by Davey Coombs
250 Words: Toronto
Sunday, March 25, 2012 | 8:20 PM
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The moment Justin Barcia gave Ken Roczen a little nudge out of the way, the Toronto Supercross main event was pretty much over. Barcia has been the pace-setter for every race but one—Indianapolis—and now enjoys a sizable points lead after five of the nine rounds in the East Region of Monster Energy AMA Supercross. Roczen was reportedly sick, and he rode strong for second, but was no match for the #1 GEICO Honda. Nor was Rockstar Energy's Blake Wharton, who backed up last week's win with a third-place finish in Toronto. (And no, that was not Wharton playing the national anthem on his guitar, but the actual Slash!)
And congratulations to Jake Canada, the Motoconcepts Racing rider who posted a career-best fourth-place finish, and now ranks fifth in the standings, ahead of the much-more heralded Blake Baggett, Justin Bogle and Malcolm Stewart. It would be nice to see this kid get himself a trophy before the series is over.
Back to Barcia. Like the AMA Supercross class, the East Region title is pretty much a foregone conclusion—this one is in the bag for Justin. So the question here is, how would #20 do at, say, Seattle, if his team moved him up to the big-bike class? (#20 is the number Barcia would wear in the 450 class.) As thin as things have been in the 450 class, it would be no surprise here to see “Bam Bam” on the box his first time out.
Barcia is pulling away and heading toward his second-straight Lites title. What if he jumped on a 450 in Seattle?
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Barcia is a forgone conclusion? Sort of. His teammate Eli had it wrapped up too - until he crashed.
Keep it rubber side down Justin!
Would be fun to see him on a 450 for a race or two.
he is ready to move up
What's he riding for the outdoors, 250 or 450?
I like Barcia, but am quickly getting tired of the bam-bam part. I don't think Roczen would have ran with him anyway, but ... As for the 450 - he'll do fine and hopefully the big boys won't let him get away with raming at whim. I realize Malcom Stewart taking out that guy (forgive me) a few weeks ago was not the 450's ... and the guy slapped him in the back of the helmet? And did the slapper get in trouble with the AMA? The guy should have punched him right thru the goggles! Maybe Malcom would think twice the next time. Same for Barcia. Maybe a few punches in the nose would make an even better RACER out of him. That's what they are doing, right? Racing? And don't start with the rubbin is part of racing crap. You know that ain't what Barcia is doing. Rubbin is something that happens now and then while racing. That is what they are supposedd to be doing, right? Racing?
@skycooper, it makes sense that Barcia will run the 250 season outdoors.. He hasnt won a 250 National title yet. So why is everyone wondering if he will ride a 250 or 450?? All he has won is a 250 East supercross title, and nobody really counts those because they only race half the competition.. Barcia will be on a 250 outdoors, he wants a National title..
And Marko--When has Barcia done anything remotely close to what Malcoln did?? Everybody act as if Barcia is just knocking guys around right and left. He barely tapped Roczen, and he hasnt knocked down anyone in supercross this year or last. If you have a problem with the tap that Roczen got, why arent you mentioning the rubbing Wharton gave to Durham, or Durham knocking down the privateer rider Saturday in Toronto?? Is only Barcia the one who catches grief for the little tap, not all the others??
Barcia likes to play especially rough with Wilson- but I don't see him bangin any more than Andrew Short does.
hurricane barcia should ride turbo treys bike this summer...
Does anyone else think Durhams move on that privateer was completely unnecessary?
If you can't make a clean pass on a PC Kawi vs a privateer=you've got issues
It's nice to see Barcia Bump Rocz because I'm sure it will light up Kenny a bit. That corner was tight, and begging for someone to pull something like that, but to actually use it on a guy that currently the fastest in the world on a 250f outdoors is a decision that he won't live down for a long time.
I am not buying into the KR hype, he is very good I would say top 5-7, and I don't think he will do any better in the outdoors.
