All three Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing riders finished inside the top 10 at the end of a tough High Point National this weekend, overcoming their share of adversity and led by 450MX charger Justin Barcia with eighth overall, while 250MX prospects Ryder DiFrancesco and Pierce Brown were seventh and eighth, respectively.
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Justin Barcia battles technical conditions for 10-8 scores
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A top-five in Moto 1 and P7 overall the best yet from Ryder D
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Sixth in the final outing a solid finish for Pierce Brown
Bam Bam was quick from the outset in tricky conditions to set the third-fastest time in the opening practice, but fell in the late stages of the session, which made for a long day while managing pain in his knees. After qualifying sixth on combined times, the GASGAS MC 450F Factory Edition rider was still able to collect points across both races, going 10-8 for P8 overall, and he has retained seventh in the championship tally.
Justin Barcia: «Today started really good, P3 in the first practice, but then on the last lap I slid out on a blind jump and got my knee run over, so that was a struggle! I went out for the second session and was in pretty bad pain, so qualified P6 overall, and I knew the motos would be tough. We did everything we could – tape and that kind of thing – to get out there, but both of my knees are extremely weak right now and hurting pretty bad. We salvaged what we were able to today, which is a bit sad because the bike was really good and I thought we could have had a successful day. All-in-all, we scored points, and I’m happy we have a weekend off now so I can sort these knees out, and come out swinging for Southwick!»
A fifth-place score in the first 250MX moto of the weekend was a season-high for Ryder DiFrancesco on his GASGAS MC 250F Factory Edition, also matching his career-best achieved at the same venue one year ago. Ryder recovered from a crash in Moto 2 to salvage 13th, which was enough for seventh overall and his strongest finish of the 2024 outdoor season so far.
Ryder DiFrancesco: «High Point was better than the last few weeks. First moto I took fifth, and then in the second moto, I was running inside the top 10 and went down. That put me seventh overall, which is an improvement, so the goal going into Southwick is to put two solid motos together. It was a good day and I’m ready for a weekend off.»
Alongside Ryder D in 250MX, Pierce Brown qualified inside the top 10, but crashed in the opening encounter and was buried in the pack on his way to greeting the checkered flag in 13th. He was able to rebound in the second race for eighth overall, continuing his consistent run in terms of round results, and is currently positioned P8 in the championship rankings.
Pierce Brown: «We were eighth overall today. The first moto was not great after I fell and just couldn’t find my flow, but we went back to a base setting for Moto 2 and the comfort was there for me again. My start was better and I ended up sixth, so closer to the front, and we’re going to work on fixing our weaknesses during the break before Southwick.»
Next Race: June 29 – Southwick, Massachusetts
Results 450MX Class – High Point National
1. Jett Lawrence (AUS), Honda
2. Chase Sexton (USA), KTM
3. Hunter Lawrence (AUS), Honda
4. Aaron Plessinger (USA), KTM
8. Justin Barcia (USA), Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing
9. Malcolm Stewart (USA), Husqvarna
18. Christian Craig (USA), Husqvarna
Standings 450MX Class 2024 after 4 of 11 rounds
1. Hunter Lawrence, 171 points
2. Chase Sexton, 165
3. Jett Lawrence, 163
5. Aaron Plessinger, 134
7. Justin Barcia, 121
9. Malcolm Stewart, 113
11. Christian Craig, 67
Results 250MX Class – High Point National
1. Ty Masterpool (USA), Kawasaki
2. Haiden Deegan (USA), Yamaha
3. Chance Hymas (USA), Honda
5. Tom Vialle (FRA), KTM
6. Julien Beaumer (USA), KTM
7. Ryder DiFrancesco (USA), Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing
8. Pierce Brown (USA), Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing
17. Casey Cochran (USA), Husqvarna
Standings 250MX Class 2024 after 4 of 11 rounds
1. Haiden Deegan, 191 points
2. Chance Hymas, 159
3. Tom Vialle, 153
8. Pierce Brown, 109
9. Julien Beaumer, 103
12. Ryder DiFrancesco, 73
15. Casey Cochran, 51