Round 14 of the 2023 Monster Energy Supercross Championship offered its share of unpredictability, with a severe thunderstorm passing through MetLife Stadium, putting the night’s proceedings on hold ahead of the main events. After the weather delay, it was Max Anstie (Fire Power Honda) who rocketed out to the holeshot and never looked back, taking his first career 250SX win. In 450SX, it was Justin Barcia (TLD Red Bull GasGas) who grabbed the victory, his first of the 2023 season. Both riders were available to the media following the races for this Debrief feature.

450SX

Image: Octopi Media.

Justin, with an opening lap like that, you haven’t had a sight lap and you don’t know what the bike’s going to do. How do you go about that?

We were down to plywood in a lot of corners, I mean obviously, the track guys can’t do much it just happens cause we’re digging deep, but yeah, just send it. But also, don’t crash, there was a fine line.

Tonight was the second-ever 450SX win for GasGas, you got the first win for them back in 2021. Can you talk about the team dynamics that have developed over the years and what works for you and GasGas?

Troy Lee is just a rad guy, he loves the sport. I remember I got my first win with GasGas and Troy said that’s made his life, and Troy Lee, that dude has had some moments in his life, so it was special. He’s just a good guy, loves the sport. GasGas, you know, they came on board putting everything into it and I was the guy to be with the team and do this, it’s awesome, I’m proud to have those guys behind me and it’s honestly been a match made in heaven. It’s been really enjoyable, it’s been fun, obviously, motorsports is very difficult, there are hard times, but everyone works together, we have a really good crew right now, a solid team. We have fun, we put in the work and we love racing dirt bikes, so that’s about it really. We have Austria behind us and they’ve really stepped up since GasGas came on board and they’re doing a great job, I couldn’t ask for anything more.

You’ve had six wins in the 450 class. Where does this one rate compared to the rest?

Honestly, tonight was special. To have my wife, my son, I don’t know if it gets much better than that. Tonight is a good feeling, that last lap was unique, just a lot of emotions going on and man, we work really hard. I’ve worked really hard on myself this year to just try and be all-around a better racer. over my career I’ve been a little bit overly wild sometimes, it’s not like I party and stuff like that, but just on the track. You know, I ride with a lot of heart and sometimes it doesn’t go my way. But, I really just worked on myself this year, I want to set an example for my son growing up, obviously he doesn’t know it yet. But yeah, this one is probably up there, maybe the best one. I hope to have a lot more to come.

Max Anstie had a big win tonight. Not sure if you know him, but any thoughts on that?

Yeah, absolutely epic. Yarrive [Konsky] puts a lot into the team, he’s not here that often, but he was here tonight, I actually saw him earlier. But man, what a special moment, we’ve all been there, so that’s really cool. For Max, he seems like a really nice kid, he’s a hard racer, so for him to kind of come from Europe and come back here and give it his all and get this win tonight, you know, he’s British, I like the British people, my wife’s British. But, it’s cool, I don’t think his family were here, but I bet he can’t wait to get home and see them and celebrate, it’s rad.

250SX

Image: Octopi Media.

Max, take us through all the things you’re thinking about. We heard on the podium you were thinking about the bonus cheque and all these different things. Did you have to remind yourself to stop doing that? Or did you just let it run all the way to the finish?

I’ve been around the world a few times, and I have been in this situation before. I got out front and as soon as I got into the first rhythm section I was like, ‘Okay this is going to be good.’ My goggles were clean and I got going around the first lap, my mechanic’s pit board obviously wouldn’t work because of the rain and I could see a KTM was in second and I was gapping quite well, so I thought, ‘okay I’m going to sit like this,’ then I got into lappers and I started really focusing on what I was doing. Before I went out for the race, everyone I walked past was going, ‘oh this is going to be you isn’t it, you’d be doing a rain dance.’ I was like yeah, but I obviously had to still go out and execute what I was doing, and it’s not easy. But, to come away with a win was absolutely incredible, I kept plugging away, I was a little too careful and started rolling the triple and finish line because I didn’t want to land on some lappers. Then, I was rolling the whoops on the last lap I could hear [a bike coming fast behind me], and I thought, ‘That’s either a lapper getting sketchy or that’s someone good’. I can kind of tell their bikes so I knew it was one of the Hondas and I was like, ‘oooh okay I need to speed up a bit these last two turns’. I’ll take it any way I can get it, I’ll take that trophy home to my little boy and he can put it in his room. It’s what I came to America for, you know, Supercross is why I came to America and like all of us up here, it’s special and I’m loving it.

When you made the decision to come here, was it just to be here? Or did you think you could get to this point of winning races?

Yeah, I think all of us have that power within. If you didn’t believe you going to be a champion or win races, then there’s not really much point in being out there. I definitely dreamed about it, but it’s a whole different thing going out and actually doing it, especially for a privateer team like Firepwer Honda. I’ve been on a lot of teams where you can think in your head how great you are, but if the bike’s not competitive, then it’s a bit of a waste of time. This year we’ve been consistent, I’ve been in the top five every race except for the one that I DNF, and I’ve been on the box when it’s dry and won a race when it’s wet. You know, we’re there or thereabouts. We know 100 percent that this championship is Hunters, and racing against the Star Yamaha’s, HRC, it’s been incredible. There are still things I’m learning every single day when I come out to these races, even here, there was that weird little single before that triple, I kept messing it up, like taking off, then rolling it. Martin Davalos was asking me why and I was like, ‘I’ve never done a section like that before,’ It’s weird, even though I’m 30 years old this week, it’s arguably my first full season of Supercross on a 250 since 2010, so I feel like I’m a rookie. I can’t wait for the rest of the season and the future with this team.

Do you think that your MXGP experience helped here tonight with these muddy conditions?

Yeah, definitely. These American guys don’t usually ride when it’s raining, half the time the teams don’t let you ride when it’s wet. So, I’ve taken the bike out a few times at MTF when it’s been a bit muddy, against the team’s will, just for this sort of situation. But, most of the time the guys don’t ride supercross bikes in the mud, I don’t know why. But, when I was in California, anytime there was a chance of rain, everything would be closed. So, GP days definitely helped.

Obviously, these are conditions that are great for you. But, if you start 15th in the mud it doesn’t matter how good you are. So, how’d you pull that start off?

GP days definitely helped, I was actually almost going to use the scoop tyre, I’m glad I didn’t cause it was real slick. But yeah, the start was key, we cut some grooves in the tyre because it’s all about traction out there. I did a concrete start, that was basically it. Everyone spun, I didn’t spin. So, that made the difference. Concrete starts are all about traction. Of course, it could’ve gone anyone’s direction, it reminded me of Lorettas when we did that national there, real hard and slippery, and it was kind of the same, all about getting traction out of the gate. Could’ve been anyone’s game, but yeah, it worked out.

In the delay, we saw you with your helmet on the whole time, did you ever take that helmet off?

I saw everyone start running down to the stadium, so I thought we were getting going, but it was just cause there was a streaker on the track, so I whacked my helmet on. But, everyone kept filling me up telling me I was doing the rain dance. But, I just saw my graphics with the St Jude graphic saying ‘just keep swimming’, and I was watching Finding Dory this week with my little guy and it says ‘just keep swimming, just keep swimming’, so Finding Nemo, Finding Dory, it worked out, it was wet going down that start straight, so I did the same thing.