I love the way Barcia rides, clean aggresive and fast. He and Wilson ride just about the same and it is great. I wonder if the people that think He is rough have gotten to civilized and forgotten the roots of motocross and the history? Want things to be all marshmello and perfect, steril and boring ?
You go BARCIA !!!
I was a Bagget fan since Hangtown last year when I saw the speed and talent. But I no longer root for him because he is not putting in a 100 percent effort. Too bad we see squandered talent pass because its hard to come by. Good Luck Blake in your future.
I wouldn't call barcia a "clean" racer. The kid is fast but i cant remember any passes this season where he hasn't intentionally banged the other guy around, including his teammate. I understand that it has to be be done sometimes but every race gets a little ridiculous. Hats off to him though, he put in the work and he's getting it done this year.
Thoughts on Bogles heat race crash?
@chillmatic
Bogles crash-
everyone was fading from the inside to out... Really risky for bogle to go outside there.
Rookie mistake... It happens, lucky to walk away...
@chillmatic
Bogles crash-
everyone was fading from the inside to out... Really risky for bogle to go outside there.
Rookie mistake... It happens, lucky to walk away...
@ Marko if you were out on a mx track with me I would punt you into the willows LOL! Barcia is pretty well the only thing keeping these races exciting, he hasnt hurt anybody not even close. Go back to the ballet hall where you belong! Take a little stroll through motocross/supercross history books I think you will find that RUBBING IS RACING!
Guys am I blind ?? I havent seen Barcia "bang ANYBODY around" this year
Bones- good post, I think some of these guys must have come from the ballet and got their leatards snagged
Barcia has had a "wild" riding style ever since I've been watching him. He has certainly matured and rides smoother, but he's still got that wild edge. And that's what I like about him quite frankly. I've posted this before, but I'm really sick and tired of everyone complaining about a little rubbing on the track! This is motocross racing for crying out loud! I'm not talking about take-outs or kamikaze crap, but I love to see these guys get a little aggressive and throw it down!
I just don't want this sport to become so politically-correct that it becomes boring and stuffy. Barcia is a breath of fresh air for me and I think he's doing the sport a favor.
Just my 2 cents.
@chillmatic about Bogle.
Scary and very dumb. In my opinion that was all Bogle’s fault. He took a huge risk going around
the outside off the face off that jump.
Then he jumps up throwing his hands in the air in a what the F motion to the other guy. He did the same thing
with his first tip over. He stalls it in the corner, a dude rams him from behind and Bogle throws his hands up like
he’s all pissed because someone hit him.... what did he expect he stalled in the main line iin the middle of a corner.
Durham's flat-out ramming the privateer was way worse than Barcia's tap of Roczen. Has Barcia put anyone on the ground in supercross? I can't remember a single time. You can't say that about the Pro Circuit team though... Barcia might make a little contact with a rider he is passing, but he never tries to put them on the ground. I'm sure he could if he wanted to!
OK all you tough guys had your fun calling me a puss, that wasn't very nice. Bones I agree with your comment about Barcia keeping the racing exciting - I like him, like I said. Just think his banging is too frequent. 'n vxmoto23 ..... I totally agree with your comment "I just don't want this sport to become so politically-correct that it becomes boring and stuffy. Barcia is a breath of fresh air for me and I think he's doing the sport a favor". Yup. BTW, you guys would have never been able to punt me, cuz I would have always been behind you ..... forever local mid pack C 125, that's me.
I didn't want to sound like I was complaining about hard racing. I enjoy it just as much as everybody. I Just feel that even when Barcia has the opportunity to simply pass a guy on the inside/outside wherever, he just goes out of his way to make contact. Other than that, I'm a fan and his riding is very entertaining.
1) Bogle is confirming what I saw on the opening night in Dallas - primadonna. This kid has been coddled and hyped by the media as an amateur for so long, that's part of the problem. He is acting like he is a big deal, but he is just a rookie pro and the school of hard knocks is handing out the lessons, and he doesn't like it. He was responsible for his destiny on his heat race crash. I said it after Dallas, and I'll repeat it - LaRocco needs to sit this kid down and have a serious chat about his attitude.
