It was time to break out the western gear and cowboy hats, as the Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/GASGAS Factory Racing Team ventured out of California for the first time in ’23. This also marked the start of the 250 East Championship chase, giving Michael Mosiman his first shot at action for the season.

With a stacked field and tight competition, it was another solid week for Justin Barcia aboard his GASGAS MC 450F Factory Edition. Scoring a third in his heat race gave Justin a good gate pick for the main, which he used to round the first turn among the leaders. Shuffling into the sixth spot, he quickly moved to fifth for the majority of the main. Unfortunately, a crash in the whoops on the last lap cost him a position, and he ended the night in P6.

Justin Barcia: “I had a decent practice, and a good charge through the pack in the heat race had me feeling super-good. The main event was quite wild. I was running about sixth and we had a staggered restart. I moved up a couple of positions, and then I had a little crash in the whoops and ended up sixth. I’m really happy with the motorcycle. It’s feeling really good and I’m comfortable. The competition is so close, and everyone’s so fast…we’re right there and the podium is inches away. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel. We just need to get after it.”

250SX West
Coming into the season as one of the veterans, and with legitimate championship aspirations, Michael Mosiman was speedy in his heat race, charging from eighth to fourth at the checkers. The story was similar to the main event, where he was 14^th at the end of lap one but sixth at the finish.

Michael Mosiman: “For the first round of the east coast, I had an all-right day. My pace and fitness are good. I thought I had a lot of strengths, but I just need to clean up the starts and I can do that. It’s unfortunate. P6 is not where we want to be starting out, but I warm up quick. I’m looking forward to Tampa.”

Next Event (Round 6): February 11, 2023 – Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.