PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania: Justin Barcia returns to action this week for Round 15 of the SuperMotocross World Championship at Lincoln Financial Field.
“I’m feeling pretty good,” Barcia told NBC Sports before taking the track on Press Day. “Truthfully, I didn’t plan on coming back for Supercross. I was getting back to Motocross and getting comfortable. The team was liking what they were seeing and felt I should come do a few races, which I am not against it. It’s good to see everybody and get back into the race vibe.”
Barcia’s return coincides with a surge for Factory Ducati, which has witnessed Dylan Ferrandis challenge for top-five finishes twice in the last four rounds. Ferrandis finished seventh in Detroit and sixth in Nashville two weeks ago. He has finished among the top 10 in all but two rounds, once because of injury in Daytona.
Meanwhile, Barcia has been sidelined since a major crash in the opening round at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, when he was involved in a crash with Malcolm Stewart.
Barcia’s goal this week is to knock the rust off.
“We’ve done two solid weeks of testing Motocross,” Barcia continued. “I did a day of Supercross testing and then before that I had a couple weeks, just 50 percent, just getting back comfortable on the bike. And so the last few weeks it’s ramped up a whole lot.
“Now, I don’t have a choice but to ramp up here at the race.”
In 2025, Barcia finished 10th in each of the three SuperMotocross series. With each round of Pro Motocross offering 50 points, Barcia has ample opportunity to qualify for the SMX Playoffs, which kick off September 12 at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.