solid race. I think I would’ve held off and got the win.” Next weekend the Monster Energy Supercross series heads to St. Louis for round two. It’s a return to Missouri after not having the venue on the calendar last year.
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