There is no doubt that Justin Barcia knows his way around a 450. The GEICO Powersports rider proved this last year with his performance at the famed Bercy Supercross in France, when he won two races on his way to becoming the King of Bercy. To be sure, it was a stellar performance, but the real notoriety would come months later during the nationals when Barcia would step in as a substitute rider for the Factory Honda team when their squad was sidelined with injuries.

At Unadilla, Barcia turned more heads than Pro Circuit’s machine shop when he went 3-3 for third overall in just his first outing with the team. He followed that success up by winning a moto at Southwick, and if it weren’t for a mechanically induced DNF in the first moto, he stood a very real shot at taking the overall.

Barcia looks to defend his King of Bercy title this weekend.
Photo: Bertrand Sanlaville

Barcia would go on to finish up the season with another third at Pala by way of 3-2 moto finishes. Clearly, Barcia knows how to twist the throttle on a 450, and even though he’s slated to ride a Lites bike in 2012, he isn’t ready to park the big bike just yet. This weekend, along with teammate Eli Tomac, Barcia will once again climb aboard a powerful 450 at the Bercy Supercross, where he will attempt to defend his crown in front of the French fans.

With all of the experience Barcia is picking up in the premier class, the question is not how he will do once he makes the permanent jump to a big bike in 2013; he’s already answered that. The only question that remains to be answered, is how much of a force will this already wild child be when he returns to the Lites class next year, armed with an abundance of new experience?