Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing Team’s Justin Barcia continued his streak of top 10 finishes with another sixth-place finish on the talent of a 6-5 ride at the penultimate round of the Pro Motocross Series at Budds Creek Motocross Park. The challenging heat and humidity didn’t seem to bother the Yamaha duo with teammate Aaron Plessinger putting in his best finish to date, scoring 9-9 moto scores for eighth overall.

The track and conditions are always a challenging pair for the riders in Southern Maryland, but Barcia goes well at this track. He came around the first turn near the front in moto one and kept his No. 51 Yamaha YZ450F inside the top 10 in seventh. He was as high as fifth but brought it home in sixth by the end of the moto. Knowing his conditioning was there, Barcia was able to push just as hard in moto two. He came around in sixth at the start and managed to keep pushing with the front pack to finish fifth for sixth overall on the day.

Following a solid week of testing in California, Plessinger came into the moto with confidence to bring home his best result this season. He didn’t get the start he was looking for in 18th, but that didn’t hold him back from pushing inside the top 10. Plessinger made it up to the top 10 by the halfway point of the race and eventually grabbed the ninth place spot by the end of the moto. Moto two had him starting inside the top 10 and he maintained his position throughout the toughest moto of the day to secure ninth, granting him eighth overall at the penultimate round.

The final race for the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing Team will be at Ironman Raceway in Crawfordsville, Indiana on August 24.

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing Team Manager

“It was a solid day for the Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing team. Both guys finished inside the top 10 in both motos, which was definitely a step in the right direction. Aaron has been testing in California and he and the team’s efforts showed improvements in the bike set up this weekend. Both guys are looking forward to finish the season on a high note next week at the final round.”

Justin Barcia

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing

“I was riding solid and the bike set up was working well for me. I ended up getting a good start in Moto 1, battled near the front and ended up 6th in Moto 1. In the second Moto, I got another solid start. I was battling with (Zach) Osborne and a lot of other guys. I rode my butt off. We made a change before the second Moto and it was the right change. My starts have been good, it was nice to have the speed too. I’m now wishing the season wasn’t about to be over. It would have been good to be on the podium today, but we’re taking steps in the right direction.”

Aaron Plessinger

Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing

“Budds Creek was a step in the right direction for us. It was pretty good actually. I got a bad start in the first moto but still got back up there to finish ninth. In the second moto I got a much better start. I was battling right around the top 10 spot, put it on cruise control and was able to keep it in front of him (Kyle Cunningham) to get 9-9. It was the best finish of the summer and I can’t wait for Ironman. I expect it to be a good one.”

Author

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