Barcia had a good beginning to the day in Crawfordsville, Indiana, qualifying fourth. Unfortunately starts still proved to be a challenge and he found himself back in 12th on the first lap of the moto. He steadily worked his way forward, eventually taking sixth towards the end of the race, but ran out of time to continue his progress.
In the second moto, Barcia got a better start in ninth. He quickly worked his way to fourth and chased down the leaders. He kept the lead pack in reach, throwing down consistently fast times, the lowest average of any other rider – “2’01.395 – over the 30-minute-plus-two-lap moto. The Florida rider was relentless in his pursuit of the win but ultimately finished runner up to the reigning champion. Barcia’s hard-fought second-place finish secured fourth overall on the day, maintaining third place in the standings and closing the gap to 26 points on the points leader.
His teammate Tickle also had a tough time with his starts. He qualified 10th, but in the first moto, the Michigan native found himself all the way back in 27th. Tickle put his head down and had a good pace to thread his way through the pack to finish ninth, putting in his fastest laps towards the end of the race. He made some improvements in the second moto and got a better start, but still had his work cut out for him in 23rd. Undeterred he pushed his way forward to cross the line 10th for a ninth overall finish.
The Monster Energy Yamaha Factory Racing Team heads to Buchanan, Michigan, for a RedBud National doubleheader during Labor Day weekend on Friday, September 4, and Monday, September 7.
