SuperMotocross 450 Countdown: #10, Justin Barcia and the journey of finding balance

Rides don’t often follow a straight line, especially in a sport where the ride can easily be derailed by injury. But with more than a decade of experience in the 450 division of the Monster Energy Supercross and Pro Motocross series, Justin Barcia came to the conclusion that his riding style needed to be adjusted.

One might be tempted to characterize success in all motorsports as patience versus aggression. This does not apply to dirt bike racing. SuperMotocross races are short compared to most 4WD series, so patience is rarely required. Still, Barcia began the 2024 season with a plan to walk a finer line between aggression and mindfulness.

“It’s very easy to cross that line (of aggression), and I’ve crossed that line many times (during my career).” Barcia told NBC Sports before the start of the 2024 season. “It’s a very thin line in life. I think throughout my career I’ve always been a bit overly aggressive, but… it’s my style. That’s what helps me be the racer that I am.

“I had to find that level myself, not the way the team or the officials told me. I had to want to find that line. I wish it hadn’t taken me so long to find it because I might have been able to get some positive results or not throw away a few races.”

Barcia started the Supercross season with a seventh-place finish in the first race in Anaheim, which was a solid run but fell well short of his expectations considering the many opening rounds he has won in his life. The following week in San Francisco, he finished 17th in a race with a large, bold asterisk because that run was marred by heavy rain and muddy conditions. Barcia runs well in the slop, but there is a limit.

When Barcia achieved his first podium of the season the following week, he found the perfect mix. San Diego was also affected by the rain, but the wet stuff stopped as the evening program began and the track gradually adapted to his driving style. Unfortunately, this success was not sustainable.

Barcia finished outside the top 10 in his next five attempts and only managed to crack the top 5 at Round 14 in Nashville. That’s where he found his groove. Barcia finished sixth or better in the final four rounds of Supercross, started Pro Motocross with a top-five finish and averaged a 6.2 finish through the first half of the outdoor season. Then the old specter of dirt bike racing struck.

Remarkable, Barcia had been out with a knee injury since the end of the Supercross season. With the SuperMotocross World Championship just around the corner, he decided to sit out the final races and work on recovery. Barcia qualified for the SMX playoffs, but failed to qualify for the evening program after suffering a serious crash in free practice. Barcia repeated his runs early in Supercross, finishing 12th in Round 2 of the SMX Playoffs and finishing eighth in Las Vegas.

Fans will have to wait and see which driver shows up in Anaheim in January and whether his determination to walk the fine line remains.

Statistics 2024
Feature starts: 24
Average Feature Finish: 8.71
Podiums: 1
Top 5: 6
Top 10: 16
Best result: Third (San Diego SX)
SMX Placement/Payout: Ninth/$90,000

News 2024
Justin Barcia misses Pro Motocross rounds due to knee injury
Barcia finds the fine line

450 countdown
11. Malcolm Stewart
12. Dylan Ferrandis
13. Christian Craig
14. Shane McElrath
15. Dean Wilson

250 countdown
11. Garrett Marchbanks
12. Max Anstie
13. Julien Beaumer
14. Coty Shock
15. Ryder DiFrancesco

 More SuperMotocross news

SX schedule 2025 | MX schedule | MXGP schedule
Supercross tickets 2025 on sale | Pro Motocross Tickets
TV program 2025 | Track cards

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