2) I was very surprised to see Durham clean that guy out. He was obviously frustrated after dumping it earlier while running 3rd. He and Wharton were also getting stupid early on, it was funny when they started checking each other up and then Martin passed them both.
Kids will be kids, but Barcia is moving beyond this stuff. His focus is awesome(!) this year and he's clearly ready to move on to the big bike in SX. I hope he can back up this performance with an equally dominating outdoor Lites performance.
Barcia is 'AWESOME(it means superpumped for dungey guys)".if that tap on Rokzen is all it takes i'd do that everywhere all the time... wasn't even worth mentioning......Alfred E."what not me" Bogle !!!! ...hands up whaaaa whaaa slap hands up.. Laroccos expression was classic...like "geezus walk it off rookie primadumba*s,lucky no bones showin ya weiner" @bd200 trust me , the guys that actually WIN that title do count it.....In the world of guitar players slash is mid pack in the lcq...maybe.........If Erin would lay down in the whoops would anyone be able to tell? I wish she would have knocked slushes hat off and wrestled him down and made him say uncle. that would be entertainment.
It was funny to watch the expressions on the riders faces as Erin was conducting her interview with them. I think they were all trying there hardest not to stare at her cans. Man, she had those things served up on a platter! Kinda tacky, but they have got to be laughing about it back in the pits.
I like Bam Bam; he's a conisten producer in terms of results and action on the track. Who else can you count on to hit somebody EVERY race. That consistency is hard to find.
@tracks /chilli .........Justin BAM BAM Barcia...keepin the old school alive ,one race at a time. If you don't like it get the he*l out of his way......and take that tea set with ya.
Its interesting reading everyone's perception of a pass. Durhams pass was NOT an intentional takeout in my eyes. The rider he was passing hesitated, he wasnt sure what to do. There was one line in that turn, and Durham was on the move. It was an unfortunate exchanged.. and the aggressive rider usually comes out on top. In my eyes, the privateer was trying to give him room but ran out of room. I have been in both positions, so I understand. I may be wrong... Durham doesnt have time to be nice when he is going for it. Lappers and slower riders are a risk, no question. I am sure Durham would apologize after if he could. Thats my take on it
I asked a former supercross winner on Bogles move. He agreed with all of you, that Bogle was behind. The rider leading had the choice of lines and Bogle tried to squeeze in where it was a risk. BOGLE was at fault and learned the most important part of racing.. never try to pass on the OUTSIDE if room is limited. The rider leading can do what he pleases.. and speed carried him wide. I am sure he wouldnt have drifted wide had he known Bogle was coming that hot.
I think the Durham incident, the Bogle mishap and the Barcia / Roczen bump were all the same: racing incidents. The (unbelivably for this day & age) rocky track made tip toeing through the corners a smart policy. Roczen didn't seem phased by it and let it pass. Possibly because he knew he didn't have anything for Barcia anyway. The Nats will be different. Bogle's mishap was a mistake on his part, nobody to blame but himself. He'll put that one in the mental rolodex, for sure. Durham's hit on the privateer was probably a mistake but, on the flipside, privateer dude (my apologies, I didn't get the #) got some more exposure for his sponsors.
I would VERY MUCH like Roczen & KTM to take the 250F MX title. Now, having said that, I think Barcia should stay in the class and go for the title.
Roczen (and Tomac and others) have more years to spend in the class and Barcia is waving goodbye as we speak. There's people that want him on a 450 RIGHT NOW.
I think Barcia would be better off with a 250F MX title, rather than going after the 450 gold right away.
Somebody needs to get up there and stop RV from taking the candy from the proverbial babies but, career-wise, Barcia is better off sticking in the 250F's.
GEICO would be very smart to stack the class so as to pad the podium for a title run against the all-powerful PC team.