Mosiman Delivers Brand’s First 250mx Podium with Second Overall at Spring Creek
It was another proud weekend for the Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing Team, who earned their first-ever 450MX overall win at Saturday’s Spring Creek National with an all-star performance from Justin Barcia aboard the MC 450F. Only six rounds into the brand’s inaugural season in the AMA Pro Motocross Championship, team rider Michael Mosiman sweetened the pot with a runner-up finish on the MC 250F to deliver GASGAS Factory Racing their first 250MX podium in the U.S.-based series.
Coming off his first overall podium of the season at the last round, Barcia came into the weekend with a new aura, and he accepted nothing short of being up front all day long. In Moto 1, he grabbed the holeshot and was off to the races, leading all 16 laps with tenacity and poise, to claim his first moto-win of the season.
In Moto 2, Barcia wasted no time putting his MC 450F out front as he captured another holeshot and battled for the lead before getting passed by Ken Roczen on the first lap. He fought hard in second for the duration and while he wasn’t able to make any moves for the lead, it was the bigger picture that allowed him to come away with the overall win by way of 1-2 moto finishes.
Justin Barcia: “It was good to get back on the podium. I felt good all day and my confidence was up. I’ve been working on my starts and everything, and it all came together today getting two holeshots and being able to get out front quick and ride my own race. The first moto was wild, lots of pressure, and second moto I made a push behind Kenny and tried to get him, but he rode a good race. I’m stoked for the whole team, it’s great to get this win and we’re definitely going to be looking for a lot more.”
250MX
Mosiman started off the day with a season-best qualifying position of fourth, giving him positive vibes heading into the first set of motos at his favorite track. He got off to a top-five start in Moto 1 and quickly powered his MC 250F into a top-three position early on. Laying down consistently fast lap times for the rest of the race, Mosiman locked in a solid third in Moto 1.
In Moto 2, he grabbed a top-five start and charged up to third on the opening lap. Pressuring hard for second place early on, Mosiman backed off for a few laps before ensuing once again to officially overtake the spot halfway through the race. Slowly breaking away from the third-place rider, Mosiman was able to secure a comfortable second-place finish and second-overall for the day.
Michael Mosiman: “So stoked for GASGAS, it was good to run up front and secure a double-podium for the team! This is one of my favorite tracks on the circuit and I think it showed today. I felt good all day and the bike was super-fast and handled really well. I’m excited and looking forward to building on this momentum.”
Teammate Pierce Brown found himself battling the ground in both motos of the day. In Moto 1, Brown got off to a 10th-place start and he mixed it up in a group battle during the first half of the race. He made a mistake through the infamous rollers and swapped out, leaving him to fight his way back to a 15th place finish.
In Moto 2, Brown got off to a great start inside the top-five and he battled up front on the opening lap. In a close battle for fifth, Brown came together with another rider and went down in a corner, but things quickly escalated as he got hit and ran over while trying to get to his bike. Brown received precautionary medical attention, ultimately ending his race early, but thankfully came away with no injuries.
Pierce Brown: “It was a tough day all-around, not what I was looking for, but I live to fight another day. In the second moto, I was up front and moving forward a couple laps in and I collided with RJ Hampshire and as I was going to get my bike, I got hit by a couple riders. That was scary – my legs went flying behind my back and I hit my head. I wasn’t really sure how I was physically, so the Alpinestars Medics took me to the rig and went over everything to make sure I’m okay and unfortunately, that was the end of my day. Health-wise, I’m a little banged up but all good to go, so that’s one positive to take from the day and we are hoping to rebound in Washougal.”