Round two of the AMA Pro Motocross Championships were similar to round one in at least one way: There were quite a few GEICO Powersports/AMSOIL/Honda's near the front of the pack all day long.
In the 250 class, rookie Justin Barcia was all the rage again at round two, and he got the hole shot in the first moto before pulling away from the pack. Unlike at
Glen Helen, though, Barcia’s lead lasted nearly to the end of the moto. Even once he lost the lead, he fought to get it back, eventually finishing second.
“When (Christopher Pourcel) passed me, I definitely wanted it back,” Barcia said. “It was weird because when he was catching me, I don’t know if I got tight or nervous, but I definitely tried to get him back, for sure. I wasn’t tired. People think I’ve been getting tired every weekend, but that’s not really it, because I’m really in good shape. I’ve been having a bit of a problem with my hand and I had a big blister on it, so that didn’t help in the second moto.”
In that second moto, Barcia got a mid-pack start and then moved his way quickly through the pack up to sixth and was gaining on the top five when trouble started. After crashing, Barcia
officially ended the race 29th, but with the second in the first moto, that landed him 10th overall.
In the 250 class, rookie Justin Barcia was all the rage again at round two, and he got the hole shot in the first moto before pulling away from the pack. Unlike at
Glen Helen, though, Barcia’s lead lasted nearly to the end of the moto. Even once he lost the lead, he fought to get it back, eventually finishing second.“When (Christopher Pourcel) passed me, I definitely wanted it back,” Barcia said. “It was weird because when he was catching me, I don’t know if I got tight or nervous, but I definitely tried to get him back, for sure. I wasn’t tired. People think I’ve been getting tired every weekend, but that’s not really it, because I’m really in good shape. I’ve been having a bit of a problem with my hand and I had a big blister on it, so that didn’t help in the second moto.”
In that second moto, Barcia got a mid-pack start and then moved his way quickly through the pack up to sixth and was gaining on the top five when trouble started. After crashing, Barcia
officially ended the race 29th, but with the second in the first moto, that landed him 10th overall. His teammate Trey Canard, however, fared better in the overall rankings. In moto one, he barely lost out on the hole shot to Barcia, eventually finishing a strong third, and in moto two, he was also near the front off the start, eventually finishing second. His 3-2 was good for second overall on the day, his best finish at an outdoor national in his young career.
“The year has started off 10 times better than it did last year, so that’s definitely a positive thing, and I think I’m in a good position right now,” Canard said. “I’m not out of the title hopes – I’m in third – so that right there is something to be happy about. I would like to get a win, though. That’s just me as a racer. I want to win races, so I’ve just got to keep putting in the effort that I am and I know my time will come.”
Still recovering from injuries suffered in supercross, Brett Metcalfe is making the best of it every weekend. At Hangtown, Metty went 5-4 for fourth overall despite fighting through a wrist 
injury. Finally in the 250 class, rookie Blake Wharton had a tough go of it in the first moto on his way to ninth, but in moto two he was up front the whole race, and despite some pretty major mistakes, was able to finish fifth for sixth overall. This marked the second consecutive weekend that all four AMSOIL sponsored riders finished in the top ten.In the 450 class, Dan Reardon had a much better day than at Glen Helen. His starts were better, and in both motos he battled it out with members of the Honda
factory squad, among others. In the first moto, Reardon grabbed seventh, a took fifth in the second moto for sixth overall.From here, the AMSOIL team heads east to Wortham, Texas, for round three of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship.
Until then, we'll see you at the races.
