The inaugural Pro Motocross Florida National presented challenging conditions with high heat and humidity, but the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing Team’s Justin Barcia and Dean Ferris fought on to take seventh and eighth overall, respectively, at the WW Ranch Motocross Park in Jacksonville, Florida.

In Moto 1, Barcia got off to a decent start, put in some consistent laps and was able to move up into the top five. Although he calls Florida home and trains in the heat and humidity on a regular basis, Saturday’s conditions really put the sport’s best riders to the test in the 30-minute-plus-two-lap moto. As the race wore on, the lap times went up, and consequently, Barcia got shuffled back to sixth.

A poor start put Ferris back in 20th, but the multi-time Australian Motocross Champion never gave up. He steadily worked his way through the pack and was able to move into 10th on the last lap of the race.

While Barcia didn’t quite get the same start in the second moto, Ferris was much improved. The pair found themselves in the top 10 early in the race and continued to progress forward on the physically demanding track in the sweltering Florida heat. At the end of the 30-minute-plus-two-lap moto, Barcia once again crossed the line sixth with his teammate right behind in seventh.

Next weekend, the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing Team heads to Southwick, Massachusetts for Round 6 of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship at The Wick 338 on Saturday, June 29.

Jim Perry

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager

“It was a solid day for the bLU cRU. The team spent the week at Justin’s compound (Bamland) testing and once the long days ended, both Justin and Dean felt that progress was made. We came to WW Ranch looking for a positive result, but the track was super rough, sandy, high speed and the conditions were hot. At the end of the day, the hard work paid off with both guys finishing inside the top 10. Although we still have room for improvement, we took a step in the right direction.”

Justin Barcia

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing

“It was really tough out there today. I was hoping for a better finish, but all in all it was a good day and we hopefully learned a few things for next week. I’m leaving healthy and looking forward to Southwick.”

Dean Ferris

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing

“Overall, I’m pretty happy with today. I got two really mediocre starts, which kind of made it hard for me, but I put in a big charge. Made a lot of passes in the first moto and was able to get to 10th. In the second moto, the start was a little better. I felt really strong all moto in spite of the heat. I think my big off-season in Australia training in the heat and getting ready for this outdoor championship really helped me today. So I’m really stoked that I could push through and pick up a couple more positions late in the moto because my fitness was strong. We made some improvements while testing throughout the week, as stuff turns out. I’m looking forward to Southwick; onward and upward.”

2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship 450 Class WW Ranch Motocross Park Results

1. Marvin Musquin (1-3)

2.Eli Tomac (7-1)

3. Zach Osborne (5-2)

4. Jason Anderson (3-4)

5. Cooper Webb (4-5)

6. Ken Roczen (2-10)

7. Justin Barcia (6-6)

8. Dean Ferris (10-7)

9. Fredrik Noren (9-8)

10. Blake Baggett (8-9)

2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship 450 Class Standings

1. Eli Tomac 215

2. Ken Roczen 209

3. Marvin Musquin 184

4. Zach Osborne 182

5. Jason Anderson 182

6. Cooper Webb 166

7. Justin Barcia 129

8. Blake Baggett 117

9. Dean Ferris 114

10. Justin Bogle 99

Author

Dan Lamb is a 12+ year journalist and the owner of MotoXAddicts.