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JUSTIN BARCIA
450 MX / 4TH
IMAGE / KILPATRICK WORDS / MATTINGLY DESIGN / MOTOPLAYGROUND
>> The foggy dew of a saturated New York morning overcame the Unadilla Sports Complex
on Saturday, leaving everything in sight a bit damp. Canopies, trailers, and tents of all sizes barricaded those in attendance from nature’s elements, however the mood of Justin Barcia was one that couldn’t be lessened. Thankful for the opportunity to compete in the genre of sport he loved, and making income at the same time, were a blessing that he’d been a recipient of for quite sometime. Yet an attitude of positivity overcame him prior to the commencement of prac- tice, and it showed with outstanding laptimes. Relishing in this treacherous terrain, there was
no shortage of desire gleaming from his machine, and he headed to the line for moto number one yearning for a strong position. It was all he could do to keep the stallion of the 450 tamed as the eld crested the nish line in the opening laps, after nding himself down for the count and in the mud. With both chassis and forks swapping from side to side at times, it left many
in attendance scared he may just be riding a bit over his head. Not so fast my friends, as the style of the Yamaha rider was one of perseverance and determination. With the throttle pinned through the rollers, such as those after one of the largest tabletops on the track, his combina- tion of multiple doubles had him jumping up and over the crest of these high-speed rhythmic sections, all the while Weston Peick was knocking at the door. Seeing a glimpse of the front fender in a few of these tight nook corners, he couldn’t let the fear of the opposition enter into his mindset. Steadfast through the storm that lingered around him, the tearoff stack of early
was almost completely gone. But he had to focus on the present, as the laps would roll on. His Yamaha was caked with brown soil, gloves, goggles, and all. However he would prevail, salvag- ing an eighth place nish, but looking for redemption in the second moto. A decent start had him in a good position to begin, but he would then slide out on the face of a table top; Kaliub Russell would have no where to go and would hit the downed Yamaha rider. It was then a game of pick- up, where he scrambled for positions, clawing his way into the top ve, where he would meet Cooper Webb. The two would battle neck and neck with Barcia being ran wide and showing his emotion with a hand toss! He would move forward, and continue to charge until the checkered ag. Third place was his, and as scores were tallied, he would nish fourth overall.
42 GRITMOTO • AUGUST 12, 2018