Image: Octopi Media.

In a main event that saw the top four riders in the 450SX championship start out front, Justin Barcia came away fourth in what he says was ‘one of the hardest fourth-place finishes’ of his career.

After winning the season-opening race in Houston, his third consecutive round one victory, Barcia is still searching for his second Monster Energy Supercross win of the season. The TLD Red Bull GasGas rider has made it clear throughout the year that he doesn’t want to be the guy that just wins the opening round.

He put himself in contention for another win as the gate dropped for round 12 in Arlington on Saturday, starting up front with the top-three riders in the championship, eventually battling with defending champion Eli Tomac (Monster Energy Kawasaki) for the final spot on the podium.

The two swapped positions through the closing stages of the race, Tomac ultimately taking third as the top four went on to finish just over five seconds apart.

“This was one of the hardest fourth-place finishes I’ve ever gotten,” said Barcia. “I charged so hard and was so close to the podium, it was a little bit frustrating.

“It was definitely one of the more intense races I’ve ever had and with such an aggressive track, the top four of us were just on top of each other the whole race trying as hard as we could.

“All-in-all, it was a great race but I definitely wanted to be on the box. We’re going to be working hard going into Atlanta, wanting more – to be on the podium, up front and getting wins.”

The series now moves to Atlanta for three races at Atlanta Motor Speedway, with track layouts that are similar to what we’ve seen in Daytona, a style of track Barcia has had success over the years, including a 250SX East win.