Justin Barcia’s return from a broken hand has been pushed back until at least round 16 in Salt Lake City, according to a team press release. The Monster Energy/Factory Yamaha rider was originally expected to return this weekend in Seattle, but his hand hasn’t progressed well enough.
“It’s been a week since I started riding again and I’m progressing pretty well every day. I was shooting to race this weekend in Seattle but it’s just not realistic,” said Barcia in a team statement. “My hand hasn’t progressed fast enough, unfortunately. I went to California last week and did some MX testing, which was good to build some strength and I’m back riding SX now. I’ve been road biking, mountain biking and running—my normal training that I always do—and in my free time, I’ve started building a new outdoor track to keep my mind busy. I’m really shooting to race Salt Lake City—that’s the goal—but we’ll see how the next week goes and how I progress.”
Barcia has been sidelined since Arlington when he was landed on by Tyler Bowers after Barcia doubled a triple.
Former factory Yamaha rider Josh Hill, who announced his retirement in 2015, will fill-in for Barcia this weekend in Seattle.
