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Barcia Nails Down Second Place in his Home State of New York

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Torrance, CA: Following a one-week hiatus, the 2013 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship series returned to action this past Saturday, August 10, at Unadilla in New Berlin, NY. Round 10 marked the series’ final stop on the East Coast, and Team Honda Muscle Milk rider Justin Barcia put on quite a show in his home state of New York, capturing second overall with 4-2 scores. In the 250 competition, Muscle Milk-sponsored GEICO Honda’s Eli Tomac put forth a flawless performance to capture his fifth overall win of the season, extending his lead to 39 points over second.

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450 Race

Barcia started the day off strong, scoring the second-quickest qualifying time in practice on his CRF450R, allowing him a good gate pick for the first moto. Barcia was running in fifth when his teammate Trey Canard was forced to pull off, which put Barcia in fourth place and he held that position to the finish. In the second moto, Barcia launched off the line behind the leader. He was able to match the pace of the frontrunner for the first few laps then settled into second and was unchallenged the rest of the 30-minute plus two-lap race.

 

“I love it here at Unadilla. It really makes me happy to come back and see all the fans and friends that I used to race with on minis,” explained Barcia. “There is so much excitement here with the fans that it really makes for an awesome atmosphere. I always want to win but being on the podium in my home state is really cool. Both Ryans (Villopoto and Dungey) are killing it so it’s hard to keep up with them. I think this whole year is a lot of learning and I feel like I am getting better and stronger as the season goes on. I want to stay on the podium and keep going for that first win.”

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It was a tough day for Team Honda Muscle Milk’s Trey Canard, who had mechanical issues in the first moto that sidelined him for the remainder of that race. In moto two, Canard got taken out in a first-turn pile-up that forced him into the pits for bike adjustments and left him a lap down. He still managed to work his way up to 26th despite the trying circumstances, and maintains his fifth-place position in the points chase.

 

250 Race

Eli Tomac had an impeccable day aboard his Muscle Milk-backed GEICO Honda CRF250R, nailing down the top qualifying time in practice and clinching the overall win for a third consecutive week.  In moto one, Tomac was unable to secure a good start but by the halfway mark he had taken over the lead. Once out front he was unstoppable, riding to nearly a 19-second lead over the rest of the competition. Tomac was forced to come from behind once again in the second moto, but quickly began working his way towards the front. During the middle of the race a heated battle ensued for the lead position, with Tomac emerging victorious.

 

“My starts aren’t awesome, but they’re good enough right now,” said Tomac. “In moto one, the dirt was sticky and heavy because of the rain on Friday. It made the track super rutted and deep so you almost had to ride easy to go faster so you wouldn’t make any mistakes. I just rode smooth and was able to make my way to the front. I had a good battle with Roczen when I made my way up to the front in the second moto. It was fun; we kind of played cat-and-mouse with each other, but I was finally able to make the pass and take the win. I have learned with past experience that if you play it safe you tend to make more mistakes than if you ride normally, so the plan for these last two rounds is to race how we have raced everywhere else, regardless.”

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Teammate Zach Osborne has struggled during the first moto all season, but in New York he was able to break that trend by grabbing a third-place finish in the first race. He scored a solid sixth place in moto two, giving him fourth overall for the day. “Today was really good,” stated Osborne. “I got that first-moto monkey off my back. I didn’t get on the overall podium, but it was a very positive day with my first moto going a lot better. I am really happy with it.”

 

Muscle Milk-sponsored GEICO Honda’s Justin Bogle was able to rebound after a tough first moto to finish fourth in the second, leaving him sixth overall with his 10-4 scores. “The track was very difficult today,” said Bogle. “I struggled in qualifying and in the first moto and finally got it together at the end of the day. I closed it off with a pretty good second moto, so I can’t really complain too much. The track definitely kept you on your toes.”

 

Despite missing the first four rounds of the series, teammate Wil Hahn has wrapped up the Motorcycle-Superstore.com holeshot award with two rounds remaining. The GEICO Honda rider secured the holeshot in the first moto, which was enough to clinch the award, making him $15,000 richer. Hahn finished the day seventh overall with 6-8 marks.

 

“My holeshots were just from confidence in my bike and program,” explained Hahn. “It’s the only championship I can get out here, so I’ll take it and be happy with it. I had a good Supercross season, so coming from that gives you a lot of confidence. My team really deserves all the credit; they have been behind me the whole time. We made progress today and I was able to lead some laps so that’s a positive thing, and now I have $15,000 to take my parents out to dinner.”

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2013 AMA Horizon Award winner and GEICO Honda rider Matt Biscelgia made his professional debut this past weekend at Unadilla after wrapping up two Loretta Lynn amateur titles last week. While running 13th, Biscelgia went down hard in the first moto and was unable to continue. In the second moto, he made progress, finishing 18th. “This was a big learning experience for sure,” said Biscelgia. “These races are tough, and these guys are gnarly fast. The intensity surprised me. It’s a learning curve, but I’m going to keep an open mind for next weekend and go out there and do what I can do.”

 

The Focus: Unadilla Press Day

Team Honda Muscle Milk’s Trey Canard and Justin Barcia flew into New York a few days early to participate in Unadilla’s press day on Thursday, August 8. Both riders enjoyed interviews with local news stations including WBNG-TV Channel 12 and YNN Channel 10 before being allowed to ride two 20-minute practices on the track. The conditions were hard-packed and dry, much different than on race day. However, it was a great chance to check out the track prior to Saturday. Both Barcia and Canard had a great time riding the track’s iconic features including the Skyshot, Gravity Cavity and The Wall. “That is probably the most fun I have I have had riding a dirt bike in a long time,” explained Barcia of Thursday’s practice. “I love throwing huge whips and they really peaked the face of the Skyshot, making it perfect for me. It was also really cool to get to spend some time with the fans as they lined up to go into the amateur pits. It felt like a race day with everyone crowding around the tent.” In addition, Barcia went into Syracuse on Friday morning to appear as a guest on WSYR-TV’s Bridge Street morning show.

 

450 Class Overall Results

1. Ryan Villopoto 1-1 

2. Justin Barcia (Honda) 4-2

3. Ryan Dungey 2-4

4. Jake Weimer 9-3

5. Josh Grant 5-5

6. Andrew Short 6-7

7. Brett Metcalfe 10-6

8. Broc Tickle 8-8

9. Justin Brayton 7-13

10. Phil Nicoletti 13-9

 

450 Class Championship Points (after 10 of 12 rounds)

1. Ryan Villopoto 463

2. Ryan Dungey 419

3. Justin Barcia 347

4. James Stewart 289

5. Trey Canard 263

6. Andrew Short 220

7. Jake Weimer 216

8. Broc Tickle 209

9. Josh Grant 208

10. Mike Alessi 204

 

250 Class Overall Results 

1. Eli Tomac (Honda) 1-1

2. Jeremy Martin 2-3

3. Ken Roczen 5-2

4. Zach Osborne (Honda) 3-6

5. Blake Baggett 4-5

6. Justin Bogle (Honda) 10-4

7. Wil Hahn (Honda) 6-8

8. Marvin Musquin 8-9

9. Cole Seely (Honda) 9-10

10. Martin Davalos 13-7

 

250 Class Championship Points (after 10 of 12 rounds)

1. Eli Tomac 455

2. Ken Roczen 416

3. Marvin Musquin 359

4. Blake Baggett 329

5. Zach Osborne 296

6. Jeremy Martin 249

7. Jason Anderson 248

8. Justin Bogle 238

9. Kyle Cunningham 204

10. Cole Seely 192


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